This past Saturday, April 26th, in the year of our Lord, 2025, Obituary, along with Nails brought their tour celebrating 35 years of Cause of Death to The Bellwether in Downtown Los Angeles.
Tampa Florida’s Obituary released their second album, Cause of Death in 1990—35 years ago. I was a freshman in high school. I had never heard anything like it and I found out pretty quickly that NO ONE else had heard anything like it, either. My teenage feelings of suffering and despair and confusion and anger finally had a soundtrack. I was just getting into thrash metal and hardcore punk and picking up a guitar for the first time. My preferences leaned toward frenetic chaos with a high bpm. Fast and hard. But Obituary and Cause of Death showed me a new way—grinding, low tempo, heavy riffs that slowly dragged bodies across the floor. Sludgy breakdowns building to blast beat eargasms that changed my life forever. Slayer and others showed them the way but it was Cause of Death that had that mix of thrash and sludge that really got me off. That cassette lived in my Walkman for a good 3 months, uninterrupted. It formally introduced a designation called Death Metal that would seed the heavy metal subgenre explosion for the next 3 decades.
Death Metal’s Relentless March: Obituary’s Enduring Influence
In the pantheon of death metal, Obituary has always stood apart. Formed in 1984 and originally known as Executioner, the band quickly found its identity in a swampy, guttural, and uniquely Floridian brand of sonic devastation. By the time Cause of Death dropped in 1990, they had already laid serious groundwork with 1989’s Slowly We Rot, but it was their sophomore effort that elevated them from promising pioneers to genre-defining legends.
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The 35th Anniversary Tour for Cause of Death isn’t just a trip down memory lane—it’s a testament to how enduring, brutal, and relevant this band and this album remain. In 2025, death metal is still thriving globally, but it owes much of its blueprint to what Obituary committed to tape in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
The Bellwether: A Shrine for the Sick
The Bellwether in Downtown Los Angeles is quickly becoming one of LA’s premier venues for heavy music. Tucked into the industrial edges of Downtown L.A., the theater has clean lines and great acoustics, and is among the top sonic experiences for venues of it’s capacity- but on Saturday night, it transformed into a blood ritual chamber for the faithful.
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Before Obituary took the stage, the energy inside was already on a razor’s edge. Longhairs and leather jackets, patched vests and fresh merch, old-school lifers and young fanatics crowded the floor. The unifying factor? A shared reverence for Cause of Death and/or any of the bands on the lineup. By the time Terror, Spirit World and Pest Control had finished their sets, blacked out heshers and ese’s became aggressively grabby with people’s girlfriend’s in passing. The mood inside was rank with jubilation and a bit of danger.
Nails: The Perfect Precursor to the Apocalypse
California’s own Nails opened the show with their trademark blend of grindcore and hardcore fury. If Obituary is the sound of the undead dragging themselves through a swamp, Nails is the explosion that follows a nuclear detonation. Their short set was an aggression- tightly wound and expertly executed. Songs like “You Will Never Be One of Us” and “Wide Open Wound” tore through the venue with alarming ferocity.
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It was a smart booking choice. Nails may play in a different stylistic zone, but they bring the same commitment to heaviness and raw emotion. Their presence on this tour reinforces the impact that Cause of Death had across the broader spectrum of extreme music. Death metal, grindcore, doom, blackened crust—everyone takes notes from Obituary, whether they admit it or not.
Obituary Live in 2025: Still Morbid, Still Crushing
When the lights dimmed and the intro to “Infected” started, the crowd roared like the opening of a demonic portal. Obituary launched into their set with a ferocity that belied their decades of service. John Tardy’s vocals are still a guttural marvel—non-lyrical in the traditional sense, but evocative of pain, power, and possession. His performance proved once again that there’s no one else who sounds quite like him.
The band played Cause of Death in its entirety, in order, a gift for the longtime fans. Each track landed like a tombstone hurled from a great height:
“Infected” set the stage with its unmistakable groove and death-thrash overtones.
“Body Bag” followed, every note coated in grime and dread.
“Chopped in Half” got the loudest early cheer—still one of death metal’s most iconic riffs.
“Circle of the Tyrants” (the Celtic Frost cover that became theirs) felt especially powerful live, a reminder of the band’s roots and inspirations.
“Dying” slowed things down into a hypnotic dirge. This was the moment I had been waiting for. For me, this was the seminal track off Cause of Death and maybe, their careers. The lengthy and brutally mid tempo intro sets the dynamics for the entire song into the first breakdown.
