Beginning their career as Xecutioner in 1984, Obituary remains one of the most influential and groundbreaking bands in the death metal genre, one which they helped to create. Hailing from the sunny state of Florida with a bevy of bands with a decidedly un-sunny take on metal Obituary along with Death, Morbid Angel, and Deicide, combined hyper-speed guitar riffing, complex arrangements and guttural screams to create a bleak and violent soundscape that defined a genre. Unlike their peers though, Obituary avoided the more common trappings of this style of music shunning the Satanic bent of the lyrics and the breakneck pace of the dual guitar assault.
In 1989 Obituary released their debut album, Slowly We Rot, a death metal milestone. Brilliant in both its complexity and brutality, Slowly We Rot gave us but a glimpse of things to come. They followed it up in 1990 with Cause of Death, which saw Allen West replaced by former Death guitarist James Murphy (Cancer, Disincarnate) and bassist Daniel Tucker replaced by Frank Watkins (Hellwitch). 1992 saw the release of The End Complete and showcased the talents of a band clearly at the top of its game. With the departure of Murphy and the return of West, The End Complete is vicious and tight ripe with intensity. In 1994 death metal fans were treated to both Don't Care and World Demise. After a three year hiatus, Obituary returned with Back from the Dead, proving that old habits die hard . . . and heavy. Back from the Dead was unrelenting in its power and craftsmanship, proving once and for all that the band that started it all could still do it the best.
Now the band returns with Anthology, a retrospective of their ten year career as death metal masters! Over ten years, half a million albums sold and almost 500 shows later . . . Obituary close the coffin on a decade of death.
Source: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/artists/Obituary/bio.asp
