I’m honestly starting to feel like I might be dying from the sheer intensity of Obituary after listening to this album. The legendary death metal act, known for their brutal contributions to the genre, has dropped their latest offering, and while there’s no shortage of raw energy, it seems to miss more than it hits. If I had to sum up the album and most of its song structures, I’d say it’s like this: it starts off with a bang, grabs your attention right away, then falls into a bit of a disorganized slump where it seems lost and unfocused, only to pick itself up again toward the end.
Listening through, it feels like Obituary might be suffering from some creative fatigue here. There are moments where it seems like they’re unsure of where to go next, so they end up just repeating a riff for an extra minute or two instead of developing something fresh or interesting. The result is that many of the songs feel bloated, and in some parts, the music gets buried under the weight of its own repetition. It’s almost like the tracks are struggling to stay afloat at times, losing the sharp, precise edge that you’d expect from a band of Obituary’s stature.
That said, it’s not all doom and gloom. The good thing about this album is when they do hit the mark, they absolutely nail it. The moments where everything clicks are the album’s true highlights—dynamic playing, energy that feels alive and compelling, and tracks that come roaring to life in ways that remind you why Obituary is so revered in the death metal scene. These moments are where the band still shows they’ve got it. But overall, the album feels like a mixed bag—there’s potential and brilliance scattered throughout, but it’s buried under a lot of fat that could have been trimmed. It’s definitely not a total loss, but it’s a bit of a letdown compared to their previous work.
RATING: 6.5/10
NOTIABLE TRACKS:
Barely Alive
The Wrong Time
Dying Of Everything
By The Dawn