"Back From The Dead" is the fifth studio album by the American death metal band Obituary. Released on April 22, 1997, by Roadrunner Records, the album marked the return of the band after they temporarily disbanded in 1994. The album was produced by the band themselves and features a more straightforward style of death metal compared to their previous works, with a mix of slower, doomic sections and faster, more aggressive passages. It got a mixed reception, with the musical and vocal performances being praised but the songwriting being seen as generic.
The album is notable for featuring a guest appearance by guitarist James Murphy, as well as the returning lead guitarist Allen West who missed recording the previous album "World Demise." Scott Burns, who produced all of their albums up until their reunion record, was replaced by Obituary on production duties and Mark Prator handled the engineering. Artistically, the album is known for its cover artwork which was done by artist Michael Whelan, who also worked on the cover art for the band's prior three albums.
Despite the anticipation surrounding the band's return, "Back From The Dead" didn't reach the same commercial success as its predecessors and eventually led to another hiatus for the band. However, it has retained a certain cult following amongst core fans of the band and the death metal genre.
