Info
Clocking in at a taut nine songs in 39 minutes without a second of filler, The End Complete may be the definitive Obituary album. The band's third, it marks the return of lead guitarist Allen West and it also marks an impressive leap forward in production. The songwriting and playing on Obituary's past albums had been commendable, and The End Complete is no exception in that regard. Rather, it's the return of West and the remarkable production job by Scott Burns that sets this album apart from its predecessors. The return of West is important not only because his solos are one of the band's trademarks but also because he's an integral songwriter, here co-penning four of the nine songs. The crystal-clear, in-your-face production of Burns is not to be underestimated, either. If anything had marred Obituary's past two albums, both of them otherwise excellent, it was the murkiness of the sound, especially the drums. That's not an issue here at all, however, as Obituary have never sounded this great. The guitar tones especially are downright vivid, particularly when West and rhythm guitarist Trevor Peres depart from one another such as during the solos (the title track is a great showcase for this, and so is "Rotting Ways"). You can practically feel the respective guitar tones buzzing through your head, they're so well recorded. And so are John Tardy's vocals, which are sometimes overdubbed to make them all the more potent and nuanced. They're so well recorded, in fact, you can actually understand some of the lyrics! Overall, there really isn't anything to complain about here. Sure, nine songs in a brisk 39 minutes might not be enough for those who can't get enough of Obituary's textbook style of death metal, but this is such a powerful album that even seasoned metalheads can get exhausted quickly. And besides, Obituary may be one of death metal's greatest bands ever, granted, but they're generally not the most varied or experimental. So too many more songs or too much more music, and the proceedings could begin to get increasingly monotonous, a problem that has plagued innumerable death metal albums over the years. But that's not an issue here, thankfully, and the primary issue instead seems to be just how Obituary could top an album such as The End Complete. Its two predecessors, Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death, had been near perfect and were quickly deemed classics of the early death metal era. But here the band has done itself one better, bringing West back into the fold and getting a better production job from Burns, and the result is arguably the definitive Obituary album and, consequently, a prototypical death metal album. It don't get much better than this, folks. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
Deftones end three-year silence
Cali rockers get help from System of a Down's Serj Tankian and Giant Drag frontwoman Annie Hardy for fifth studio album.
Rock act the Deftones will break a three-year silence on October 31 with their fifth studio album, Saturday Night Wrist.
Deftones
The 12-track set features a guest appearance from System of a Down vocalist Serj Tankian on "Mein" and Giant Drag frontwoman Annie Hardy on the electronica-tinged "Pink Cellphone."
Deftones drummer Abe Cunningham told Billboard.com in February that the band nearly broke up while soldiering through Saturday Night Wrist, which he describes as "a very complete record."
"If there was a VH1 Behind the Music special on us, it would be the perfect episode with divorces and all kinds of crap," he said. "It was just lack of communication. Thankfully, we've been reattaching our limbs."
The album kicks off with the detuned riff-fest "Hole in the Earth" and is further highlighted by heavy, melodic tracks such as "Cherry Waves," the punishing "Combat," and "Rats," which careens from screamed verses to a less in-your-face chorus. The set also features an instrumental, "Interlude."
The Deftones are in the midst of the Family Values tour with Korn.
Just added
