Customer Reviews

Frozen in Time

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After several long years, Floridian death metal legends Obituary return with an album which has my vote for one of the year's best metal releases.

Now, since this is their first record in years, I think it's pretty obvious that some of "Frozen In Time" is going to sound sort similar to past albums. This is a comeback album, and comeback albums should doubtlessly be great, so it's wise of the band to stick to what they know best. It's as the old cliche goes: if it ain't broken, don't fix it! Think about it: do you listen to a comeback album and think "dang, it's good to have these guys back?" Or do you wish they would have made an experimental album, which isn't guaranteed to be great?

Plus, few albums sound like this one anymore, because few bands sound as well as they did back when they first formed. Isn't it kind of refreshing to hear a C.D. from a band that hasn't attempted to latch on to a more popular genre, like nu-metal or metalcore? And finally, I don't see how anyone can complain about this album when it sounds this great!

The vocals are good and the musicianship is top-notch. The instrumental album opener, "Redneck Stomp," is a personal favorite of mine, but track three, "Insane," with propulsive, occasionally rhythmic riffs, might be another high point of the album. And it's just as easy to like "Blindsided," which has a stomping, churning main riff, and the blistering, old-school Sepultura-esque "Back Inside." Other standout tracks include the stop-start, almost cascading riffs of "Slow Death," and the album ending "Lockjaw," which has a catchy beat and chugging, running guitar work.

I like this album best when its pace is fast, and even when it slows down a bit, it sounds fine. Plus, though there are a few slow songs to break up the monotony (like track six, "Mindset"), the album's pace picks back up for the very next track and the rest of the album.

The bottom line is from front to back, "Frozen In Time" is a very enjoyable, excellent listen. This is half an hour of good, grooving, riff-heavy metal. Old school, nostalgic Obituary fans and newcomers alike should gladly cough up the money for this C.D.

There is nothing progressive or revolutionary here, but if you're interested in buying the new Obituary, you're probably glad to hear that. Gone is the pseudo-politics of WORLD DEMISE, and the abyssmal experimentation of BACK FROM THE DEAD. On FROZEN IN TIME, Obituary is doing what they do best, straight forward, mid-90s Florida death metal. Think THE END COMPLETE with the spunk of SLOWLY WE ROT. John Tardy's voice is as ghoulish as ever, and, while the song writing is very formulaic, it seems fresh and more energetic then their previous 2 efforts. Highlights include the relentless "On the Floor," the Celtic Frost-style "Stand Alone," and the incredible closer "Lockjaw" which is quite possibly one of my favorite Obituary songs of all time. Death Metal lives!

I didnt even know Obituary had even made another record, but once I found out I couldnt wait, and it didnt disappoint. I think its kind of a mix between The End Complete (their best in my opinion) and Back From the Dead (their worst, but still with a few good songs). If this had been some new band fresh off the shelves, I would rate it a lower, but seeing as Obituary are one of the originators of the genre, staying with the "old school" stuff is not only acceptable in my book its actually somewhat refreshing. Maybe it just brings me back to 1989 when I bought Slowly We Rot and was almost crushed by the sheer weight of the music and couldnt believe my ears, but I found this very enjoyable. People looking for something new and original will not be that excited about this offering, but Obituary fans or any death metal fan wanting to remember the "good old days" will find it well worth the price.

Obituary's new album "Frozen in Time" lives up to the title. I have been listening to Obituary since "Cause of Death" in 1990. Their first 3 albums are all classics (Slowly We Rot, Cause of Death & The End Complete). When Obituary released "World Demise" in 1994 I started to lose interest as they tried the "political" route, which was a stretch for them. Anyway, they released a half ass album in 1997 with "Back From the Dead" and I gave up hope. 2005: Obituary is back! Their new album takes up where "The End Complete" left off. They are similar to AC/DC & Bolt Thrower in the fact that they don't change too much from their formula music wise. Each song is filled with crushing riffs that are redundant but catchy. John's vocals are still just as brutal as ever. All the songs are mid-paced straightforward death metal with a production from Scott Burns that is also from 1992. If you have been a long time Obituary fan, the only thing that will disappoint you will be that the riffs are not quite as memorable as their first 3 albums, but is still well worth a listen for the money. I was actually surprised that Obituary could still pull off an album like this after Back From the Dead. The album stands up against any of the newer Death Metal CDs out there. For someone like me who grew up on this style, I was excited to hear the album and was not let down. A good pick overall. If you are more into technical death metal, you will want to stay away and pick up the new HATE ETERNAL.

