Florida death metal veterans Obituary will release remastered reissues of Xecutioner’s Return and Darkest Day on Friday, Dec. 11 through Relapse Records. The Obituary reissues come on LP/2LP, CD and cassette, and the two albums are also coming to streaming for the first time, according to the announcement published Wednesday, Oct. 21 by Blabbermouth. Pre-orders are open at Relapse.
Obituary Reissues: What’s Coming
- Xecutioner’s Return (2007): the band’s seventh studio album, per Relapse. It’s named after Obituary’s original band name, Xecutioner.
- Darkest Day (2009): includes two bonus tracks that were originally only on the 2008 Left to Die EP. They are a cover of Celtic Frost’s “Dethroned Emperor” and a 2008 version of “Slowly We Rot.”
- Release date: Dec. 11, 2026. Relapse’s store says pre-orders are expected to ship on or around Dec. 8.
Obituary Reissues: Formats and Prices
The Relapse 2×12″ listing for Darkest Day is priced at $33.99. Its first press comes in translucent gold, plus these limited variants:
- 343 in blood gold emerald marble (Relapse.com exclusive)
- 338 in metallic silver with blood red and oxblood (North American indie retail exclusive, not sold at Relapse.com)
- 241 in an evergreen, bone white and metallic gold tri-color merge with splatter (Relapse.com exclusive)
- 100 in clear, for friends of the band and label only
The Xecutioner’s Return CD is listed at $10.99 at Relapse.
The Darkest Day reissue runs 15 tracks, per the listing at retailer Drowned World Records: “List of Dead,” “Blood to Give,” “Lost Inside,” “Outside My Head,” “Payback,” “Your Darkest Day,” “This Life,” “See Me Now,” “Fields of Pain,” “Violent Dreams,” “Truth Be Told,” “Forces Realign” and “Left to Die,” followed by the bonus tracks “Dethroned Emperor” and “Slowly We Rot.”
The Band on the Reissues
The band framed the Obituary reissues as a tribute. They said in the announcement:
We are super excited about the remastered reissues of ‘Xecutioner’s Return’ and ‘Darkest Day’. These albums have not been available for many years and it’s great to know that soon fans can finally get their hands on them. It will give everyone an opportunity to enjoy and remember Frank Watkins and the final Obituary recordings with him while allowing fans to celebrate the amazing, shredding solos that Ralph Santolla threw down on these records during his time with us. R.I.P. both our brothers… gone but not forgotten.”
Bassist Frank Watkins and guitarist Ralph Santolla, both of whom have since died, played on the two albums. The band calls these “the final Obituary recordings” with Watkins.
How Long Have They Been Out of Print?
The sources don’t agree on how long it’s been. Blabbermouth’s announcement says both albums are on LP, 2LP, CD and cassette “for the first time in over 15 years.” Relapse’s product pages say Xecutioner’s Return is on remastered vinyl “for the first time in 20 years” and Darkest Day “for the first time in over 15 years.” We’re reporting both figures, since the Obituary reissues announcement and the store copy don’t line up.
There’s a smaller mismatch on streaming. Blabbermouth says the albums will be on streaming for the first time. The pre-save link for the Xecutioner’s Return 2026 remaster reads “Out December 11, 2026 / Streaming Now!” It’s not clear whether that means the full remaster or a preview track is already up, so check your service.
Why These Records Matter
Xecutioner’s Return came out after the band’s 2005 comeback. In its original review, Blabbermouth called it “a bone-basic tour de force of old-school death metal infused with a bleeding organic groove and dripping with sepulchral atmosphere,” a line Relapse now quotes in its listing. Relapse says Darkest Day “is decidedly marked by the return of Obituary’s devastating groove riffing” and quotes Teeth of the Divine calling it “arguably the best album since the band’s 2005 comeback.”
The Obituary reissues finally fill a gap in the band’s catalog, where both albums have been hard to find for years.
What We Don’t Know
- Who did the 2026 remastering. The announcement doesn’t name an engineer.
- Whether Xecutioner’s Return gets bonus tracks. Only Darkest Day‘s two bonus songs have been announced.
- Any tour tied to the Obituary reissues, including Southern California dates.
Until the Obituary reissues land in December, there’s more death metal on our radar. See our Black Dahlia Murder and Dying Fetus San Diego tour post, catch Fear Factory in San Diego, and for local shows, our San Diego metal scene guide.
