UMUR
"Necrosis" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Norwegian death metal act Cadaver. The album was released through Candlelight Records in 2004. Cadaver released two albums in the early 90s and then disbanded. Guitarist Neddo (Anders Odden) opted to ressurrect the band under the Cadaver Inc name around the turn of the millenium and the band released the "Discipline" album in 2001. It was then decided to continue under the Cadaver name instead, so the band name and release history is a little confusing (is "Necrosis" actually to be considered the 4th full-length studio album by Cadaver or only the third as mentioned above). It´s not less confusing knowing the fact that the "Discipline (2001)" album was recorded by the exact same lineup who also recorded "Necrosis". In addition to Neddo the lineup features Apollyon (Ole Jørgen Moe) on vocals (Dødheimsgard, Aura Noir, Infernö, Immortal...), Czral (Carl-Michael Eide) on drums (Dødheimsgard, Aura Noir, Ved Buens Ende, Virus, Infernö...), and L.J. Balvaz (Lasse Johansen) on bass (Disgusting, Braindead, Balvaz...).
The tone and atmosphere of the album is immediately set with album opener "Necro as Fuck". That title says a lot about what you can expect from the material featured on the 9 track, 34:53 minutes long album. Stylistically the music is slightly less blackened death metal than what the band played on "Discipline (2001)", but still blackened enough not to be labelled pure old school death metal. It´s raw, punishing, aggressive, and pretty surely produced to pulverize anything standing in it´s way, and for that purpose it works well. Frenetic and highly energetic playing, a snarling aggressive vocalist, and just general savage mayhem. This is not for the faint at heart. It´s the kind of album which never lets up. It´s relentlessly aggressive and there is next to nothing even resembling a melody here. When that is said, the band do occasionally shift pace, so there are some heavy parts featured on the album although most of the tracks are performed at breakneck speed.
"Necrosis" features a raw and organic sounding production, which suits the material well. A more polished production would have taken away some of the authentic rawness of the music. Upon conclusion "Necrosis" is a quality blackened death metal release by Cadaver. It´s a natural successor to "Discipline (2001)" (despite the whole name change thing I do consider the two albums to be released by the same band) and it´s fans of that album, more than fans of the first two Cadaver albums, who will find "Necrosis" most satisfying. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.