Obituary - Darkest Day

For year after year Obituary have churned out riffs and beats like there is no tomorrow.It clearly seemed like these guys want to bring out their best in every production albums before their own obituary features in the newspaper columns. And things did seem to head that way, till Allen West's fateful departure left behind a very consequential void in the band in 2005. But the resilience the band showed after Ralph Santolla's arrival, has clearly led them back to their resurgence. And this impact has been very visible from their last album ''Xecutioners Return'' to their latest platter ''Darkest Day''.

Certainly you cant deny that Ralph Santolla's is due for a major slice of credit for powering Obituary's resurgence in their second homecoming.After all he is the same guy who has made our ears bleed with his endless swift leads and smacking licks playing alongside another death metal biggie- Deicide. The way he has meshed in with the efforts of Frank Watkins or Trevor Peres is absolutely commendable and if you dont raise up the horns to this guy ,then you are probably deserve a hard smack on your face with knuckle brass.Although Darkest Day has also shown impalpable undertones of classic rock and heavy metal that, it takes time to realise that these are the kind of subtle tints that make the album more enjoyable or rather more headbangable.

Across its first six tracks,Darkest Day appears to be on a par with its predecessor. "List of Dead" is a sensational opener, its aggression pronounced tenfold thanks to some obscenely effective drumming courtesy of Donald Tardy.To a misguided listener it might sound more like a bad production piece , but it turns out to be a subtle joke to misguide the listener. "Blood to Give" is Obituary doing a surprisingly successful impersonation of Black Sabbath, the disc's sometimes absurdly sludgy production giving the song's driving riffage additional bite. "Outside My Head" follows suit, its grinding pace proving once again that death metal can be devastating without the need to resort to constant blasting. But it's the gripping title track that will really make you sit up and take notice. Doom-laden and as deliberately measured in its build-up as it is generous in its pay-off, it boasts as much atmosphere and bad intentions as any of the Florida quartet's most timeless classics. Big riffs abound of th Ektic FrostVariety on '' Payback'' could be Trevor's best riff action sice The End Complete..Santolla and Peres come together in" Fields of Pain'' to show both the lighting fast shredding and the pure raw heaviness of death metal to create something new but familiar to Obituary.

After such an impressive start, only few would be able to keep the momentum going, and unfortunately Obituary show increasing signs of treading water as the clock ticks on.''See Me Now'' is more of a patchwork quilt of all the past Obituary songs at its best.The stunning fashion in which the album ends with 'Truth Be Told'', simly firms your stance that Obituary are considered the pioneers of death metal for no shit reason.Outside of Morbid Angel and Deicide, no Floridian death metal band has been as consistent and relevant. There’s lots of gas left in this tank…the possibilities for new, but not really new riffage must be coming out of the woodwork. Darkest Day most certainly has more variety and staying power than 2005’s Frozen In Time and 2007’s Xecutioner’s Return. Keep it coming, Obituary.