Mainstays of the venerable Florida death metal band Obituary, the Tardy Brothers (vocalist John, drummer Donald) decided to form a self-named side project to explore ideas presumably not for their main band. Bloodline, their 2009 debut, was recorded mostly as a duo, with Donald handling drums, bass, and rhythm guitars, with lead guitars done by several guests including current Obituary guitarist Ralph Santolla. Others have said that this isn't far removed from Obituary, but to these ears there's a noticeable difference in that, simply put, Bloodline really isn't a death metal album. Jon's vocals are in place, and it's heavy all right, but the overall feel is more a mid-paced, groove-laden dark heavy metal -- certainly not an about-face from Obituary, but really not a soundalike. It's a bit samey, one might have hoped for a bit more experimentation, but a decent first effort for what is supposed to be an ongoing project.