Culture
Obituary drummer Donald Tardy talks about keeping the groove in death metal, playing a hundred shows in 2024, and getting to perform for new audiences at Sonic Temple 2025
By: Nicholas Kobe
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOUB) – Tampa’s Obituary is one of the early pioneers of death metal.
Forming in 1984, Obituary came out swinging with their now iconic debut Slowly We Rot. The album’s title hints at the slower, sludgier, and groovier niche that Obituary would carve out.
This formula was the key to success in their next few records Cause of Death and The End Complete. After a few more releases the band broke up in 1998, however, they returned only five years later in 2003, with an album released in 2005. Obituary faced complications in funding their follow-up, but after a successful kickstart, and signing to Relapse Records, Obituary released Inked In Blood in 2014. Ever since, Obituary has been consistently touring and releasing new music.
Their most recent album, 2023’s Dying of Everything is proof of that, being well received by critics and fans by maintaining the classic Obituary sound, almost 40 years since the band’s inception.
After a 100+ show run in 2024, touring with the likes of Amon Amarth and Sepultura, Obituary returns to Ohio for Sonic Temple 2025 in May.

Obituary drummer Donald Tardy spoke with WOUB’s Nicholas Kobe ahead of that performance. Find a transcript of their conversation, edited for length and clarity, below.
Nicholas Kobe:
How would you describe Obituary’s sound in one sentence?
Donald Tardy:
Heavy, mid-tempo, groove, caveman metal.
“Caveman metal?”
Tardy:
Well, we are not trying to reinvent the wheel. We know we are not the most technical musicians in the world. Some drummers run circles around me twice, three times. We’ve been referred to as “caveman metal” and I agree with that.
What has kept you motivated to stick to this style over the years?
Tardy: Obituary has been around long enough that we would be foolish to try to change our style. I think the fans that love Obituary love us for a reason, and that is going back to that basic sound. Not too hard to listen to, not a million mile an hour riffs and drum beats. We’re comfortable in our own skin and we know that this is bigger than just one band member. When people search and find the new albums, I think they are expecting, and more importantly, wanting that groove and that style. That’s what keeps us motivated.
Why is groove so important in death metal?
Tardy:
Some bands probably don’t think that it is. I’m a child of the ‘70s, so before death metal, before heavy metal entered my brain, I was still a huge music fan. My love of music started with Southern rock. When you listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, The Outlaws and Charlie Daniels, there’s a lot of groove.
Obituary just had a 100-show-plus year. How are you and the rest of the band holding up after going on that kind of a run?
Tardy:
Yeah, I mean it was an awesome year. It was extremely busy and we don’t take that for granted. We are extremely fortunate and we know we’re lucky to be able to do this for a living and the opportunities were just there. So we just took advantage of that. We knew the album was still only a year or so old and it did very well on Billboard and on the German charts. So we really wanted to ride those coattails of how successful Dying of Everything was.
What is it like being a death metal band at a festival geared more towards a general rock audience? Do you feel the difference in the environment?
Tardy:
You do feel a difference, but you know what? This is exactly what Obituary is built for. We love the chance to get on stage and perform in front of people that might’ve seen our logo before but have never seen us live. We are known for our live performances. We are known for the tightness of the riffs, the rhythms, and of course my brother’s voice live. We really look forward to those festivals where we know for a fact probably 70 percent of the people that are standing in front of our stage waiting for some music have never truly experienced Obituary before. What cooler feeling is there than to know that these people are about to experience something for the first time?
What’s next for Obituary?
Tardy:
Yeah, it’s a good question. We are not the youngest bucks on the planet, but we are not old dudes. We are still healthy and happy and having a good time with what we do and that’s the key. I mean, We’re going to do this as long as it’s fun. When it’s not fun, we’ll find something new in life. But at the moment we’re really having a good time and we’re tighter than ever. We’re in more demand than ever and we’re a powerhouse right now.