Obituary (band)
Encyclopedia
Obituary is an American death metal
band formed in 1984 in Tampa, Florida
under the name Executioner, then changed the name's spelling to Xecutioner, and later changed their name to Obituary in 1988. The band comprises vocalist John Tardy
, drummer Donald Tardy
, guitarists Trevor Peres
and Ralph Santolla
and bassist Terry Butler
. The band is a fundamental act in the development of death metal music and one of the most successful bands in its genre.
genre. Founded as Executioner in Seffner
, Florida
during 1984. They soon dropped the "E" from their name because of another band of the same name, becoming Xecutioner. At the time the band was composed of John Tardy (vocals), Allen West (lead guitar), Trevor Peres (guitar), Jerome Grable (bass) & Donald Tardy (drums). The band released demos in 1985, 1986, and 1987, the 1985 demo as Executioner and the 1986 and 1987 demos as Xecutioner. They made their vinyl debut in 1987 with two tracks ("Find The Arise" & "Like The Dead") on the Raging Death compilation. Not long after its release Grable was replaced with bassist Daniel Tucker. Shortly before the release of its first album the following year, Slowly We Rot
, they changed their name to Obituary. The band still remains an influential piece of the Florida death metal movement that arose in the late 1980s. Obituary is listed by Nielsen Soundscan
as the fifth best-selling death metal
band of all time and its albums have sold 368,185 copies; their 1992 release The End Complete has sold more than 103,378 copies in the United States alone.
After 1997's Back from the Dead album, the band had grown tired of touring, which led to the band disbanding. During the hiatus, Donald Tardy played in Andrew W.K.
's touring band (during W.K.'s appearance on Saturday Night Live
Tardy wore an Obituary shirt). Allen West focused on his two projects, Lowbrow and Six Feet Under
while not playing in Obituary. Trevor Peres
formed Catastrophic in 2001, which released one album, The Cleansing, in that same year. Obituary reformed in 2003 and Catastrophic continued to exist alongside the reformed Obituary. A reunion album, Frozen in Time
, was released in 2005. The band's first live DVD, Frozen Alive
, was released in January 2007.
Obituary is currently signed with Candlelight Records
for its next two albums, Xecutioner's Return
(2007) and Darkest Day
(2009), as well as the EP Left to Die
(2008). A concert DVD release was also announced for January 2010. As of April 2010, according to frontman John Tardy
, Obituary has begun work on new material for their next album. This will be the first Obituary album not to be recorded with longtime bassist Frank Watkins
since their 1989 debut Slowly We Rot
.
Live members
Former members
Live albums
DVDs
Extended plays
Compilation albums
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band formed in 1984 in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
under the name Executioner, then changed the name's spelling to Xecutioner, and later changed their name to Obituary in 1988. The band comprises vocalist John Tardy
John Tardy
John Tardy is an American vocalist who is best known for his work with the death metal bands Obituary and Tardy Brothers. He is the brother of Donald Tardy who is the drummer of Obituary.- References :...
, drummer Donald Tardy
Donald Tardy
Donald 'Don' Tardy is the drummer of death metal band Obituary and the brother of John Tardy, who is the lead singer of the band. Besides Obituary, they have a band called Tardy Brothers, where Donald also plays guitar and bass, as well as drums. Donald also played drums for Andrew W.K on the...
, guitarists Trevor Peres
Trevor Peres
Trevor Peres born July 25, 1969 is an American heavy metal musician best known as the guitarist, song writer and one of the founding members of the death metal band Obituary.-Bands:*Obituary *Meathook Seed *Catastrophic...
and Ralph Santolla
Ralph Santolla
Ralph Santolla is an Italian-American metal guitarist. He has played in many bands in the past, most recently Deicide, but also including Eyewitness, Death , Millennium, Iced Earth, and the Sebastian Bach band...
and bassist Terry Butler
Terry Butler
Terry Butler of Tampa, Florida, U.S., is the current bassist in the death metal band Obituary. He was also a member of Six Feet Under, Massacre and Death...
. The band is a fundamental act in the development of death metal music and one of the most successful bands in its genre.
History
Obituary is one of the pioneering bands of the death metalDeath metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
genre. Founded as Executioner in Seffner
Seffner, Florida
Seffner is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,467 at the 2000 census, although its ZIP codes , which boundaries extend beyond the ones given by the census and include the places of Mango and a portion of Thonotosassa, have...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
during 1984. They soon dropped the "E" from their name because of another band of the same name, becoming Xecutioner. At the time the band was composed of John Tardy (vocals), Allen West (lead guitar), Trevor Peres (guitar), Jerome Grable (bass) & Donald Tardy (drums). The band released demos in 1985, 1986, and 1987, the 1985 demo as Executioner and the 1986 and 1987 demos as Xecutioner. They made their vinyl debut in 1987 with two tracks ("Find The Arise" & "Like The Dead") on the Raging Death compilation. Not long after its release Grable was replaced with bassist Daniel Tucker. Shortly before the release of its first album the following year, Slowly We Rot
Slowly We Rot
Slowly We Rot is a 1989 album by American death metal band Obituary. It was their debut album and is also the only album on which Obituary used E standard guitar tuning - all of Obituary's other albums use D standard tuning. Despite this, it is widely considered as Obituary's heaviest album...
