Review GRAND CADAVER ‘Deities of Deathlike Sleep’

Grand Cadaver, that’s a band, or is it a project, with roots in the pandemic. In a time, when things slowed down and the known made space for the unknown, five longtime friends from Sweden decided to make some music together. Mikael Stanne, Stefan Lagergren, Alex Stjernfeldt, Christian Jansson and Daniel Liljekvist founded Grand Cadaver. As the story of the five musicians indicates, the new outfit is into extreme metal too.

Within three days an EP was recorded in 2020 and with quite some positive response, Majestic Mountain Records released a physical format in 2021. Fired up by the feedback on the EP, Grand Cadaver started to wißork on a full-length album called ‘Into the Maw of Death’. The debut album was critically acclaimed and impressed media and fans equally.

This full-length premier wasn’t the end of the journey. It looks more like it was a beginning as the band launch their sophomore album ‘Deities of Deathlike Sleep’.

Although Mikael Stanne’s vocals are an important factor of the band, Grand Cadaver can’t and shouldn’t be compared with Dark Tranquillity not The Halo Effect. Grand Cavader is the mean little brother of some of these bands. Rude and raw, that is how the death metal sound of the five-piece powerhouse can be described.

One of the benefits the band has on their side is the flexibility and spontaneity. There are no drawing board sessions or detailed worked-out plans. What ended up on the album is built on the momentum and therefor sounds very dynamic and furious.

At the same time, ‘Deities of Deathlike Sleep’ comes with a great sound. Recorded at Welfate Sounds along with Per Stålberg, Kalle Lilja and Daniel ‘Dollars’ Deurell, the longplayer sounds raw and aggressive. This goes for the grinding riffs of ‘True Necrogeny’ as well as for the lightning ‘Vortex of Blood’. Furthermore there is the roaring title track with its vocal driven middle-section and ‘The Wishful Dead’ with an almost catchy resounding chorus. Last but least there is the pulverizing ‘Serrated Jaws’ with its very repetitive rhythm.

Each of the songs on ‘Deities of Deathlike Sleep’ is a great death metal anthem with strong oldschool vibe. Since the entire album at the same time is based on pure fun of some friends with the same passion for music, ‘Deities of Deathlike Sleep’ spreads an unforced heaviness that gives these 35 minutes a lot of authenticity.