We all know the hype that has surrounded Norway's black metal bands since the early nineties, sadly due to this many of the death metal greats from this part of the world remain largely forgotten . Cadaver being one of them .
These guys were immensely talented and raw . Their "Abnormal Deformity" demo was a heavy and unique release . The production of the demo is quite good . The guitar sound almost has a sort of treble filled twang to it while still retaining a malicious gritty vibe . The riffs are technical at times but don't lose any of the heaviness that so many bands do when becoming technical .
The tempo's of the songs vary from neck-break speed to almost doom filled sludge . The drummer keeps pace nicely and is with out question a high point here . I love cymbals, lots and lots of cymbals and he does not hesitate to use what seems like every one of them on his set, and often . There are also many beats that seem to stray from the usual death metal "formula" . A great drummer can add so much to a band and he absolutely does his part to make this release as great as it is .
The bass is sort of lost in the mix but is still evident especially in the slower parts . The slower doomy parts are what made this band completely amazing in my eyes . While utilizing the previously mentioned "death metal formula"(blazing fast, slowing down, blazing fast, ending) perfectly the true highlight here is the sludge infested groovy bouncy mid sections that every Cadaver song contains . This band knew how to kill you with heaviness and did it with grim, dark, heavy as hell riff work and crushing guttural intricate songs structures .
The vocals on "Abnormal Deformity" are a perfect example of old school death metal ferocity . Just as disgusted in their deliverance as anything in the scene today . Recorded way before bands used tricks like pitch shifters and electronics to bend and distort their voices to the lowest of lows . There is a place for trickery and technology in death metal but at this time in history it was severely frowned upon . They didn't need it anyway .
I will always love bands that did it the old fashioned way, just like this band did on here and up to and including their amazing "Hallucinating Anxiety" album . They created an amazing sound and an amazing band that just played their evil little hearts out . No tricks, just Cadaver . All hail the old school !!!!