, they changed their name to Obituary. The band still remains an influential piece of the Florida death metal movement that arose in the late 1980s. Obituary is listed by Nielsen Soundscan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
as the fifth best-selling death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band of all time and its albums have sold 368,185 copies; their 1992 release The End Complete has sold more than 103,378 copies in the United States alone.
After 1997's Back from the Dead album, the band had grown tired of touring, which led to the band disbanding. During the hiatus, Donald Tardy played in Andrew W.K.
Andrew W.K.
Andrew W.K. is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, entertainer, and motivational speaker. He is the host of the television series Destroy Build Destroy.-Early life & career:Andrew Wilkes-Krier was born in Stanford, California, and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
's touring band (during W.K.'s appearance on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
Tardy wore an Obituary shirt). Allen West focused on his two projects, Lowbrow and Six Feet Under
Six Feet Under (band)
Six Feet Under is an American death metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed in 1993. The band was originally a side project by Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes with guitarist Allen West of Obituary...
while not playing in Obituary. Trevor Peres
Trevor Peres
Trevor Peres born July 25, 1969 is an American heavy metal musician best known as the guitarist, song writer and one of the founding members of the death metal band Obituary.-Bands:*Obituary *Meathook Seed *Catastrophic...
formed Catastrophic in 2001, which released one album, The Cleansing, in that same year. Obituary reformed in 2003 and Catastrophic continued to exist alongside the reformed Obituary. A reunion album, Frozen in Time
Frozen in Time
Frozen in Time is the 2005 comeback album by American death metal band Obituary. It was the band's first album in eight years since 1997's Back from the Dead....
, was released in 2005. The band's first live DVD, Frozen Alive
Frozen Alive
Frozen Alive is Obituary's first live DVD. It was recorded August 24, 2006 in Warsaw, Poland. It has songs from each of their albums through Frozen in Time...
, was released in January 2007.
Obituary is currently signed with Candlelight Records
Candlelight Records
Candlelight Records is an independent record label based in Europe founded by former Extreme Noise Terror bassist Lee Barrett, though it has had a division in the United States since January 2001. Candlelight Records specialises in black metal and death metal, having bands such as Emperor,...
for its next two albums, Xecutioner's Return
Xecutioner's Return
Xecutioner's Return is the seventh studio album by the American death metal band Obituary. The name is derived from Obituary's original band name, which was Xecutioner. It was released on August 28, 2007...
(2007) and Darkest Day
Darkest Day
Darkest Day is the eighth studio album by the American death metal band Obituary. It was released on June 30, 2009 through Candlelight Records...
(2009), as well as the EP Left to Die
Left to Die
Left to Die is an extended play by American death metal band Obituary.- Track listing :# "Forces Realign" - 4:37# "Dethroned Emperor" - 5:04# "Slowly We Rot" - 4:38# "Left to Die" - 6:18-Credits:* John Tardy - Vocals...
(2008). A concert DVD release was also announced for January 2010. As of April 2010, according to frontman John Tardy
John Tardy
John Tardy is an American vocalist who is best known for his work with the death metal bands Obituary and Tardy Brothers. He is the brother of Donald Tardy who is the drummer of Obituary.- References :...
, Obituary has begun work on new material for their next album. This will be the first Obituary album not to be recorded with longtime bassist Frank Watkins
Frank Watkins
Frank Watkins is an American heavy metal musician best known as the former bass player for the death metal band Obituary. As of September 2010, Watkins is no longer a member of the band...
since their 1989 debut Slowly We Rot
Slowly We Rot
Slowly We Rot is a 1989 album by American death metal band Obituary. It was their debut album and is also the only album on which Obituary used E standard guitar tuning - all of Obituary's other albums use D standard tuning. Despite this, it is widely considered as Obituary's heaviest album...
.
Members
Current members- John TardyJohn TardyJohn Tardy is an American vocalist who is best known for his work with the death metal bands Obituary and Tardy Brothers. He is the brother of Donald Tardy who is the drummer of Obituary.- References :...
– vocals (1984–present) - Donald TardyDonald TardyDonald 'Don' Tardy is the drummer of death metal band Obituary and the brother of John Tardy, who is the lead singer of the band. Besides Obituary, they have a band called Tardy Brothers, where Donald also plays guitar and bass, as well as drums. Donald also played drums for Andrew W.K on the...
– drums (1984–present) - Trevor PeresTrevor PeresTrevor Peres born July 25, 1969 is an American heavy metal musician best known as the guitarist, song writer and one of the founding members of the death metal band Obituary.-Bands:*Obituary *Meathook Seed *Catastrophic...
– rhythm guitar (1984–present) - Ralph SantollaRalph SantollaRalph Santolla is an Italian-American metal guitarist. He has played in many bands in the past, most recently Deicide, but also including Eyewitness, Death , Millennium, Iced Earth, and the Sebastian Bach band...
