Tonight was proof the death metal scene is alive & well in the UK right now. Not only that but thriving! A sold-out show saw 1,500 death metal die-hards gather to celebrate the Floridian legends that are Obituary.
Coming off a successful European arena tour in support of Trivium the swamp stompers treated London to a one-night headline set that wouldn’t be one to miss!
Supporting tonight are the putrid creatures & hotly tipped upcoming stars Celestial Sanctuary & self-proclaimed UK riff chuggers Conjurer!
It’s great to see the room packed as Celestial Sanctuary takes the stage. Slowly filling with smoke it begins. Singer/guitarist Tom screams for a circle pit straight away on the first track as the band smash into “Rid The Gormless” & the crowd are ready to take him up on his sadistic offer.
Now anyone who reads my reviews knows I’m a Celestial Sanctuary die-hard & I have supported these boys since day one. But how quickly they have risen the rank in the past year is well deserved.
The band is on fire tonight, perfectly mixed sound and energy dripping from every member of the band made this so special. Jimmy smashing his bass right up front of the stage leg up on the monitor, guitarist Matt’s long black hair & frantic stage presence proves he’s the UK version of Trey Azagthoth. Drummer James & his insanely tight drumming, double kick work & blasting here is all in top form. Even getting to see Tom pull out some of the most wretched facial expressions to date was perfect.
Now staples “Soul Diminished” & “Suffer Your Sentience” get the crowd in a free for all! The biggest & widest mosh pit I’ve seen for the band to date.
Closing out with “Trapped Within The Rank Membrane” & Tom screams “this song is about bursting out of yourself & doing some sick shit like coming to an Obituary show on a Thursday night!” was the icing on the heavy arse cake. As the band ring out with the final chugging & apocalyptic breakdown of the track it’s the last chance for the crowd to unleash & oh boy do they! A massive set & a well-deserved reaction for these guys!
Next up is something a little different. The monstrous Conjurer!
Bringing the chaotic riffing of a perfect mix of Converge, Mastodon & Gojira these guys bring it full force. Guitarists & duel vocalists Dan Nightingale & Brady Deeprose’s interplay is fantastic, Low guttural vocals with high pitch even blackened vocals mixed with the band’s low register riffing blended with panic chords & hissing lead sections make this band a cacophony of dread, and despair & anguish.
The band’s mix of fast blasting sections & slow doomy tempos merge really well & keep their set entertaining & the passion seeps through their performance. These guys give it their all & it’s great to see!
Now for the reigning champions to take the stage, the mighty Obituary! As more & more fans creep out the walls the venue starts to look like tightly packed sardine tin but that doesn’t matter to this lot! As “Shootin’ Whiskey” plays the band takes the stage, the whole venue erupts!
And in classic formation the band ripped right into “Redneck Stomp”. The perfect intro track, often duplicated by others but the one true Obituary can only pull off such an intro.
Going straight into “Sentence Day” & “A Lesson in Vengeance” both hard hitters from the bands 2017 self titled album.
Already you can tell this is a special set, The band seem in very high spirits. Tonight is the most passionate & electric I’ve seen vocalist John Tardy. His interplay with guitarists Ken Andrews & Trevor Peres was brilliant, leaning into them, screaming with them & just giving the fans some great interplay was a fantastic sight.
One of the main highlights of tonight was getting to hear new tracks from the band’s newest album “Dying Of Everything”. Luckily the band gave the audience more than a few tracks, Including the live debuts of “Barely Alive” & “War” in the latter half of the set made tonight’s show just that more significant.
The band even gave a chance for the audiences “inner caveman” to appear with the meaty & barbaric “The Wrong Time”, the new Obituary anthem even heavier live & just as phenomenal as Joe Cincotta’s recording sound he is able to somehow make the band heavier live than I’ve ever heard them.
Classic tracks like “Don’t Care” & “I’m in Pain” still sound relevant & perfect match with the bands new material. Always an experience & even nearly hitting the 40 years mark as a band still have the raw performance & they can rip old tracks just as if they were written yesterday.
Closing out the night with the now cemented legacy tracks “Chopped in Half” & “Slowly We Rot” might be the sign for the bands set finishing but tonight’s performance has been the best I’ve seen in years. Not many legacy acts like Obituary are still playing as hard, writing as catchy & hard hitting music as these guys are & that’s why Obituary will always be untouchable.
Review: Joseph Mitchell
OBITUARY ARE:
John Tardy – Vocals
Donald Tardy – Drums
Trevor Peres – Rhythm Guitar
Terry Butler – Bass Guitar
Ken Andrews – Lead Guitar
OBITUARY // DYING OF EVERYTHING // ALBUM REVIEW
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