Kadaver – Hypothermiasma – Fall of Nature Records – Cassette
– 2017.
A1 Torment Treatment.
A2 Popcorpse.
A3 Self Inflicted
Decapitation.
A4 Infantophile
Obstetrician.
B1 23 Shades of
Decomposition.
B2 Maruta.
B3 Pink Sabbath.
There seems to be a tendency of
late to operate well within the lower frequencies within the current Power
Electronics scene of late. Artists make entire albums of simmering broodiness,
loaded with personal vague content whilst experimenting with restraint in the
quieter depths of noise. When it’s done well (Shift, Stark, She Spread Sorrow)
it’s truly, impressively great. However when it’s not done so well, it’s
straight on the discogs for sale list to hopefully gain some financial
compensation for what just happened to my ears.
Thankfully Kadaver seems unaware
of this style and exists completely at the opposite end of the spectrum. I
didn’t know what had hit me as Hypothermiasma began on the headphones with a complete
hellish assault of screaming, rumbling noise. There is violent digital assault
on Popcorpse, I’ve heard a lot of tedious techno assault noise of late, but
this carves up harsh sounds and creates a rhythm through reassembled sounds put
into a rhythmic pattern. Digital cut up used to impressive effect occurs
several times across the album.
There are parts that appear to be
harsh noise walls but are further violent assaults of sound with some good
layering, particularly on Self Inflicted Decapitation. Samples are used in several parts to build urgency
before an attack of sound kicks in and they all link to each other well.
This is an album of
experimentation that yields plenty of results, 23 Shades of Decomposition slows
things down into a bizarre, warped sermon of decomposition. This track is then
obscured by concise overlapping of harsh frequencies that allows parts of the
sermon to glimpse through. Maruta continues this method, but is determined to
outdo previous tracks where insanity and violence are concerned. It makes effective
use of terrified screams, echoes, reduction and reintroduction of elements. The
methods of experimentation do shift a lot, delivering a range of work that
totally disallows any formula to take precedence.
I approached Kadaver thinking it
would be one style of noise – as visually it seems to present as a straight Death
Industrial project. It isn’t, there’s aspects of lots of things like laptop
noise, Power Electronics, Industrial, American style Noise and Death Industrial
amongst many, but they are all cleverly dismantled and put together as
something else. I believe this to be complimented by a good shit filter and
creative use of reassembly. It knows when to pull back, but manages to consistently
keep things interesting. I am left curious, is the rest of the discography this
good, is this album the best? I don’t know, but I am keen to find out more
about Kadaver. This along with Stark’s ‘Hyena’ is my favourite release of 2017
so far.
Choppy Noodles 2017
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