– lead guitar (2007–present) - Terry ButlerTerry ButlerTerry Butler of Tampa, Florida, U.S., is the current bassist in the death metal band Obituary. He was also a member of Six Feet Under, Massacre and Death...
- bass guitar (2010–present)
Live members
- Kenny Andrews - bass guitar (2010)
- Steve DiGiorgioSteve DiGiorgioSteve DiGiorgio is an American bassist and musician.DiGiorgio has played bass guitar in heavy metal bands such as Death, Autopsy, Control Denied, Testament, Vintersorg, Iced Earth, Sebastian Bach, Charred Walls of the Damned, Obituary, and is a founding member of Sadus. He is widely renowned for...
- bass guitar (2010)
Former members
- Allen WestAllen West (musician)Allen West is an American guitarist who has been a member of Obituary, Six Feet Under and Lowbrow. He is considered to have been one of the first musicians to play a style of music known as death metal in the 1980s.In high school, West formed the band Massacre...
– lead guitar (1984–1989, 1992–2006) - James Murphy – lead guitar (1990)
- Jerome Grable – bass (1984–1988)
- Daniel Tucker – bass guitar (1988–1989)
- Frank WatkinsFrank WatkinsFrank Watkins is an American heavy metal musician best known as the former bass player for the death metal band Obituary. As of September 2010, Watkins is no longer a member of the band...
– bass guitar (1989–2010)
Discography
Studio albums- Slowly We RotSlowly We RotSlowly We Rot is a 1989 album by American death metal band Obituary. It was their debut album and is also the only album on which Obituary used E standard guitar tuning - all of Obituary's other albums use D standard tuning. Despite this, it is widely considered as Obituary's heaviest album...
(1989) - Cause of Death (1990)
- The End CompleteThe End CompleteThe End Complete is a 1992 album by American death metal band Obituary.This album is Obituary's best selling, with over 200,000 copies sold in the U.S. and more than 550,000 worldwide. It reached #16 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart...
(1992) - World DemiseWorld DemiseWorld Demise is a 1994 album by American death metal band Obituary.-Track listing:#"Don't Care" – 3:08#"World Demise" – 3:43#"Burned In" – 3:32#"Redefine" – 4:39#"Paralyzing" – 4:57#"Lost" – 3:59#"Solid State" – 4:38#"Splattered" – 4:15...
(1994) - Back from the Dead (1997)
- Frozen in TimeFrozen in TimeFrozen in Time is the 2005 comeback album by American death metal band Obituary. It was the band's first album in eight years since 1997's Back from the Dead....
(2005) - Xecutioner's ReturnXecutioner's ReturnXecutioner's Return is the seventh studio album by the American death metal band Obituary. The name is derived from Obituary's original band name, which was Xecutioner. It was released on August 28, 2007...
(2007) - Darkest DayDarkest DayDarkest Day is the eighth studio album by the American death metal band Obituary. It was released on June 30, 2009 through Candlelight Records...
(2009) - Untitled ninth studio album (2012)
Live albums
- DeadDead (album)Dead is a live album by American death metal band Obituary. The title is a comical reference to its being a "live" album.-Track listing:#"Download" – 3:00#"Chopped in Half" – 0:46...
(1998)
DVDs
- Frozen AliveFrozen AliveFrozen Alive is Obituary's first live DVD. It was recorded August 24, 2006 in Warsaw, Poland. It has songs from each of their albums through Frozen in Time...
(2006) - Live Xecution Party San 2008 (2010)
Extended plays
- Don't CareDon't Care"Don't Care" is a 1994 single by American death metal band Obituary. It was released only in the USA, like a previous release of the album World Demise...
(1994) - Left to DieLeft to DieLeft to Die is an extended play by American death metal band Obituary.- Track listing :# "Forces Realign" - 4:37# "Dethroned Emperor" - 5:04# "Slowly We Rot" - 4:38# "Left to Die" - 6:18-Credits:* John Tardy - Vocals...
(2008)
Compilation albums
- AnthologyAnthology (Obituary album)Anthology is a 2001 greatest hits album by American death metal band Obituary.-Track listing:All music by Obituary except where noted#"Find the Arise" - Anthology is a 2001 (see 2001 in music) greatest hits album by American death metal band Obituary.-Track listing:All music by Obituary except...
(2001) - The Best of ObituaryThe Best of ObituaryThe Best of Obituary is a compilation album by American death metal band Obituary, released in 2008.-Track listing:# "Internal Bleeding" – 3:01# "'Til Death" – 3:56# "Slowly We Rot" – 3:37# "Cause of Death" – 6:31# "Chopped in Half" – 3:45...
(2008)
External links
- Obituary.cc
- Obituary - biography, discography, lyrics, photos, videos
- John Tardy Interview at Diabolical Conquest Webzine
- Donald Tardy interview (2009) at Metalpaths.com
- Obituary at Roadrunner RecordsRoadrunner RecordsRoadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
- 2009 SplatterTribe.tv interview with Vocalist John Tardy