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Death metal practitioners Obituary take their detuned sludge riffing to its crushing apogee on their fourth full-length release, World Demise. With a lineup that includes John Tardy on vocals, guitarists Allen West (lead) and Trevor Peres (rhythm), Donald Tardy on drums, and bassist Frank Watkins, the group continued to tighten and intensify their death meets doom metal sound. While Obituary tended toward a slower approach when compared to fellow Florida death metal outfits like Death and Morbid Angel, Tardy shows off some tasty double bass playing in fevered spurts. The drumming is formidable, indeed, but West and Peres' incessant riffing is Obituary's main attraction. The two guitarists distribute their low-slung grooves nicely inside Tardy's hard-fought pocket with an oppressive singularity. Highlight cuts include the energetic opener "Don't Care" and the slow pounding "Splattered" and "Final Thoughts." Listeners unfamiliar with the genre might not withstand the one-note sonic texture and extreme vocals, but open-minded metal fans with a taste for doom grooves and hoarse vocal growls should enjoy the persistent, well-executed riffage of World Demise. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
Stones' world trek returns to US
Aging rockers continue to defy the odds as Bigger Bang tour enters its second year.
More than 40,000 Rolling Stones fans turned out as the four-decade-old band kicked off its latest US tour near Boston last night, looking for another chance to spend the night together.
The Rolling Stones
As the grizzled rockers, most of whom are in their 60s, approach the end of a year that has delivered some knocks for band members, fans said part of the draw of the tour is to get a look at the group while it's still around.
Alan Gadde, 57, said he'd first seen the Stones on an early US tour in 1965. This time around, he'd brought his family.
"I brought my daughter and her friends so they could see them while they're still playing," said Gadde, of Sandown, New Hampshire.
It has been a rough year for the Stones, who had to delay their European summer tour after guitarist Keith Richards, 62, suffered a concussion after falling from a tree while on vacation in Fiji. Guitarist Ron Wood, 59, checked into a London rehabilitation clinic in June for treatment of alcohol abuse. In August, the band had to cancel two concerts in Spain after lead singer Mick Jagger, 63, developed laryngitis.
While drummer Charlie Watts, 65, has maintained a lower-key image than his bandmates, he has not been without health troubles. In 2004 he was diagnosed with throat cancer.
"Everybody knows that these '60s bands aren't going to be around forever," said Nathan Brackett, senior editor at Rolling Stone music magazine. "You never know if this tour is going to be their last tour."
Despite their ailments, the band showed an energy that belied its years. Front man Jagger bounced around the stage throughout a two-hour concert that included the band's best-known hits, including "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Sympathy for the Devil," and "Paint It Black," as well as newer numbers "Rough Justice" and "Streets of Love" from their 2005 album A Bigger Bang."
Midway through the show, the entire band rolled out to the middle of the football field at Gillette Stadium, located some 30 miles south of Boston, continuing to perform from a platform in the middle of the crowd.
Foxborough was the first of 17 cities up for the Stones on this leg of their tour, with stops planned in the New York area, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Several fans said they admired the band members for being able to keep up such a vigorous touring schedule.
"It is an inspiration to us," said Leslie Ruggiero, 48, of Marlborough, Massachusetts. "They're the perfect example of your body following what your mind says."
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