OBITUARY – Inked in Blood

The legendary death metal outfit Obituary have finally struck again, and what a joy that is to behold! It has been 5 years since their last album, Darkest Day, graced our scummy lives, and, given that I like that album, I was very much looking forward to checking out this new opus of theirs entitled Inked in Blood. The great and very fitting cover art only made me more eager to listen to the album, that is for sure!

Inked in Blood contains 12 songs that all display and embody the trademarks of Obituary, which is to say somewhat simple, catchy, and semi-thrashy old-school death metal. Obituary have not re-invented themselves or strayed from their path, but what makes Inked in Blood differ from the last couple of albums is the production and, more importantly, the actual songwriting itself. The sound is pretty raw and organic, which I really dig, and the songs are simply more interesting, dynamic, and well-structured compared to the ones off Darkest Day and Xecutioner’s Return. In other words, Inked in Blood is solid, cohesive, and fun to listen to throughout.

The guitar solos are really good, the riffs are strong and catchy, John Tardy’s vocals sound great and perceptible, the slower sections are heavier than your mom, and the album as a whole is not only memorable, coherent, and entertaining, but also inspiring in the sense that it shows that Obituary still have something interesting to offer 30 years into their musical careers.