Tardy Brothers

While death metal pioneers Obituary are recuperating from their reunion activities, brothers John and Donald Tardy took time to record their first collaborative record, the long awaited Bloodline. Inviting Obit axe man Ralph Santolla and original Executioner (pre-Obituary) guitarist Jerry Tidwell, the Tardy bros excrete an album's worth of stripped-down, Obituary-style death that doesn't stray too far from their main band's recent output. Many tracks can be likened to Obituary's back catalogue: "Deep Down" to Slowly We Rot; "I'm Alive" to Cause of Death; "Bring You Down" to Frozen in Time; and "Fate's Call" to Xecutioner's Return. "Fade Away" and "Eternal Lies," however, lean more towards hard rock with screaming solos. "Wired" is an acoustic cut with an old Testament slant, and "Scream Descendent" concludes with a Dream Theater-esque acoustic coda. The trademark growl of John Tardy is omnipresent here, enhancing each song with metal fortitude, though it takes several spins to realize the scope of the Tardy's melodic philosophy. The first of several planned releases, Bloodline is a predictable album with surprising rock flourishes, and hopefully the Tardys will continue to stretch out and explore new sonic realms on future material.