By David E. Gehlke
The chilly snap that hit the US over the 2022 holidays — together with Florida — meant that OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy could be pulling additional time to look after his quite a few cat colonies within the Tampa space. (“It was the coldest Christmas we had in 70 years,” he stated.) The colder climate introduced heavy rainfall to Florida, which soaked the timber and bushes, the first hiding locations for outside and feral cats. As a substitute of resting and gearing up for his band’s upcoming tour schedule, Tardy spent his vacation break in search of cardboard bins and straw to guard his felines. Fortunately, all of them survived.
Tardy‘s ardour for cats is matched by his love for OBITUARY. His vocalist brother John will be the undisputed face of OBITUARY, however Donald is its mouthpiece and primary cheerleader. And he has a lot to be enthusiastic about contemplating the top-to-bottom power of the band’s new studio album, “Dying Of All the things”. OBITUARY‘s sound has lengthy been established, however “Dying Of All the things” hurls among the band’s quickest compositions thus far (“Barely Alive”) together with the ungodly heavy grooves which have made OBITUARY loss of life steel legends. With some European dates quickly approaching, BLABBERMOUTH.NET caught up with Tardy to speak concerning the new album and what their legacy means as OBITUARY approaches 40 years of existence.
Blabbermouth: You simply wrapped up the AMON AMARTH North American tour and you will quickly be going out with HEAVEN SHALL BURN in Europe. You took the center slot for each. Do you discover that advantageous or want you have been greater on the payments?
Donald: “It is type of a love/hate factor. OBITUARY has 11 albums and 120-something songs, so choosing a setlist, usually, is hard once you’re attempting to select 15 or 16 songs for present. With these help slots, you are getting 35 or 40 minutes. Meaning 9 or ten songs. That could be a problem since you received extra albums than you do songs onstage. That is the robust a part of it, however the good half is the center slot. With my brother and the time we’ve been doing this, he won’t complain about not having to sing 17 songs an evening. [Laughs] The help slot is superior as a result of this can be a very deliberate alternative with TRIVIUM and HEAVEN SHALL BURN. These are metalheads, however the majority, a few of them, should not OBITUARY followers. We’ll get lots of people strolling into the venues, ‘I do know this band. I’ve heard of them, however I’ve by no means seen them dwell and I do not personal an album.’ OBITUARY, dwell, we have a tendency to achieve followers. Now we have , tight set. We’re a tight-knit band. We’re recognized for our killer sound dwell, so it is a problem however a really accepted problem for us.”
Blabbermouth: I talked to Trevor (Peres, guitar) on the bus a month in the past and he had virtually this mischievous grin concerning the new album. He stated, “Each tune is a winner. I dig all of them.” Do you share that sentiment?
Donald: “We will pat ourselves on the again or no matter you wish to say, but when any individual stepped into the room and stated, ‘I have not heard any new OBITUARY songs. Play me one thing.’ If there have been a dartboard on the wall with each tune on the album, I’d ask that particular person to throw the dart and no matter they land on, we’ll play it. That is how assured and excited I’m about each tune on this document. We will thank — and I hate to say it — the pandemic. It gave us loads of time, figuring out we have been caught at residence, handcuffed for not with the ability to tour. What are you able to do apart from dissect the songs? Lord is aware of OBITUARY songs should not probably the most technical songs, however we took that point to take a step again and hearken to them after we wrote and recorded them. Then we might say, ‘That is killer!’ Then we tucked it away for 2 weeks and got here again to it. Very minute issues, like altering a rhythm or refrain, or easy issues, a drum factor—I am speaking to myself, ‘Man, a cool little punch, easy factor proper right here could be cool.’ We did that. We dissected it a little bit bit. I feel that helped. I feel that is why these songs went from actually good to nice.”
Blabbermouth: You by no means had this time earlier than. Consider the deadlines you had within the ’90s.
