Grand Cadaver are another Death-Metal ‘supergroup’ who much like Bloodbath are unashamedly re-visiting the sound of their youth, and the iconic nineties Swedish style made famous by the likes of At The Gates, Entombed, et al.
And the personnel involved are of the highest quality with guitarists Stefan Lagergren (Expulsion) and Alex Stjernfeldt (Let Them Hang) rubbing shoulders with ex-Katatonia drummer Daniel Liljekvist and Dark Tranquility bassist Christian Jansson. But perhaps most notably it is the vocal hooks of Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquility / The Halo Effect) which define the Grand Cadaver sound on Deities Of Deathlike Sleep (Majestic Mountain Records), with his distinct rasping style allowing you to hear the lyrics with clarity throughout.
Musically you pretty much know what you’re going to get before you hit play with this one, as the entourage of highly experienced and skilled Death Metallers dip into the various forms of the genre, with one foot firmly stuck back into that vintage era. The record opens with crunching guitars on “The Forever Doom” with the song providing a short and sharp blast of aggression that typifies the release.
There are some wonderfully morbid lyrics and song titles afoot including “A Crawling Feast Of Decay” which features an incredibly infectious riff, and “Stabbed With Frozen Blood” with swirling guitars and a frenetic pace – a choice of tempo that is also apparent in “Vortex Of Blood” as well as the title track. “The Wishful Dead” provides a particularly rolling death groove once it gets going, and Grand Cadaver also shows they can drop the pace to give the record some variation as it flows, with the slow chugging evil of “True Necrogeny” as well as the doomy dark and mysterious “Funeral Reversal”.
But perhaps where the album really stands out is when they convey more of a melodeath style on the deep and emotive “Serated Jaws”, and on my personal favourite “Necrosanctum”, as it blends crushing distorted guitars with a melancholic lead and the poignant addition of a mournfully sombre piano.
In essence, if you’ve a desire to pick up something new but steeped in that vintage old-school Swedish sound and enjoyed the Bloodbath LP last year, then it’s fair to say that Deities Of Deathlike Sleep from Grand Cadaver will certainly scratch that itch.
Buy the album here:
https://grandcadaver.bandcamp.com/album/deities-of-deathlike-sleep
7 / 10
ABSTRAKT_SOUL_