Swedish death metal group Grand Cadaver is a brand-new constellation consisting of past and present members of renowned acts such as Katatonia, Treblinka, and Dark Tranquility. This four track EP of theirs appropriately entitled Madness Comes is quite the lethal little fucker.
The four compositions that constitute the EP are raw and unpolished affairs that will take you back to the early/mid 90s classic death metal scene in Sweden, but their wicked sense of groove and swagger makes them practically timeless. They sound refreshingly honest, authentic, and catchy above all else.
The EP might come across as a bit of a throwback to the days of old, but yours truly find such dark and rumbling hymns as the title track and ‘Fields of the Undying‘ irresistible and a hugely enjoyable listen. There are hardly any riffs or ideas that seem superfluous or without purpose here and the output is pretty much a no frills metal onslaught capable of melting your brain while simultaneously making sure that your lousy neighbor will file a noise complaint against you. Plenty of thrash metal influences sneak into the picture too, and emphasize the retro-feeling of the music while also adding a sharp edge to the proceedings –- very cool indeed!
Everything is rather straightforward here and Madness Comes offers neither any surprises nor anything musically innovative as such, but it does come across as a true labor of love to these ears and one gets the impression that this is all about a handful of skilled musicians getting together and having a blast jamming out instantly memorable old-school metal, filled with crushing riff and rotten vocals. The EP is easy to digest, and all you lovers of savage and intense death metal from what seems like a bygone age out there ought to invest your time and money in this ugly thing. It is rich in atmosphere and packed to the rafters with monstrous riffs.
Madness Comes will be released on 12 February via Majestic Mountain Records
