Clones of Industry

I absolutely loved Caedere's 2003 debut fullength Mass emission, it spoke to me in ways records rarely do. I'd still hold the album as one of my favourite death metal records of all time, so of course I've been eagerly awaiting their next opus. After years of waiting, after delays upon delays it's finally here - Clones of industry. Admittedly I was a little disappointed the first couple of times I listened to it, but I have no idea why I was reluctant to accept it as a worthy follow-up. I think it was the third or fourth time I gave the album a go that it suddenly hit me; Clones of industry kicks so much fuckin' arse.

Caedere's overall approach comes off as relatively brutal, with a marvellously blasting tempo and just the right amount of slowing down to keep it versatile. But when listening a little more carefully one detects a buttload of melody within the riffing. You'll never hear any fillers, no nonsense run-of-the-mill zombie mishmash of guitar slamming; it's just pure and simple filled to the rim with heavy-as-shit riffing, with just a hint of melodic leads every once in a while. This gives the string part of the music a feeling of mixing the American and European brutal death metal sounds with old school Finnish and Swedish flair. And as the tempo is mostly blasting, and hence utterly brutal, they know exactly when to take a break and thrown in a heavy-as-hell slow part that gives the tune a chugging effect, without coming close to any kind of slam. It's a seriously coherent execution, tight and unrelenting in every which way. And what a sound to boot, it's a very fitting production that lets the drumming pummel you over, the guitars slice you in half and the bass mangle you to dust.

But enough fancy metaphors, the album is absolutely ace. The songs are versatile, the musicianship is top notch, the growls are all-powerful and very convincing and the sound is wicked. That description could work for many albums, but trust me when I say this is the shit! They even add a quite unique touch in todays death metal scene with lyrics that don't deal with gore or religion, but with socio-political topics. It all makes for a both interesting and satisfying listen. Whatever hesitation I might've had in the early stages of familiarizing myself with Clones of industry it's since long gone; this is the shit!

Originally written for http://www.mylastchapter.net