UMUR
"Abnormal Deformity" is the second demo recording by Norwegian death metal act Cadaver. The demo was independently released in July 1989. It follows the release of Cadaver´s November 1988 rehearsal demo "Into the Outside". Bassist René Jansen has been added to the lineup since the first demo, and Cadaver are therefore a trio on "Abnormal Deformity" (the first demo didn´t feature any bass tracks).
It´s interesting to experience the development between "Into the Outside" and "Abnormal Deformity". While the first demo was a brutal, savage, but still occasionally thrash infused old school death metal release, "Abnormal Deformity" is obviously a Carcass influenced affair. It´s like Cadaver learned of the existence of Carcass between the two demo releases, and were instantly influenced by the sound of the Liverpool band. It´s really not that strange of course as countless testimonies from seminal Norwegian, Swedish, and especially Finnish death metal artists (artists like Xysma, Disgrace, and Lubricant are for example all strongly influenced by Carcass) mention Carcass as one of their main influences.
To my ears that makes "Abnormal Deformity" a slightly less unique demo compared to the raw and more primitive "Into the Outside", but it´s still a great quality old school death metal demo, and fans of early Carcass are of course recommended to take a listen. The addition of bass makes "Abnormal Deformity" a heavier and more professional sounding demo than "Into the Outside", so there´s been no decrease in overall quality. Cadaver are still a well playing band, and they sure know how to write an effective old school death metal tune too.
The slightly more clear (although still very raw and brutal) sounding production values provide the listener with a better understanding of the details of Cadaver´s music and upon conclusion "Abnormal Deformity" is a good quality sophomore demo recording by Cadaver, showing a band on their way forward. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.