Obituary are one of the pioneering bands of the death metal genre. The band came from Tampa, Florida, and was founded as Executioner in 1985 and then changed their name to xecutioner to avoid confusion with the other one. In 1988, shortly before the release of their first album "Slowly We Rot", they changed their name to Obituary. Obituary still remain an influential band in the Florida death metal movement that arose in the late 1980s. The 1990 release "Cause of Death" featured James Murphy on guitar (Cancer and Disincarnate) replacing Allen West for unknown reasons.