Does it get more pedestrian and boring than "The Wrong Time"? I don't care about the vocals, the riffing and pace are a good antidote for insomnia. They could probably be touring for a decade more without a new album, but hey, another pile of big fat nothing helps the dough roll in.

It's really disappointing that these classic bands get so much attention purely from name recognition. Just like with Darkthrone: if a new, young band put out a song like this they would be mocked for lack of effort and skill.

when this dropped I was astonished how weak it was. I held off posting about it but I still feel it's real rehearsal-jam level stuff. I'll give the album a listen but I don't hold much hope, despite the cool cover art


yeah really. he was older than H.R. Giger and started painting creepy dream landscapes before he did. Beksiński was a superb artist. yeah sure he drew inspiration from other painters but that's what all artists do. he certainly wasn't a hack - he didn't make enough money out of his work to qualify as that anyway. I've never seen any of his paintings in person but would love to.

I got into King Buffalo (metal-adjacent) because they used a work of his for their Burden of Restlessness cover. Don't know what they paid for the rights to his estate, but money well spent

The song is great; as great as the best song off the last album(Turned to Stone). This could turn out to be their best record since Frozen in Time(absolutely killer album).

I don't think new bands would be even noticed for pathetically weak and pedestrian stuff for anyone to mock them (to be frank, I also don't think it's a matter of a lack of skill), but yeah brand recognition and low standards enable dudes for whom this is a job and that's it to remain in the spotlight.

The new Darkthrone is better than pretty much anything any new band put out this year though.

You are of course entitled to that opinion, but that's a pretty extreme, borderline ridiculous, statement that even Darkthrone diehards would struggle to agree with. Your fellow archivers currently have it reviewed as the 34th best album this year. Rate Your Music doesn't even have it in the top 200 2022 metal releases.

That just goes to show that your initial claim is off-base. People aren't more lenient with classic bands. More people just listen to them, so they get more attention of all kinds.

I'm all for new bands, but I'd like stuff that sounds back to basics like Darkthrone does and does not sound like an imitation - if you can describe a new band by saying "it's like x mixed with y" I'm much less interested. There's a lot of new bands and I don't have time for all of em. But if people know raw, interesting, organic sounding new bands that aren't worship or tribute acts I'm down to try em.

this album springs to mind (not a statement on the actual discussion about old vs new, just a random thought)

How I sleep knowing obituary will never top their first two albums so there's no need to get excited for a new album

I think The End Complete is a lot better than the first two albums.

Yeah, I'm there too. EDIT and SPOILER for those who don't want to know the setlift of their upcoming tour with Amon Amart:

They just released the title track. Needless to say if you haven't been convinced by their recent output this one is probably not going to do much for you, but I'd say it's definitely better than the first single.

Sometimes I forget how good John Tardy vocals are, he is sounding great here

This one kicked my ass. The Wrong Time was more upbeat and groovy but this one thrashes a lot more. Solos are good and the song is more varied. Bring on the new album.

The last 40% of it being fully instrumental makes it a weird listen. It feels like they just forgot to unmute the vocal tracks on the final verses.

Tons of energy with this new tune. Good stuff.

The first song was good, but this was significantly better. One of Obituary's stronger tracks I'd say.

That’s much better than the first single. I’m quite looking forward to this album now. Great cover art too.

The third single is now out, definitely the most groove laden, sludgy track of the three so far.

In general all the singles are far from outstanding, and I agree with some comments that say that if this was material made by an unknown band almost nobody would pay attention to it, but for a band with 11 studio albums behind them I think this is one of the best things they can offer us. There are few bands that can maintain their freshness after so many years and we have seen many bands with more projection fall apart much earlier. I think I'll enjoy the album for what it's worth and I also think Obituary have earned the right to be listened to every time they release something new.

Three singles in, and I'm liking them. I have high hopes that this album is gonna be great, even if it's a bit standard for Obituary.

The 'Turned inside out' biography reveals that they used to make a point of not overdoing the vocals and leaving whole parts of songs without them if the track didn't need them. Looks like they're revisiting that approach.

I was never a fan of Tardy's Scooby Doo vocals but Obituary always some solid tunes. These are weak as piss though, and the production is too clean and nice. Where's the grime? The filth? The death?

I think this new single "my will to live" is worse than the previous two, i guess its kinda cool how its similar to redneck stomp except with vocals but i still think the other two outshine this one by a decent amount

Well, I like all THREE of these songs! I'd say that's PRETTY GOOD, considering my usual reaction to a Legacy Band's new release is "Yup, that's a song!"

Yeah, I was never really a big fan of Obituary but I always enjoyed them on an occasional basis. After the End Complete things got weird with them and I don't think Ralph Santolla was a good fit. I really liked the last two albums though they seem rejuvenated.

Excellent album, a good mix of familiar Obituary with the occasional surprise here and there. The highlights for me are: Barely Alive, Dying of Everything, Weaponize the Hate, and Torn Apart. Not crazy about The Wrong Time, Without a Conscience, and Be Warned, even though some of them improve for the second half. Overall it is a refreshed Obituary with interesting elements.

The vinyl arrived a few days ago and after listening to the album a few times i think it is fantastic, their best album in decades

How are we feeling this new record? I listened to it earlier today, and I liked it.

This album is pretty great and imo better than the last one. This is probably the best of the reunion era.

The drumming is not good. I'm not sure which track I previewed, but the Biohazard-adjacent, quasi hip-hop beat was awful.

Lots of fun. Definitely more mid-tempo, but I wouldn't really say Obituary was ever one of the FASTEST death metal bands to begin with. I know the discourse around Tardy's voice will never end, but he still remains one of the most instantly recognizable DM vocalists out there. Not an album that's gonna change my life, but it's nothing you can complain about from any band in their later years imo.

I liked this, I will be buying it. This is death metal I can groove too. Its not for a complex listen, its got good riffage and makes me want to bang.

I thought it was a fun album and enjoyed it. No need to reinvent the wheel here.

Oh, you don't say

Damn. I was very excited about this album and I really wanted to like it as I'm a pretty big Obi fan, but this one just doesn't do it for me.
Both Tardys sound great as usual, the solos are very cool and the production is spot on, but I think Trevor Peres really dropped the ball here. Obviously no one listens to Obituary for the technicality of the riffs, but these are way too bland and uninspired.
I think Peres should definitely step up his game and begin introducing some variety if they plan to continue recording studio albums. Can't wait to catch them live again though, they remain my favourite live death metal band (along with Vader).

I think these songs will crush live.

Lots of thicc and heavy grooves on this album. Obviously that's something they've always done but they've really put an emphasis on those here. Fun stuff.