CADAVER were formed in 1988, and they are from Frederikstad, Norway. The Black/Death Metal band was active, inactive, and split several times, but they remain active since 2010. So far, they released one EP, one live album, and six full-length albums. “Hymns Of Misanthropy” is their seventh release, and it has a length of about 43 minutes. The album was released via French label Listenable Records, which has many Black, Death, and Thrash Metal bands among their current roster. The first track of the album is “Maltreated Mind Makes Man Panic”. It is a mid-tempo track with powerful guitar riffing, which sounds slightly atmospheric and has a few progressive inspirations. The vocals are growls and vary around the medium end of the guttural range with little shifts in either direction. The longer the track goes on, the more atmospheric patterns are introduced.  It is a relatively short opening track. “Maltreated Mind Makes Man Panic” was released as lyric video, and the YouTube link is provided below. “Chained To His Fate” is more direct and aggressive compared to the opener. After a mid-tempo, guitar-driven introduction, the track becomes frantic with punishing guitar riffing at blistering pace for the verse parts. There are twists and turns in tempo and rhythm throughout, however, the track is mainly fast one. The break includes a contributing lead guitar solo, which adds an extra layer to the track.

“Nowhere To Hide” is another mid-tempo track and the guitar riffing is accompanied by crunching basslines. The riffing and the overall sound have many progressive influences, and at times, I was reminded on the early 80s period of VOIVOD. There are many twists and breaks in rhythm during the three minutes playing time. “Sunset To Dawn” continues with the progressive Black Metal sound. The guitar riffing is a bit more atmospheric, but also tight. The vocals follow the melodies during the first part of the track. While the break leads to an excellent lead guitar solo, the part afterwards raises tempo, and the sound becomes more progressive. “From The Past” seamlessly continues with the sound of the previous track. After an extended instrumental introduction, the riffing during the verse parts is tight and direct. It is a mid-tempo track with a few down-tempo parts in-between. Highlight of the track is the break with the contributing lead guitar solo. “Breaking Through” starts with an instrumental part, driven by the guitars and crushing basslines, leading into the verse part at a measured tempo. The guitar riffing is technical and playful. After the verse part, the pace of the track raises and there are some shifts between blast-beat supported parts at crazy pace and parts at mid-tempo. “Breaking Through” is a track of structural complexity and at times, guitars and bass seem to be disconnected. The sound has many progressive patterns, like that of the previous tracks. “Misanthropic Anthem” has a frantic start, and the track goes right into the verse part at fast pace. The guitar riffing is punishing, and the drumming is relentless. Once again, the tempo and rhythm of the track changes several times, and so does the sound of the track. There are some familiar progressive parts as well as some crushing Death Metal inspired parts with spine-chilling melodies.

“Death Has To Wait” is a mixture of pummeling fast parts and down-tempo parts. While the hammering is mainly during the verse parts, the slower and darker parts of the track relate to the choruses and the break. There are many rhythm breaks throughout the track, leading to textural complexity. The guitar riffing is progressive at times with quite a few repeats. “Through The Pain” starts with a mid-tempo verse part and powerful and tight guitar riffing. It is a more direct song with twists kept to a minimum. The melodic framework is bone-chilling. Highlight is the break with another cool lead guitar solo. The album closes with “Drowned In Dreams” and the track starts with a guitar-driven instrumental part. The track undergoes many twists in tempo and rhythm with guitar riffing that has complex patterns at times. The progressive vibes are at full swing for a last time driven by the riffs and the strong basslines. All is kept together by a very comprehensive drumming. “Drowned In Dreams” sums up the album sound and is a good way to finish it off.

CADAVER deliver an album, which is a mixture of several genres like Black Metal, Death Metal, and Thrash Metal. All is kept together by the overarching progressive sound. While most of the songs have many complex patterns in their song structures, the overall sound of the album is quite similar. In particular, the atmospheric and progressive parts sound familiar across the tracks. One of the album highlights is the comprehensive drumming on every track. The album is well produced. “Hymns Of Misanthropy” will have its share of fans, especially those who like it progressive Black.