Donald: “That’s proper. And to not point out, with age comes expertise. With studio periods come expertise and placing your self beneath that strain in attempting to jot down a tune and being super-excited once you’re practising, however once you get into the studio, the minute you get there, the strain, the strain, the individuals taking a look at you thru the window within the management sales space, you are not free. You are a little bit tense and your efficiency reveals that. I cringe with the primary three OBITUARY albums due to that. On this album, I can proudly say that at 53 years of age and 11 albums into it, I’m completely, one-hundred p.c not simply proud, however lastly happy with my drum efficiency.”
Blabbermouth: Talking of which, is “Barely Alive” the quickest OBITUARY tune by way of BPM? I could not consider something that tops it.
Donald: “It’s. And what the hell am I pondering at my age? [Laughs] That was enjoyable within the studio. I used to be excited — my ft are the quickest in my profession for no matter cause. Possibly it is muscle reminiscence or taking part in drums for 40 years. I hope to get higher. In the course of the writing course of and simply jamming and the pandemic and being residence, I felt how briskly my ft felt. I am a fast-talking, fast-thinking, hyper-annoying type of man usually. My band would attest to that. [Laughs] I knew it. I informed Trevor, ‘I do not know what [SLAYER‘s] ‘Angel Of Loss of life’ or ‘Raining Blood’ BPMs are. Lord is aware of [original SLAYER drummer Dave] Lombardo is flying.’ Two-hundred BPM is what ‘Barely Alive’ is. For me, that’s full-throttle, all cylinders firing. I am a caveman behind the drumkit. Somebody like Dave [Haley, drums] from PSYCROPTIC reads this interview laughing, ‘I can do that with one foot.’ I used to be happy with it once I achieved it within the studio. The minute I walked out of the studio and shut the Professional Instruments rig down, I believed, ‘Now what? Stay, each evening, whether or not I am feeling nice or unhealthy or 17 reveals right into a 29-date tour and I am getting fatigued and my eating regimen is not nice, I’ll must play this.’ You understand how tour life is — lengthy, bizarre days and never consuming effectively, however I am nonetheless going to have to tug off ‘Barely Alive’ as a result of the followers shall be ready for that tune.”
Blabbermouth: Possibly it is one thing you play midway by the set, so you’re warmed up.
Donald: “That’s the sensible factor to do. However, generally, the setlist and total logic of what your setlist must be once you step on that stage and people followers are ready after six years in Europe would possibly have to be first. What do you do? You need to be backstage, warming up your physique, getting ready and begin busting a sweat earlier than you get onstage. It is like an MMA fighter or boxer. You’ll be able to’t go, ‘By the third spherical, I will in all probability be feeling good and I will strive my one-two punch.’ You then’ll get clocked and knocked out within the first spherical. You need to step into the ring 100% able to go. And I have a look at it that means. I am ready for that. We’re lucky we’ve [longtime OBITUARY set opener] ‘Redneck Stomp’ in our arsenal. My brother often calls for it as a result of he likes to be on the aspect of the stage, pacing and warming his voice up within the background whereas we’ve that three minutes of groove occurring. Hopefully, I will have ‘Redneck Stomp’ earlier than we soar right into a 200 BPM tune for this outdated man.”
Blabbermouth: Accidents for excessive steel drummers your age have gotten more and more widespread. You have managed to remain fairly wholesome, although. What are you able to attribute it to?
Donald: “It is luck…if individuals noticed what I do every day with life right here in Tampa once I’m taking good care of my [cat] colonies, rescuing, trapping cats. I’m serving to injured cats as a result of not all will simply get right into a lure. Generally when there’s damage or illness, you are going to throw a internet over them. Meaning, calmly however very exactly, having to catch them and get them right into a service or lure. That is been occurring for 17 years now. I used to be bitten by my very own cat earlier than we did the dwell DVD in Poland [2006’s ‘Frozen Alive’]. 4 days earlier than we left, one in all my cats received out. Our cats should not the friendliest on the planet, which is why we do rescue. They’re those who do not get adopted and wish help. Anyway, as a substitute of doing what I do now, which is a straightforward internet, I attempted to seize her by her scruff rapidly and he or she bit each palms. She bit one hand thrice and the opposite as soon as. It was like, ‘Uh-oh. Holy shit.’ Each palms the subsequent morning swelled up. I used to be taking a look at my palms, going, ‘Oh my god.’ It was painful. If a canine or cat has bitten anybody, it would not matter. After they’re scared and sink these enamel in, it is a painful factor. I will always remember flying to Poland, taking a look at my fingers on the airplane, going, ‘Wow, they’re nonetheless purple!’
