Wino Wednesday: The Obsessed, “Skybone” Live at Maryland Deathfest XI
Posted in Bootleg Theater on June 25th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
Of all the bands Wino‘s played guitar in, The Obsessed have always struck me as the most stripped down. If it wasn’t so slow and thick, you could almost call it punk in form. Riffs, verses, choruses, solos — The Obsessed never got too fancy, never strayed from rock and roll, never fell into pretense. They just rocked. Then they stopped. Then they started again. Then they stopped again. And so on.
That cycle seems to have hit a “stopped again” point, particularly with the reunion of Spirit Caravan this year. When they got back together in 2012, The Obsessed did a full European tour, but nothing in the US to compare with the month-plus Spirit Caravan spent on the road this spring. Maybe that’s due in part to Spirit Caravan‘s higher profile — they’ve always been a fan favorite, and bassist Dave Sherman‘s stage presence and tenure fronting Earthride has only increased interest in Spirit Caravan since their early ’00s breakup — but either way, aside from the appearance at Maryland Deathfest XI last year, from which this week’s Wino Wednesday clip comes, The Obsessed haven’t done much in the States for their reunion. With both Spirit Caravan and Saint Vitus currently active, it’s hard to know where The Obsessed might fit in.
Still, the safe bet is that they will — if not now, at some point — reemerge. Formed as Warhorse in 1976, The Obsessed has been a home base to which Wino has returned several times over his journeyman’s years between projects, and “Skybone,” which was the centerpiece of their to-date final outing, 1994’s The Church Within, shines light on a lot of what has always worked best about the band. It is unremittingly straightforward, an easy groove to ride along with and that asks little indulgence in return. Obscure lyrically, but irresistibly riffed, and bassist Reid Raley and drummer Greg Rogers, though both lower volume in the video than Wino‘s guitar (it was filmed on his side of the stage), nail down the nod on the sleeper favorite.
Enjoy:
