May All Be Dead

Cadaver Disposal

Each time I fall upon a German Metal release I get pretty sure some delight […]
By Vladimir Leonov
August 26, 2013
Cadaver Disposal - May All Be Dead album cover

Each time I fall upon a German Metal release I get pretty sure some delight is on the way, as let alone a Death Metal band whose style -according to my concept- lays somewhere between old school Death and technical Death Metal. But what stands out for CADAVER DISPOSAL is mainly the ruthlessly ghoulish morose growls of Stefan Meyerhoff despite the "unclarity" of the lyrics. A plus is noted when he juggles his singing between pitched (with sonority) and unpitched performance, but he somehow manages to make you feel as if you were listening to a folk tale in "Neglected Bastard" A pack of ten tracks grounding on a solid double bass drum pedaling that led several unconventional time signature shifts such as in "Phobia", often enhancing the rhythm with thrashy beats, black metal-like drumming in "Contact", a folky cut rhythm in "Neglected Bastard" clearly similar to "Ruin" by Lamb Of God, blast beats, "Hymn To The Remains"'s drum intro or at best headbang passages from continuous snares and crushes / open hi-hats to discontinued bass drum pedals, something which created a diverse drumming enabling a reliable alternative when the guitar chords stagnate.

The guitar chords are well built and can barely be a bore for most of the times, if so the drum play just plays the trick and takes the relay. They are actually eligible to be compared with the murky OBSCURA style (a theory emphasized by the oriental scales used and their subtle shift), though they have as a plus the bouncing from open chords to thrashy palm-muted 8th or even 16th notes (sometimes both in a Rock style), often speeded to a tremolo at once. Some heavily contoured arpeggios or out-of-range bends come from here and there specially during instrumental headbang passages, but the most acclaimed stuff is the amazing over the top extreme tremolo bar in solos sometimes prolonged by an extensive tap or a wide vibrato (It indeed went further even to simulate an evil grin, police alarm sirens or meowing cats !), backed with a decent rhythm guitar and an overwhelming bass sound genuinely heavy and clear, that was of a major help in gluing the way different sounds of percussion and guitars owing to that killer rusty sound which effectively added its share of gloom and aggressiveness. A sudden bass cut is noticed in "Contact" as well as a bass intro in "Adipocere", further confirming the individualization of this instrument. Aside from it, weird elements (either synthesized or played on guitars) came to flavor the global atmosphere of horror and gloom, citing bullet-like chords, remember METALLICA's "One", alarm sirens (either played on guitar or real sounds), or a majestic thunder as a  cloture to the album.

A succulent pack, no doubt, yet the famous "could have done better" still resounds for a reason!

7 / 10

Good

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"May All Be Dead" Track-listing:

1. Desert Storm
2. Phobia
3. Contact
4. May All Be Dead
5. Art Of Genocide
6. Last Man Standing
7. Mental Disorder
8. Neglected Bastard
9. Adipocere
10. Hymn To The Remains

Cadaver Disposal Lineup:

Stefan Meyerhoff - Vocals
Dennis "Blaze" Baron - Guitars
Jörg Kuchenbecker - Bass
T.J. Anger - Drums

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