Hailing from the same Florida town as NASTY SAVAGE, Brandon's OBITUARY purvey unadulterated brutal Death-gore Metal. The band, one of the first graduates from the sunshine state's Death Metal alumni, started out in 1984 as a school band originally known as EXECUTIONER before the subtle name change to XECUTIONER.

The group was initiated by he Tardy brothers, vocalist John and drummer Donald plus bassist Jerome Grable and guitarists Jerry Tidwell and Mark Vito rounding things out. Membership changes saw the introduction of guitar players Trevor Peres and Allen West. The band issued a self financed single under the original name, EXECUTIONER, 100 copies on 7" vinyl and 500 copies on cassette, 'Metal Up Your Ass' / 'Syco-Pathic Mind' on their own Xecution Music Productions label.

Adopting the new title of XECUTIONER in 1986, so as to avoid confusion with Boston's EXECUTIONER, further recordings came in the form of a two song demo 'Find The Arise' and 'Like The Dead' which eventually surfaced on the 'Raging Death' Godly Records compilation. Grable would be superseded by Daniel Tucker.

Re-billed as OBITUARY, the band initiated recording of a full-length album for Godly Records, but were to sign the tapes over to Roadrunner prior to completion. The 'Slowly We Rot' sessions had been conducted at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, albeit on a primitive 8 track machine, with Scott Burns acting as producer. Although this combination would soon become synonymous with the entire genre, 'Slowly We Rot' was in fact Scott Burns first ever commercial undertaking.

'Slowly We Rot' crawled out into an unsuspecting world in April 1989. Although acts such as DEATH had pre-empted them, OBITUARY certainly took Death Metal beyond the apex of established acceptability, the ferocity and primal nature of Jon Tardy's vocal delivery in particular easily being the most extreme delivered at that time. Of equal import would be the scything nature of guitarists Allen West and Trevor Peres prosecution of duties, carving out fresh musical terrain that opened the floodgates for a Florida infestation of eager disciples, MALEVOLENT CREATION, DEICIDE, MORBID ANGEL, CANNIBAL CORPSE et al. Shunned by the mainstream, its sub-cartoon artwork not aiding exposure, 'Slowly We Rot' was to find a hallowed throne in metal's gutter regions.

The group suffered a setback when bassist Daniel Tucker was officially listed as a missing person in Florida after disappearing on May 1st. Tucker was later found alive in September having seemingly suffered injury and partial amnesia in a car crash. After recovering he chose not to pursue a "Heavy Metal lifestyle'.

Allen West quit in 1990 just as the group had added Frank Watkins to fill the vacancy left by Tucker's decision not to rejoin. West, who subsequently joined SIX FEET UNDER and LOWBROW, was replaced by ex-AGENT STEEL, HALLOWS EVE and DEATH guitarist JAMES MURPHY in time to record the 'Cause Of Death' album, which included a cover of Swiss avant-garde merchants CELTIC FROST's 'Circle Of The Tyrants'. 'Cause Of Death', a more convoluted, at times close to progressive outing, emerged in September 1990.

The band debuted this revised line-up with February 1991 Mexican gigs supported by CENOPTAPH, BLOODSOAKED, BLACK THORN and RIPPING FLESH. UK followed dates in May, supported by CEREBRAL FIX. The following year Murphy departed to join British deathsters CANCER and West was reinstated as the band set out touring America opening for SACRED REICH. Third effort 'The End Complete', again produced by Scott Burns, saw issue in April 1992. The band's standing was now such that the album intruded into both the UK and German national charts.

A fourth opus, the supremely tight 'World Demise' of 1994 found OBITUARY slotting in a short European co-headline tour towards the end of the year sharing the billing with Brazilians SEPULTURA, support coming from ROLLINS BAND and VOODOO CULT. OBITUARY toured Europe in 1995 headlining over EYEHATEGOD and PITCHSHIFTER.

'Back From The Dead' was ushered out during 1997 and that April saw OBITUARY back on European soil, heading up the 'Full Of Hate' Easter festivals alongside ENTOMBED, DEATH, SAMAEL, NEUROSIS, CROWBAR, KILLING CULTURE and STRAPPING YOUNG LAD. The band's run had come to a halt though. Shortly afterward the band splintered. In late 1997 Roadrunner chose to re-issue the first two albums in re-mastered form with the addition of bonus tracks. Fans were kept guessing into the next year with a live album, suitably titled 'Dead', recorded at the Axis in Boston, Massachusetts on September 10th 1997.