“Turned Inside Out” brought the crowd back to life, ending the album playthrough on a triumphant, stomping high note.
Watching them perform this material with such intensity 35 years later felt less like nostalgia and more like renewal. It’s a brutal reminder of the album’s vitality.
The Lineup: Old School Meets Ageless Energy
Obituary’s current lineup is a dream for longtime fans: the Tardy brothers (John on vocals, Donald on drums), Trevor Peres on guitar, Terry Butler (ex–Death, ex–Six Feet Under) on bass, and Ken Andrews as second guitarist. This configuration has gelled into something formidable. There’s no coasting on legacy here—every riff was tight, every beat precise, every solo delivered with conviction.
Trevor Peres’ tone remains one of the most identifiable in metal: mid-scooped, bone-dry, and filthy as hell. Donald Tardy’s drumming is still a masterclass in restraint and groove—he’s one of the rare metal drummers who knows when not to play. Andrews and Butler round out the machine with steady, punishing force.
Cause of Death: A Sonic Autopsy, 35 Years Later
Released in 1990 on Roadrunner Records and produced by Scott Burns at Morrisound Studios, Cause of Death is a landmark album in the death metal genre. It bridged the gap between the raw fury of Slowly We Rot and the increasingly technical path the genre would take in the early ’90s.
The album is marked by its deliberate pacing, crushing riffs, and cavernous production. The artwork by Michael Whelan (originally intended for a Death album) became instantly iconic. I wore that t-shirt into a dust rag. But more than anything, Cause of Death showcased Obituary’s refusal to conform to expectations. While their peers were speeding up and getting more technical, Obituary chose to slow down and dig deeper.
Songs like “Dying” and “Turned Inside Out” are perfect examples of death metal as a slow-motion demolition. Rather than machine-gunning everything into oblivion, they made you feel every ounce of weight behind each note. It was—and remains—a masterclass in heavy music.
A Live Experience Rooted in Community
At The Bellwether, it was impossible to miss how many generations were in the crowd. Obituary shows draw lifers, punks, and younger fans who are discovering death metal through streaming algorithms or social media rabbit holes. Everyone in that room felt connected by something primal and powerful.
Although some fights broke out toward the end of the show, the pit was active but respectful, more like a communion of fury than chaos. When the band broke into “Don’t Care” and a few newer cuts after the Cause of Death set, the energy never dipped. It was a perfect synthesis of past and present, proof that Obituary isn’t just surviving—they’re thriving.
The Legacy of Cause of Death and Obituary’s Role in Metal’s DNA
You can’t talk about death metal without Obituary. Cause of Death helped shape the genre’s identity and set the tone for countless bands that followed—many of whom couldn’t replicate the band’s chemistry, groove, or sheer sense of doom.
While other Florida death metal legends like Death, Morbid Angel, and Deicide pushed boundaries in different directions—technicality, speed, Satanism—Obituary stayed focused on what they do best: crushing grooves, sepulchral atmosphere, and an almost bluesy sense of rhythm buried beneath the filth. That choice made them timeless.
The 35th Anniversary Tour is more than a celebration; it’s a statement. It tells younger bands and audiences: this is where the sound was born. This is still how it’s done.
For those looking for Obituary 2025 tour review, Obituary live at The Bellwether, or Cause of Death anniversary tour setlist, this night delivered:
Full performance of “Cause of Death” in album order
John Tardy’s vocals remain unmatched
Obituary proves why they are death metal legends
Nails’ blistering opening set laid the groundwork for annihilation
The Bellwether confirmed as a premier LA venue for heavy music
Obituary 2025 tour merch is a collector’s dream—grab it while you can
Final Thoughts: Death Metal Never Dies
Obituary’s 35th Anniversary celebration of Cause of Death is more than just a victory lap. It’s a brutal reminder of where death metal came from and a clear indication that the genre, and this band, are not going anywhere. The Bellwether show was transcendent, nostalgic, and vital all at once.
For those of us who grew up with this music, this tour is a gift—a reminder of why we fell in love with heavy music in the first place. For the new generation, it’s a brutal education. Either way, it’s knowledge is essential.
If you’ve got the chance to catch this tour—do not miss it. Obituary is still writing the book on death metal, and Cause of Death is its sacred text.
Words: Danny Baraz
Photos: Taylor Wong
