Obituary: Ten Thousand Ways to Die

One of the greatest death metal albums, Obituary's Cause of Death, includes cover art by none other than Michael Whelan, one of the best living fantasy painters. Whelan's work has appeared on the cover of so many books that if you've read a fantasy novel sometime in the last 30 years, there's a good chance you've seen Whelan's work. For Cause of Death, Obituary drew on the cover art Whelan developed for a series of books featuring work by H. P. Lovecraft. Whelan's work gave audiences a taste of Lovecraft's weird style and interests. Obituary took things a step further by helping give Lovecraftian horror a stronger place in metal.

I won't rehearse the details about Obituary's career. Most people know the band or should take the time to discover them. One of the best and most successful bands of its kind, Obituary shaped the music they play in ways that will forever be acknowledged. With this release, the band gives fans two new tracks, both of which show that the band has lost none of its edge, power, or passion. Of the two tracks, "Loathe" and "Then Thousand Ways to Die," I liked the former better, but there's no need to split hairs. Both songs are solid tracks from a band with a long and storied career.

The rest of the album is a dozen or so live tracks taken from eleven different performances on a recent tour. All of the tracks sound great. I've never seen Obituary live, but hearing these tracks on this recording is so much fun. I especially liked "Visions in My Head," "Find the Arise," and "Bloodsoaked."

Obituary will release a new studio album in early 2017 and, with hope, they'll hit the road and we'll all get another chance to catch these guys live. In the meantime, this release is a reminder of just how good things can be.

Track Listing:
1. Loathe
2. Then Thousand Ways to Die
3. Redneck Stomp (Live)
4. Centuries of Lies (Live)
5. Visions in My Head (Live)
6. Intoxicated (Live)
7. Bloodsoaked (Live)
8. Dying (Live)
9. Find the Arise (Live)
10. Til Death (Live)
11. Don't Care (Live)
12. Chopped in Half—Turned Inside Out (Live)
13. Slowly We Rot (Live)

Added: November 11th 2016
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2178
Language: english

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