Yes, Obituary is back. Prepare to bash in some more skulls, and kick some teeth in because this is one brutal offering. I think it's the best Obituary I've heard since "Cause Of Death". The direction here is pure old school Obituary with the same massive crunch, grooving riffs, and the voice from hell that we all came to know and love back in early 90's...

Not much has changed between now and then, and that's why I really enjoyed "Frozen In Time". They stayed true here, and the results are incredible in my opinion. I hadn't been listening to Obituary for years because I thought they were done. "Frozen In Time" is one hell of a comeback!!!...Great Job Guys!!!

This is an aptly titled release for the second coming of these death metal legends. They basically
ignored every single trend in metal in the last 8 years and came out with an album that absolutely
reeks of vintage early 90's Obituary. That means crushing, detuned menaces whose thick
grooves creep along only to speed up and break their barriers like a swollen river overflowing the
banks. And don't forget the tortured screams of John Tardy who has to be one of the most
memorable vocalists in all of metal.

Never has there been a band, not even kindred spirits Grave, that can take relatively simple chord
progressions and make them sound so brutal. And brutal it is. Thanks to modern production
techniques this album absolutely kills it when it comes to low end punishment. That's what
makes Frozen In Time such a great addition to the Obituary catalog. For those of us with the
original releases we never really got to here Obituary sound this good so to come out with a
classic album that almost tops their earlier work is pretty stunning.

Of course this stick to the knitting approach, even more so than their last couple albums, means
you won't find any surprises on here. That might be something to complain about if Obituary had
steadily put out albums in the last decade but, seeing as no one has been able to match this
sound, I think it's a perfect move to come out with an old school album to rally the fans. Whether
this is a one off or the start of another slew of albums remains to be seen but this is a great start
to a new chapter in the history of Obituary.

Check out more reviews at ohboydestroy.

Well, Obituary are back and once again they don't fail in delivering their brand of 90's-era, Floridian Death Metal.

I picked this up a couple of days ago after hearing that most Obituary fans (like myself) were diggin' it.

I have to say that I was hoping to hear just a little bit more "freshness" in this release seeing as how it's been a long time since their last CD was released and this would be a bit of a "comeback" album.

It's not that it's a bad CD (I gave it a 4 after all), it is certainly consistent with most Obituary CD's, it is unmistakeably THEM. Maybe that's the beauty of it...

There have been enough bands that we all grew up obsessed with only to end up being disappointed in (even to the point of hating them, i.e. Metallica) later on in their careers.

Obituary is Obituary, what you probably expect is what you get here.

I wanted them to be classic Obituary, but maybe with a touch of modernization (no, I don't mean a Nu-metal Obituary-blech), but I also admire their stability in an industry where the pressure to conform to "what's hot" can be so influential in where a band takes their music, usually with second-rate results.

If you liked Obituary back in the day, you'll like 'em now and I'd recommend this CD for any fan of the genre.

Obituary is back & it's like they never left. This is a very strong effort especially in light of the lengthy hiatus since their last, somewhat uneven effort, "Back from The Dead". They're not simply thrashing through the motions here, "FIT" more than holds its own and is a very worthy addition to the lengendary Obituary catalog.

My tittle is not to offend, but these guys are warming up again so beware! Im glad to see this band again playing live with some other good death metal bands, the scene needs a good kick in the ass, and who better than Obituary!

Good record, go get it if you are fan. If you like death metal and never heard Obituary before, you can start with any record since these guys are pros, strictly death metal man, groovy not so much "fast" and unique vocal style; time for some headbanging!

BONE CRUSHING! You won't have ears after cranking this! I thought Obituary were dead after "Back From The Dead" (irony there) but 'Frozen In Time' is a marked return to form. This sounds like 'Slowly We Rot" on steroids. I am telling you Obituary fans, this is as good maybe fricken better than 'Slowly We Rot'... I am not kidding! This blows doors! Album art is really cool as well. A huge poster of the cover would look awesome over the fire place.