Year: 2020
Total Time: 31:30
Label: Nuclear Blast
I have the small impression that the Norwegian death metallers CADAVER should not be that familiar to the younger viewers of our page and metal music, but believe me, in the years 1988-1992 when they released their demo and the first two albums, they were one of the hottest names around with high expectations from the fans. In the end, mostly due to musical differences, they split up and instead of the desperate attempts of the later years (see CADAVER Inc.) they just took their place in the history and rest in silence.
The founding and only original member nowadays Anders Odden together with the MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren (also ex-SOILWORK) did not give up and after a digital single last April, he prepared and now unleashed the actually third album of CADAVER, after almost 30 years with the interesting title “Edder & Bile”. The guitars were done by the producer Adair Daufembach and Anders Nyhren (ex-MORBID ANGEL, ZYKLON), while one more proof of the respect they have in the scene is that Jeff Becerra (POSSESSED) and KAM LEE (MASSACRE, DEATH) are doing guest vocals in two tracks.
About the album now which lasts a little bit more than half an hour which is not enough for today’s standards and for the fact that it was on works for almost 6 years, it is a fierce total of stormy old school death metal in high speed without compromises and modern elements with tracks that are short in duration, just as long as they should last, nothing more or less. If I have to be more accurate or specific I would say that there are influences from CARCASS, DEICIDE, or PUGENT STENCH but unfortunately the final result is not exactly what I was hoping for after the promising EP that was out a few months ago as I said before. The opening track “Morgue Ritual” is also the first single and one of the best moments in here. Next is “Circle Of Morbidity” with Jeff Becerra, another great chaotic tune and is followed by “Feed The Pigs” with Kam Lee, a DEICIDE influenced groovy one. At the top moments I will also include “Deathmachine” and “Reborn” without saying the rest of the songs are bad. I just don’t see that there are so many things that would help to make this album so special that it will finally give CADAVER the place they deserve to have in the Death Metal Hall of Fame. The production is rather shallow and flat, I can’t get the bass anywhere, drums are louder than they should and sound fake, so yeah, in the end it gives me the feeling that the whole project was done just because it had to be done, as an obligation or even some buried resentments.
It’s a shame cause it is an album that I was really looking forward to since old school death metal is a real favorite in the 2/3 of my existence in this planet. I will keep those 4-5 distinguished tracks and I hope that next time they will manage to make me change my opinion for this reactivation they are attempting, I won’t say a reunion as this is just one man and a couple of friends.
Rating: 5/10
Editor: Antonis Livanios
Related Link: CADAVER – Official Page