Nearly three years of inactivity ensued before fans learned that the group had ceased operations. Peres created a side project titled CATASTROPHIC in 2000. Roadrunner laid a fitting tombstone on OBITUARY's career with the 2001 Anthology release. This collection not only compiled tracks from the four albums to date but also previously unheard demo cuts, including a cover of VENOM's 'Buried Alive' culled from the 'World Demise' sessions. Noteworthy inclusions came from MASSACRE guitarist J.P. Chartier and bassist Jerome Grable on the demo 'Find The Arise'.

In 2002 it emerged that erstwhile drummer Donald Tardy had joined the backing band for the much vaunted ANDREW W.K. Three-fifths of the classic OBITUARY line-up, The Tardy brothers along with bassist Frank Watkins, would reunite on stage at the ANDREW W.K. 'Ozzfest' July 27th gig in West Palm Beach, Florida to perform OBITUARY tracks, fuelling rumours of a reformation. The band members finally revealed plans for a new album, billed as 'Frozen In Time', in January of 2004. The group persuaded producer Scott Burns to come out of retirement and revisited Morrisound studios to capture the authenticity. A concession to the modern world came with the employment of producer Mark Prator, utilising his Tampa ProTools studio, Red Room Recorders. Meantime, Trevor Perez allied himself with an unlikely collaborator, donating his skills as studio guests to Rapper MC NECRO's album 'The Pre-Fix For Death'. OBITUARY, MASTER and VISCERAL BLEEDING teamed up for the 'The Legends Are Back' dubbed European tour, commencing in early October.

'Frozen In Time' emerged in July 2005, charting in Germany but just upfront of touring in union with NAPALM DEATH in the USA during the Autumn of 2005 guitarist Allen West announced his departure. However, within 24 hours of that statement West rejoined the band.

OBITUARY headed up European touring in January and February of 2006 with support from SAMAEL and German Hardcore band MAROON. The band played a gig in Barcelona, Spain on 27th January as a quartet when guitarist Trevor Peres unable to fly out of Italy due to severe weather conditions.

The band hooked up with GOJIRA and GOREROTTED for a run of UK dates in August 2006. OBITUARY's August 24th concert at the Stodola Club in Warsaw, Poland was captured on film for release as a DVD, entitled 'Frozen Alive', through Metal Mind Productions. On November 18th the band appeared at the Monterrey Metal Fest event at the at the Coca Cola Auditorium in Mexico alongside BLIND GUARDIAN, CATHEDRAL, U.D.O., EDGUY, BLUDGEON, DEICIDE, LEAVES' EYES, SADUS, VAINGLORY, HYDROGYN and JOE STUMP'S REIGN OF TERROR.

Mexican shows in May 2007 saw SADUS as support. The 'Xecutioner's Return' album was mixed at RedRoom Recorders and mastered at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida. However, unfortunately 2007 closed for guitarist Allen West in unceremonious when he was imprisoned for driving under the influence of alcohol. During his incarceration, Ralph Santolla, of DEICIDE, DEATH and ICED EARTH amongst others, served as West's substitute on 'Xecutioner's Return', released in August. 

In June 2008 OBITUARY wrapped up recording of an EP entitled 'Left To Die', produced by Mark Prator at RedRoom Recorders. This four tracker hosted two brand new tracks, a re-recording of 'Slowly We Rot' and a cover version of CELTIC FROST's 'Emperor's Return'. OBITUARY then put in a summer long schedule of European festival touring, featuring in June at the Austrian Mining am Inn, 'Summer Nights' festival, the Zaragossa 'Monsters Of Rock' in Spain, the Nantes 'HellFest' in France, Dessel's 'Graspop Metal Meeting' in Belgium, the 'Balingen 'Bang Your Head' event in Southern Germany and the Bologna 'Gods of Metal' show in Italy. In July OBITUARY played at the 'Lichtenvoorde 'Zwarte Cross' festival in the Netherlands, the Estombar Lagoa 'Burning Live Fest' in Portugal plus Germany's famous 'Wacken Open Air' and Bad-Berka "party-San' festivals.

The OBITUARY guitar team featured as guests on Germnan Thrash act HOLY MOSES' 2008 album 'Agony Of Death'. Ralph Santolla delivered guitars solo on 'World In Darkness' and 'Dissociative Disorder', while 'Angels In War' featured a solo by colleague Trevor Peres. 

Fresh album tracks were recorded as 2009 opened. OBITUARY and MALEVOLENT CREATION then partnered for February Central American concerts. The group embarked on a full European headlining tour in March 2009, hitting the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, UK, France, Czech Republic, Italy, Austria and Hungary. Their road mates on the "Full Of Hate 2009" trek comprised AMON AMARTH, LEGION OF THE DAMNED and KEEP OF KALESSIN. September US concerts saw support coming from GOATWHORE, KRISIUN, THE BERZERKER and WARBRINGER.

Garry Sharpe-Young