OBITUARY's TERRY BUTLER: 'We've Been Talking About Potentially Throwing Around Some Ideas' For Next Studio Album

In a new interview with "Reckless" Rexx Ruger of Pod Scum,, OBITUARY bassist Terry Butler was asked about the possibility of a new studio album from the veteran Florida death metallers. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't have a timeline, and I can't actually pinpoint any kind of a time. But I know that we've been talking about potentially, here in the real near future, to start throwing around some ideas. So it has been talked about, and it is a known thing in the band. But we haven't set, like, 'Hey, okay, by this date, we gotta have this many songs.' Or, 'By this date, we're gonna be in the studio.' No, it just comes as it comes, you know what I mean? But we know we need to get something coming here soon."

Butler also addressed the fact that OBITUARY hasn't released a new album since "Dying Of Everything", which came out in January 2023 via Relapse Records. He said: "Well, it used to be the label back in the day would kind of push more for a timeline. But you don't sell as much product now, obviously, because of pirating and Spotify and all this stuff. So the bands make most of their money touring, selling [merchandise] and from tour show fees and this and that. So now it seems like you put an album out, you're gonna tour the States a couple times, you're gonna tour Europe a couple times, play some festivals, hit South America, maybe Asia. So you're gonna have two or three years in between albums. That's just kind of a normal thing, I believe, nowadays. Way back in the day, bands in the '70s were putting out albums in January, and then, like, in October. [Laughs] But now it's, like, why rush it? Especially with OBITUARY. We have — what? — 10-plus albums out, so there's 140 songs to choose from. We play 15 songs live or so, so we got plenty of songs to play. But definitely the fire is still there to make new music. So, we wanna make some new music."

This past January, OBITUARY frontman John Tardy told Alejandro Bonilla Carvajal of Colombia's Alejandrosis about the band's plans to write and record new music: "It's tough. You come out with an album nowadays and it takes us that three, four, five years just to kind of cover all the territory [on tour] and get things done. But we're always collecting rhythms and ideas and songtitles and things like that all day long. It's kind of what we do. Every time you soundcheck or something, Trevor [Peres, OBITUARY guitarist] just turns his amp on or something, and you're in a cool room and he'll come up with something and always just kind of go over to his phone, record a little bit, this and that. So you're always collecting stuff. We've just been so busy, but it is kind of our goal to go ahead and start putting some of that stuff together this year and getting some of these ideas put down and start that slow process towards maybe doing another release here, maybe next year or so."

In the summer of 2025, OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy, who is John's brother, was asked by Bloodstock TV's Oran O'Beirne if the band was still planning on releasing a new studio album in 2026 or 2027. He responded: "In the rock and roll industry, you make plans and nothing ever sticks, and getting pushed back, it happens always. So I don't wanna tell people that there's gonna be a new album, 'cause is there? We don't know. We're having a damn good time. My brother and I are having a blast.

"Should there be one more record? Possibly. Possibly for the fans," he continued. "Going on a 40-year career, we're wondering, where do we go with this career of ours? And how much longer? Do we wanna do it? Can we do it? And should we?

"And so to answer the question, we love writing music and we love the idea of a new album, but we will definitely take our time and write the best songs we possibly can, just like we did with 'Dying Of Everything'," Donald added. "So '26 and '27 will be a writing process, and then the recording of it. So, we're looking it as, if we're still on this side of the ground and we could do it, there'll be another one, simply because the fans deserve it. And we're still having a good time doing what we do."

In 2022, Decibel Books released "Turned Inside Out: The Official Story Of Obituary", the fully authorized biography of OBITUARY. The book was written by David E. Gehlke, author of "Born Human: The Life And Music Of Death's Chuck Schuldiner", "Damn The Machine: The Story Of Noise Records" and "No Celebration: The Official Story Of Paradise Lost".

Photo credit: Tim Hubbard