Obituary is an American death metal band from Tampa, Florida. The band was originally formed in 1984 under the name Executioner. But to avoid confusion with the thrash metal band Executioner from Boston, the band changed its name to Xecutioner in 1986, and then changed its name once again to Obituary in 1988. To date, Obituary has released ten studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, and two EPs.

After signing to Roadrunner Records, Obituary released their debut album Slowly We Rot in 1989, with the lineup consisting of vocalist John Tardy, drummer Donald Tardy, bassist Daniel Tucker, and guitarists Trevor Peres and Allen West. Right after the release of Slowly We Rot, Tucker and West quit the band and were respectively replaced by Frank Watkins and guitarist James Murphy. In 1990, the new lineup recorded the band’s second studio album Cause of Death, which is considered to be one of the classics in death metal music.

In 1991, Murphy left Obituary to join Cancer and was replaced by a returning Allen West. The band gained their first mainstream exposure with their third full-length album, The End Complete, which is Obituary’s best-selling album, with over 100,000 copies sold. In 1994, Obituary released their fourth studio album, World Demise. In 1997, just after the release of their fifth album Back from the Dead, the group disbanded.

Obituary reformed in 2003, and a reunion album, Frozen in Time, was released in 2005. After signing to Candlelight Records, the band released two studio albums Xecutioner’s Return from 2007 and Darkest Day from 2009. In 2010, Obituary began recording their ninth studio album Inked in Blood which was released in 2014. It was the first Obituary album not to be recorded with bassist Frank Watkins since their 1989 album Slowly We Rot. On October 18, 2015, the band’s former and longtime bass player Frank Watkins died from cancer. In 2017, the band released their self-titled tenth studio album.

Members

Current

John Tardy – vocals (1984–1997, 2003–present)
Donald Tardy – drums (1984–1997, 2003–present)
Trevor Peres – guitars (1984–1997, 2003–present)
Terry Butler – bass (2010–present)
Ken Andrews – guitars (2012–present)

Past

Allen West – guitars (1988–1989, 1991–1997, 2003–2006)
Daniel Tucker – bass (1988–1989)
James Murphy – guitars (1989–1991)
Frank Watkins – bass (1989–1997, 2003–2010)
Ralph Santolla – guitars (2007–2011)