“However I’m very fortunate to nonetheless be wholesome as a drummer and human being. I’ve had the identical chiropractor since I used to be 24. After I throw out my again, like many individuals, it would not matter should you’re a musician or athlete. It is actually unhealthy. It appeared worse in my ’30s and ’40s than it’s now. I am in search of a chunk of wooden to knock as a result of I do not know why I haven’t got a recurring challenge as a lot anymore. However knock on wooden, my palms, fingers, wrist, ft, mind — I am able to go. I am quicker than ever with my ft, though that does not imply something with OBITUARY. I am not a quick drummer, however I be ok with my taking part in.”
Blabbermouth: Ever since Allen West (lead guitar) left, you and Trevor have held down the songwriting fort. Ralph Santolla did an important job with solos however by no means wrote something. That is now the second album in a row the place Ken (Andrews, lead guitar) has songwriting credit. Are you able to converse to his contributions?
Donald: “Ralph was undoubtedly and will contribute if we wished him to. He was not the dude to try to beg to contribute. On these two albums he did with us, Ralph rapidly gave opinions once we requested. That reveals what a veteran Ralph was. There have been in all probability a whole lot of bands who snapped at him when he tried to contribute. Hats off to Ralph. Relaxation his soul. However with Ken, he guidelines. He’s a scholar of music and attempting to study OBITUARY and what OBITUARY followers need. Understanding what Allen West did at such a younger age on ‘Slowly We Rot’ and ‘The Finish Full’ for these solos and divebombs with the Jackson V, the squealers and horse screams, Ken undoubtedly was finding out what was occurring. The identical with [James] Murphy. Ken was the primary to say ‘Trigger Of Loss of life’ is his favourite OBITUARY album. It was genius what Murphy did along with his solos.
“Ken is such band member. He is so prepared to strive. He is aware of OBITUARY followers predict OBITUARY-style music. Ken and I wrote two songs on the brand new album. After we wrote, he tried to maintain it easy and heavy, however his thrash background nonetheless got here out, which I inspired. I stated, ‘Dude, let’s not battle in opposition to it. Let’s use it and let my brother inform us what is sweet and what he dislikes.’ That is what we did. Ken got here to the studio and we might work on riffs. He’d go residence and be texting me in the course of the evening, so excited. The title monitor is an ideal Ken tune along with his SLAYER background. He simply introduced it. It is a cool riff from the start and he had the imaginative and prescient. And the tune title got here from a poem my girlfriend, Heather, wrote 5 or seven years in the past. Some thought the title was from the pandemic, however she’s had this for some time.”
Blabbermouth: John has typically stated you will preserve going so long as it is enjoyable. You are arising on 40 years of doing the band. Has that been the key ingredient no matter what you’ve got been by?
Donald: “I can go on and on about these new songs. The fervour continues to be there. I do not know what it’s. Possibly it is in my blood as a result of I have been drumming since I used to be seven. I knew for a reality that is what I wished to do then. I did not wish to go to school; I did not care extra about sports activities than drumming. It was all the time a snare drum and drumbeat. It’s nonetheless probably the most thrilling factor to me. I’ve stated it earlier than: It would not matter. I can go to the studio, be on my own with my drum package and have extra enjoyable than most people in a day. You then flip that into what I’m as a drummer. I am a dwell drummer that likes to carry out OBITUARY songs for our followers. I like the thought of making music for individuals that aren’t in my city or not even in my state or nation, that’s not simply ready for us however rooting us on. It is greater than us. OBITUARY is a part of individuals’s lives. Persons are getting tattoos of the brand and album covers. That is extra dedication—I haven’t got an OBITUARY tattoo! We’re part of one thing that could be a heavy steel household and it is worldwide. I have been to 40 international locations and it would not change. They help the bands they love.”