Here lies a semi-hidden acme in the “off-the-fuckin’-rails” limit-smashing extremity elite. Under the guise of another Black/Death crossover from Norway comes something much’ much more spectacular & indelible. There’s much to be said that distances this effort from it’s opposition, but let’s just address the most potent feature…the fuckin’ drummer! This guy (going under the pseudonym Czral) is one of the fastest & most ferocious motherfuckers you will ever hear across any Grind/Noisecore/Extreme Metal or blastbeat-centric directive (his abilities as a drummer also transcend much further than just speed with extremely imaginative & creative éclat). This endowment is flaunted & centralized, with the majority of the album hurtling at terminal velocities for prolonged blast-beat premium. The strength & staunchness of the blasts are also phenomenal. Many drummers forgo sturdiness & control for extra speed. As speed-fixated as I am, I would always take a stocky & streamlined blast without wavering over a few more notches on the speed-dial. Czral unites the best of both disciplines & pummels out some of the most exhilarating & vicious soaring ever committed to disc. It’s also in “Marathon Blast” territory, with hugely elongated feats of supressed siege, backed-up by tight double-kick consolidation & presumably trigger-free? This is some of the ultimate blast-centric bedlam in the field. The supporting body consists of guitarist Neddo, bassist Balvaz & vocalist Apollyon, all very competent musicians presenting a Black/Death & Thrash hybrid. Thankfully it’s predominantly on the Black side (I always felt Black Metal had so much more character than drab Death), but the formula goes further. Assigned or combined over the albums duration you will encounter splices or stints of Prog, HC/Punk, Doom & other transmogrifications, almost in a Fusion manner. This may sound like a “please-all” commercial ploy, but it’s not. These sections & amalgamations are well constructed & daring, adding dynamism, diversity & additional complexity as well as the option for “drops” on the hyper-blast. The Prog angle is another especially eccentric quirk that sometimes makes it’s way into the blast sections. With blast sprees synchronized to informal time signatures such as 7 & 6. Remember, this is 2001, so this is highly prescient practice, way ahead of the curve. I struggle a bit with the production. It’s quite glossy & high-end. 2001 was an appalling era phonetically for Metal (it’s probably still going on today?). The emphasis seemed to be on some kind of artificial suspension…where it would appear, clearly by design/volition, like no human was actually playing the instrument & no physicality was involved. I hated it utterly! Drum-triggers were about to become popular (if not already so), & I think that this synthetic touch made correcting mistakes & overdub insertion much harder to spot, which was convenient for a lot of musicians composing way beyond their actual abilities. Cadaver Inc are far from the worst to fall foul of this awful malpractice (production burnish that is), & I assume no such digital prestidigitation was performed in the production of Discipline, but this impersonal & frankly fake sheen that was afflicted on the more major releases of the epoch makes me want to chunder. The lyrics are weak as fuck! I wonder why the Scandinavians so often need to soil their shit with such dumb negativity considering they are the most privileged & coddled societies on earth? but perhaps that’s the exact reason? Still, the vocals are actually pretty damn good & are thankfully much more in the rasped Black orbit than the cock-choked Death Metal dunder.
A lot more could be scribed about this mile-stone album, but it’s really something that all you speed-freaks & extremist junkies need, if not have, to pick up. Thankfully it’s still very much in circulation. Don’t under-estimate it, even if you hate Black/Death Metal, the Anti-Listener underground exceptionists, Gunk/Noisegrind eremites & blast-bingers really’ really need to check this out.
Why isn’t this album/group more popular? Perhaps the same reason chumps idle whilst politicians shit their children’s future into oblivion? I don’t know the fucking answer but it’s a fairly familiar error that often besets the most radical musicians & creative minds when they meet public ignorance. I think it’s obvious that people like to celebrate & bluster extremes far more than they actually care to partake/wallow in them. The talk transcends the immersion/veracity. The nutters that really kick-shit beyond the outer-limits are often left curiously obscure. As one anonymous witness observes on Cadaver Inc from a statement I snatched from online – “It’s funny, the bands who deserve the most hype never get it. I remember watching Cadaver Inc’s support slot alongside Zyklon and Morbid Angel at London’s Mean Fiddler last May and the poor bastards received very little appreciation from a crowd who were baying for the overrated Zyklon.”
The drummer also attempted suicide sometime after the recording by leaping from a building. He survived, but can no longer play the drums & instead moved onto the guitar & other projects. I have yet to catch up with them but have no doubt that they are superbly original.
Rekd: 2001
Label: Earache Records