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Slowly We Rot
Studio album by Obituary
Released	1989
Recorded	1988 (tracks 1–8) – March 1989 (tracks 9–12) at Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Genre	Death metal
Length	35:09
Label	Roadrunner
Producer	Scott Burns
Obituary chronology
Slowly We Rot (1989) Cause of Death (1990)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic

Slowly We Rot is the debut studio album by Florida death metal band Obituary, released in 1989 through Roadrunner Records.

It is the only Obituary release to feature bassist Daniel Tucker. Lead guitarist Allen West would leave soon after but returned for the third album, The End Complete (1992). It was re-released on January 27, 1997, by Roadrunner Records with remastered audio and liner notes. A live version of the album Slowly We Rot: Live & Rotting was recorded in October 2020 and released in August 2022 by Relapse Records.

Slowly We Rot is widely considered to be a landmark album in the development of the death metal genre, and its considered one of the first death metal albums ever recorded due to its guttural vocals, "breakneck speed", double bass drumming and blast beats.

Composition

Music journalist T Coles described Slowly We Rot as "the sound of being smashed to pieces be hammers, dropping the scalpel precision in favour of blunt trauma" as well as "a remorseless assault against the senses and body." The album has also been described as "more grounded" than some of the band's contemporaries, such as Morbid Angel.

The album has been said to have taken elements from early extreme metal bands Death and Possessed "to a new level of deathliness." Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic said, "The music of Obituary wasn't simply an extreme form of Slayer-esque speed metal with ghastly vocals; it was full-fledged death metal."

Slowly We Rot is considered to be one of the band's heavier efforts, and was considered to be a "slower, groovier" take on death metal in 1989. The album's guitars are tuned to E Standard. The album is noted for its tempo changes. The album contains downtuned guitar riffs, and sections that have been described as "doomy." John Tardy's vocal performance on the album has been characterized by his "painful-sounding" death growls and "moans". Scott Burn's production on the album has been called "downright lo-fi." Birchmeier assessed that the album's mix " the high highs and low lows that would later become his trademark."

Legacy

Slowly We Rot remains a staple essential album of both death metal and in the band's discography, and has been noted for its innovations in extreme metal. Jason Birchmeier AllMusic wrote, "If death metal first came to life during the mid- to late '80s courtesy of bands like Florida's Death Obituary, brought it to fruition in 1989 with Slowly We Rot. These innovations don't seem so revolutionary now, given the innumerable death metal bands that arose during the '90s and beyond But in 1989, Obituary were blazing a new trail, along with other Florida peers like Morbid Angel and, a bit later, Deicide, Malevolent Creation, and Cannibal Corpse."

Track listing

All lyrics by John Tardy

Personnel

Obituary

• John Tardy – vocals
• Allen West – lead guitar
• Trevor Peres – rhythm guitar
• Daniel Tucker – bass
• Donald Tardy – drums, percussion
• JP Chartier – lead guitar on tracks 13 and 14
• Jerome Grable – bass on tracks 13 and 14

Productions

• Executive producer: Monte Conner
• Arranged by Obituary
• Produced, recorded & engineered by Scott Burns
• Mixed by Scott Burns, Donald Tardy & John Tardy
• Mastered by Mike Fuller

References

1. Birchmeier, Jason. "Slowly We Rot - Obituary". AllMusic. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
2. Mudrian, Albert (2009). Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces. Hachette Books. p. 96.
3. Phillipov, Michelle (2012). Death Metal and Music Criticism: Analysis at the Limits. Lexington Books. p. 80.
4. Dick, Jonathan (October 21, 2014). "Obituary: 30 Years In and Still Rotting Slowly".
5. Shteamer, Hank (March 15, 2017). "Death-Metal Vets Obituary on 30-Year Quest for 'Meat-and-Potatoes' Riffs".
6. Kennelty, Greg (2022-07-13). "OBITUARY Surprise Releases Slowly We Rot & Cause Of Death Live Albums". Metal Injection. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
7. Coles, T. Death Metal. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 53.
8. ^ Slowly We Rot - Obituary | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2025-01-02
9. Coles, T. Death Metal. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 54.
10. Slowly We Rot - Obituary | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2025-01-02
11. "The 10 Greatest Death Metal Albums of All-Time". The Pit. 2023-03-10. Retrieved 2023-11-14.

External links

• Slowly We Rot at Media Club

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• 1989 debut albums
• Albums produced by Scott Burns (record producer)
• Albums recorded at Morrisound Recording
• Obituary (band) albums
• Roadrunner Records albums
• 1980s heavy metal album stubs
• Death metal album stubs