The Obsessed Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
The Obsessed fire up more mid-tempo biker rock on this self-titled release -- fans of their doomy style will not be disappointed. With the exception of the dated-sounding "Freedom," the band is in top form. The sheer aggression of "Ground Out," the sludgepile "Red Disaster," and the phased-out blues of "Tombstone Highway" more than make up for any '80s-styled slights. A live set from 1984 is also included, wherein the Obsessed create a rumble only hinted at with their studio output. The group's relatively clean recording sound gives way to a live cacophony of noise and power, offering further testimony to their high placement amongst the stoner metal ranks. ~ Matthew Kantor, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Obsessed are the most unfortunately unappreciated band in hard rock history. Incarnate, a collection of various sessions spanning years and lineups, serves as testament to the band's great essential constants. The trademarks in question are tough but easy-going stoner grooves, Wino's detuned death machine of a guitar, and an absolute heaviness that permeates their work like a weird mixture of sweat and incense. The band, in whatever embodiment, create this heaviness by always working as a unit. Hard rock excesses are avoided; every drum fill and every note of every solo works toward the song rather than individual glory. Make no mistake though, Wino's solos, while tactful, are still heroic -- he offers unique schizo-bluesy runs throughout Incarnate, of particular depth and feeling on the "Streetside/Mourning" sessions from spring '93. Any lyrics that come through the mix hold interest as well, an intelligent individualist stance firmly taken. A very telling Obsessed moment occurs when Wino howls "It makes my blood run cold to be bought and sold" on "Concrete Cancer," over a re-working of the riff from "Iron Man." Eric Burdon and Lynyrd Skynyrd covers are thrown in for good measure, with Melvins drummer Dale Crover beating skins on the latter. Scott Reeder, who went on to join Kyuss, plays bass on a session as well. The Obsessed have never received the recognition accorded those two groups but any fans of Lysol or Welcome to Sky Valley are advised to pick up Incarnate as a further lesson in drop ‘D.' ~ Matthew Isaac Kantor, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
There's a certain AC/DC quality to the Obsessed; one knows what to expect and it's okay. Though there's some damn-near thrash moments on The Church Within, the record stays true to the Obsessed blueprint of Volume 4: riffing, monotone vocals, and expressive, intelligent lead playing. Far from sounding tired, the formula is used for maximum effect -- check out "Blind Lightning," perhaps the hardest crush the group have ever committed to tape, or the dissonant doom of "Mourning" for examples. Originally released stateside as their major label debut, it's comforting that the Obsessed didn't change or conform their sound one bit on The Church Within -- it's heavy without apology. ~ Matthew Kantor, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After fronting Californian doom gods Saint Vitus throughout their most fertile career phase, in the second half of the 1980s, lead vocalist Scott "Wino" Weinrich decided to throw in his towel, dust off his long-in-disuse guitar playing talents, and resurrect his original retro-metal power trio, the Obsessed. Unfortunately, the band's first eponymous album from 1990 (there had been an EP -- the legendary Sodden Jackal -- way back in 1983) was patched together from ancient recordings and contained disappointingly few outstanding songs to recommend it, and it wasn't until the following year's sophomore Lunar Womb that Wino (here also acting as producer) really gave some cause for fans to celebrate his departure from Vitus. Backed by an all-new rhythm section featuring bassist/co-producer Scott Reader (future Kyuss, Unida, etc.) and drummer Greg Rogers, Wino seemed to find his songwriting legs again with instantly memorable numbers like "Brother Blue Steel," "Bardo," and "Back to Zero," even as the years of rust visibly fell away from his sharp and dynamic guitar work (watch for prime solo breaks in "Kachina" and "No Mas"). Elsewhere, "Hiding Mask," "Jaded," and "Endless Circles" are all superlative samples of bite-sized doom -- a Wino specialty (most of his contemporaries being prone to epic waffling) that is abandoned only at some risk by the still quite successful six-minute title track. But then, the appearance of a sub-two-minute hardcore blast in "No Blame" (another trademark of most every Wino album, and revealing of his Washington, D.C., roots) tilts the scales in the other direction, and helps make Lunar Womb about as balanced an album as the Obsessed ever recorded. So much so that it led to their signing by major label Columbia before next effort The Church Within, which, as it turned out, fell well short of Lunar Womb's lofty standards. [Long out of print in its original form, Lunar Womb was finally reissued by Meteor City Records in 2006, enhanced with brand-new artwork and informative liner notes.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
