Left To Die

After last year's X-ecutioner's Return proved that Obituary were here to stay after their reunion release Frozen In Time, the band have struck when the iron is hot with a new EP. Considering there are only two new songs here (old standard Slowly We Rot is re-recorded here, along with a cover of Celtic Frost's Dethroned Emperor) there may well be a question of value for money. Luckily, the band have kept it cheap, this EP retailing for little more than the price of a single. Of course, you could argue that they could have waited a little longer to build up an album's worth of new material, and release it all then. I'm not aware of the band's motives behind releasing a short EP, but there's a possibility that the band intended this to be a sort of “taster” release for those new to the band. Someone like me, as it stands. So, coming at this from a completely fresh angle, what do I think of it? Forces Realign is the opening track here, and it's a good demonstration of the kind of raw, primal death metal Obituary play. Compared to the slick production most death metal bands use, Left To Die sounds a world away. The guitars are rust-caked, with a similar groaningly weighty tone to that used by a certain Mr Tom G. Warrior. It's a nice effect, the band sounding like a putrid liquid seeping into your skull where most death metal bands would be content merely to trample you into the dirt. As a black metal fan, the startlingly lo-fi sound is a definite plus point to me. But anyways, back to the song. Forces Realign is as doomy and unpleasant as you'd expect from my description of the Obituary sound, with an unusual, swinging drum beat. High hopes for the next album? Certainly. Next up is the re-recording of the anthemic Slowly We Rot, and it's undoubtedly a classic. I haven't heard the original mind (gasp!) so I can't comment on how it stacks up to the re-recording. That's what happens when you get a black metal fan to do a death metal review, I suppose... We come to the end of our journey with the title track, and it falls somewhere between the doominess of Forces Realign with the catchiness of Slowly We Rot. All in all then, a very solid collection of four songs. So, there we have Left To Die in a nutshell. All except the most die-hard fans of the band might find it too lacking in new content, but for those with no previous introduction to Obituary this is a much recommended purchase. Now, let's see what they can do on their next full-length proper, eh?