Thriving in the 90's death metal scene , "Obituary" was on the front lines with top American death metal acts such as "Deicide", "Death", and "Morbid Angel", waving the flag high.  But by the late 90's, the Florida death metal legends where on indefinite hiatus, with members going their separate ways.  2003 brought promise to "Obituary", re-forming and releasing a full album, with a tour to follow, and much fan anticipation for the reunited band members.

 "Obituary" stopped by the Denver's Bluebird Theater, on September 30th to a packed house, in support of their recent EP release "Left to Die." "Obituary" appeared along with Swedish supporting act, "Unleashed", waking up the trendy district of Colfax Ave. for the night. Missing the chance to catch "Unleased", I went inside the venue to a rowdy crowd already pumped up and waiting for "Obituary" to take the stage and drive the final nail in the night's coffin. Playing a large selection from their generous catalog, including such crowd pleasers as "Left to Die", "Evil Ways", and "Infected", along with several tracks from their ground breaking album "The End Complete", making it a very well-rounded set. The biggest reaction from the crowd was their rendition of their 1990 debut, "Slowly We Rot."

 "Obituary" played very tight and well-tuned....as a unit. Donald (drums) and John (vocals) Tardy played with amazing chemistry, like only brothers could, while Trevor Press (guitar) and Frank Watkins (bass) dominated the stage with commanding presence. New addition to the band, Ralph Santolla (filling-in for Allen West on guitar duties) took away from the traditional "Obituary" sound and familar line-up, but provided a more technical feel to the fold.

 "Obituary" is definitely a great live band and important to the death metal movement. This is a band we would go see live again in a heartbeat. A lot of death metal bands (especially the new genre) sound great in recorded format, but usually disappoint live. "Obituary" delivers, on and off stage. For someone who has never seen them live, I would suggest checking them out!

Photos and Review: Suzanne Drager & Brandon Marshall