Obituary - "Back from the Dead", 1997

"Back from the Dead" was released at a time when death metal was definitely out of the spotlight, with most fans and the press gravitating toward symphonic black metal, power metal, industrial metal, Swedish melodeath, or—in the worst cases—nu metal. The days of major labels showing interest in the genre were over, and even labels like Roadrunner and Earache were about to start looking elsewhere. Additionally, some bands lost key members along the way (Chris Barnes for Cannibal Corpse and David Vincent for Morbid Angel, to name two of the more popular ones), others lost their direction trying to follow trends or change into something else, and many household names seemed to have lost their inspiration. In this climate of confusion and uncertainty, most bands tried to keep going as best they could, with varying degrees of success.

Despite releasing an incredible album like "World Demise" in 1994—arguably the most advanced and forward-thinking record the band ever made—Obituary did not experience the success it deserved. Disappointed, its members began to lose interest in music, and for a while it seemed the band was fading away. In the meantime, Allen West had also started Six Feet Under with Chris Barnes, and that project quickly gained momentum, appearing to become his priority. Therefore, I was caught by surprise when "Back from the Dead" was released in early 1997, and I rushed to the music shop to get a copy. It still proved to be the swan song of the band, which split up the following year and remained dormant until its unexpected comeback in 2004.

On "Back from the Dead," Obituary largely abandon the more refined, elaborate sound and songwriting of "World Demise" to revive some of the more caveman death metal style of their earlier work. The slight industrial influences and busier rhythmic patterns were gone, replaced by a stripped-down approach that kept the groove of its predecessor while focusing on simpler, more straightforward structures. Strangely enough—or perhaps not—a lot of the material sounds like it could have fit on the two Six Feet Under records that West recorded around the same time, "Haunted" and "Warpath," except with John Tardy singing instead of Barnes, and with the album retaining a bit of the New York hardcore influence introduced on "World Demise."

The punkish D-beat style, moshpit-inducing riffs of "Threatening Skies" and "Download" were not widely used by the band before this point, making them sound refreshing. The punchy production certainly helps, with sound engineer Jamie Locke replacing Scott Burns and the band relocating to Criteria Studios. The drums are as tight and powerful as ever, the guitars maintain the usual Celtic Frosted vibe, the bass provides a solid backbone, and Tardy's vocals benefit from added delay and reverb this time. Overall, the production sounds noticeably more spacious and wet than on previous records, achieving a polished, modern edge without excessive processing.

The rest of the album, except for the excellent "Inverted"—which blends menacing riffs with sudden death metal speed-ups—alternates between slow, chugging riffs and mid-tempo, double kick-heavy tracks. As with "World Demise," a few faster sections would have benefited the songs, giving the record more variety like on the band's first three albums; instead, it all feels rather monolithic and overly reliant on the groove factor, even though the band is certainly masterful at that. Tracks like "By the Light" (with a main riff that predates the one in Six Feet Under's "Nonexistence", or even "Manipulation"), "Platonic Disease," "Feed on the Weak," and "Lockdown" (one of the best) are among the heaviest material the band ever recorded, and the doomy, funereal title track would have fit well on "The End Complete." Other songs like "Rewind" or "Pressure Point" feel a bit undercooked or repetitive, and the "Bullituary" remix—a version of "By the Light" featuring a couple of local underground rappers—serves as a bonus track, although it's best forgotten.

The band's performance is still top-notch on "Back from the Dead." Donald Tardy plays the drums with his usual precision, and his patterns are always memorable, perfectly complementing the songs and confidently driving the groove. His brother still screams his lungs out in his unmistakable style, though he sounds a bit more restrained than usual, apparently trying to avoid excessive overdubs or unnecessary backing screams. The guitar duo of Peres and West don't disappoint, with the diminutive lead guitarist delivering his signature dive-bombing solos. The often forgotten, late Frank Watkins was an underrated bass player, always maintaining a steady low-end foundation without showing off.

The comic strip-style cover artwork by Bernie Wrightson (of "Swamp Thing" fame) attempts to evoke the horror mood of past albums like "Cause of Death" and "The End Complete," but it looks a bit odd and cannot compare to those classic covers. It's still adequate and certainly more fitting than the rest of the album's graphics, which were created by guitarist Trevor Peres, who apparently worked in the computer field at the time. The back cover and some of the other digital designs inside the booklet resemble mid-90s graphics from video games such as the early "Tomb Raider" chapters, and they were already cringeworthy in 1997. Today, the entire packaging feels like a time capsule, with the CD also containing some very low-quality interactive video content that could run on Windows 3.1 or 95. At the time, I didn't have a computer at home, so I brought the CD to my high school's computer room to check the multimedia material. That's how ancient the whole thing feels 29 years later, and I imagine it must be hilarious for today's kids to see.

"Back from the Dead" ended the first part of Obituary's career on a high note. Although the band split up right after the 1997-1998 tour, the album sounds fresh and inspired while being simpler and more minimalistic than the first four records. It retains an immediacy and a no-frills attitude that almost borders on hardcore, with songs that seem tailor-made for live performance, as demonstrated by the posthumous "Dead" live album. The band made a decent comeback in 2005 with the "Frozen in Time" record but struggled to recapture the vitality and creativity of its 1989-1998 phase, especially after Allen West's departure in 2007.

LISTEN: Spotify