Genre: Death Metal / Groove / Swamp Stomp
Formed: 1984 (as Executioner) – Tampa, Florida 🇺🇸
Known For: Monolithic riffs, gurgled growls, and sounding like the Grim Reaper chugging moonshine.
🪓 WHO THE HELL ARE OBITUARY?
Before blast beats became trendy and death metal went full tech-mode, Obituary were carving riffs into the swamp with a rusty machete.
Led by John Tardy – a man who basically invented “prehistoric gurgle vocals” – and his brother Donald Tardy on drums, Obituary helped shape the sound of Florida’s death metal scene alongside Death, Morbid Angel, and Deicide.
But while others went complex, Obituary went caveman.
And stayed caveman.
They don’t shred at 280bpm.
They drag their riffs through the mud, throw ‘em into a grave, and stomp on ‘em with steel-toed boots.
And that’s exactly why we bloody love ‘em.
☠️ THE TARDY BOYS AND THEIR MERRY DEADMEN
- John Tardy – Vocals / Sounds like a zombie puking fire
- Donald Tardy – Drums / Groove king, blast-free bruiser
- Trevor Peres – Rhythm Guitar / The fuzz lord of Floridian filth
- Terry Butler – Bass / Ex–Death, Ex–Massacre, current thud god
- Ken Andrews – Lead Guitar / Shredzombie supreme
💿 DISCOGRAPHY – A SLUDGE-SOAKED TOMBSTONE OF RIFFS 🪦
💀 Slowly We Rot (1989)
🎧 Internal Bleeding, Gates to Hell
Vibe: Raw, rotten, revolutionary.
Riff Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀
The birth of death groove. Still crushes. Still rots.**
⚰️ Cause of Death (1990)
🎧 Chopped in Half, Turned Inside Out
Vibe: ***Creepy, crawling, perfectly putrid.
Riff Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀
*Death metal royalty. That cover. That sound. That riffage.
🧟 The End Complete (1992)
🎧 I’m in Pain, Back to One
Vibe: Heavier, tighter, nastier.
Riff Rating: 💀💀💀💀
*One of their most popular albums – death metal that grooves hard.
🪦 World Demise (1994)
🎧 Don’t Care, Final Thoughts
Vibe: Mid-tempo stomp. Socio-political rage meets death groove.
Riff Rating: 💀💀💀💀
*Massive sound. Groove metal before it was cool.
☣️ Back from the Dead (1997)
🎧 Threatening Skies, Download the Hate
Vibe: Modern for the time. A bit divisive, still bone-crushing.
Riff Rating: 💀💀💀
*They never really went away… but this was a loud reminder.
🧟 Frozen in Time (2005)
🎧 Insane, Back Inside
Vibe: Return of the rot.
Riff Rating: 💀💀💀💀
*After 8 years off – they picked up right where they left off.
🔪 Xecutioner’s Return (2007)
🎧 Evil Ways, Face Your God
Vibe: Back to their roots with tighter chaos.
Riff Rating: 💀💀💀
*OG vibes with extra groove.
🦴 Darkest Day (2009)
🎧 List of Dead, Fields of Pain
Vibe: Beefy, grimy, and full of swampy stomp.
Riff Rating: 💀💀💀💀
*Underrated and heavier than concrete boots.
🔁 Inked in Blood (2014)
🎧 Visions in My Head, Violence
Vibe: Crowdfunded filth. Real fans, real riffs.
Riff Rating: 💀💀💀💀
*Old-school and ugly in all the right ways.
☠️ Obituary (2017)
🎧 Sentence Day, Ten Thousand Ways to Die
Vibe: ***Self-titled because they’re still the kings.
Riff Rating: 💀💀💀💀
*No gimmicks. Just pure groove-death gold.
🧠 Dying of Everything (2023)
🎧 The Wrong Time, My Will to Live
Vibe: Modern death metal done the Obituary way – slow, sludgy, and SICK.
Riff Rating: 💀💀💀💀
*Fresh yet familiar – like a corpse in new shoes.
🎧 THE RIFF REPORT’S OBITUARY RIFFMARE PLAYLIST
🎸 Chopped in Half – THE RIFF. End of discussion.
🎸 I’m In Pain – Catchy as hell, if hell was knee-deep in guts.
🎸 The Wrong Time – Proof they’ve still got it. And then some.
🎸 Back to One – Slam this on repeat until your neck files for divorce.
🎸 Turned Inside Out – Final boss death metal groove.
💀 WHY OBITUARY STILL STOMP YOUR SKULL IN 2025:
Because they:
- Never cared about trends, tech, or trying to be fancy
- ***Write riffs that punch through granite walls
- Invented the blueprint for death groove
- Sound like a haunted tractor dragging corpses through a bog
- Still release killer albums 35+ years later
And because John Tardy still sounds like Satan gargling sewage in a thunderstorm.
🎤 FINAL VERDICT FROM THE RIFF REPORT:
**Obituary are death metal distilled to its most primitive, primal, and powerful form.
They don’t need 300bpm or 12-minute solos. They need one massive riff, one thunderous beat, and one demonic grunt.
Want death metal that grooves, stomps, and suffocates?
Want the sound of a zombie biker gang rolling through a graveyard?
Want to feel every riff like a punch to the ribs?
Then OBITUARY is your soundtrack to the slow, glorious crawl into the pit. 💀🪦🔥
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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