Nine tracks of sleazy Black/Death Metal, drawing heavily from the heavyweights of the Greek scene and marrying it with the brutality of Bestial Warlust and Beherit. The sound here is truly analog, and forget about any technological aids in the production. This is purest form, underground Devil Metal. 99% of metalheads will hate this album. And that's a good thing.
Armed with the purest manifestation of nihil and weaponizing it unto propagandic spouting of apocalyptic genocidal ruin upon all mankind Kraków, Poland-based black/death metal trio CADAVERIC POSSESSION return for a fourth full-length album once again invigorated by the most classic forms of extreme metal within the melee of the 80’s. That is to say that ‘The Rhythmic Execration of Existence‘ once again leads with the cruel action behold to the bands riff-driven, tightly spun roots. The resulting offense is an act of physical battery, mayhemic movements delivered in ranting and slurring rhythmic thrust as the troupe reinforce their three-pronged signature sound with another fine chunk of bestial-black gestalt.
Cadaveric Possession formed as a duo circa 2017 by way of drummer Ketzer (Nekrape) and guitarist, vocalist, bassist Slav (Aragon, ex-Immemorial Celtic Wind) as a coalition set to enforce primitive black metal traits be they war-bound whipping (Blasphemy, earliest Beherit), first-cult conjured magickry (Varathron, Necromantia) and/or the rhythmic volatility which’d conceived each (Hellhammer, Sarcófago) and the result has been underground ‘old school’ black metal attacks since. You’ll get the idea what they’re all about via just one song from their first demo tape (‘Sanctity Collapsed‘, 2017) but it was their debut LP (‘The Malevolent Predestination‘, 2018) that’d spoken loudest to me for its noisome strangulation of the Athenian gait. The point where it was most clear who these folks were was arguably their second full-length ‘Vortex of Undying Hatred‘ (2022) as it best sums their original intent while putting the pieces together in mostly sensical order, bearing that crumbling late 80’s bash to its rhythms throughout. There you’ll get a clear idea of how those classic forms are seated together and the two albums beyond that point, including this new one, have found their own fire through unruly iteration.
Much in the same way ‘Morbid Tales‘-era Celtic Frost interpreted heavy metal into jutting, angular plod so does Cadaveric Possession heave their way into ‘The Rhythmic Execration of Existence‘ with slo-mo hardcore punk structure given to glassy, neck pickup thrumming guitar tone and percussive repetition. Opener “Intro/Erasing the Filth of Life” is very much in the spirit of 80’s extreme metal in this sense, driven by trailing but taut riffcraft and tightly synchronized instrumental march. That feeling of menacing arrival only just prepares the mind for harder struck havoc as “The Holocaustic Pulse” reveals more tremolo’d single guitar riffs and a truly mean battery set atop the action, almost sounding like an old crossover/grindcore troupe in their slap through these slugged and hammered movements. To my ear the first few songs on Side A have more of a late 80’s death metal twinge to their structure beyond the swarming blackened rant presented, in this way they’re leaning more ‘The Lady Rides a Black Horse‘ and less ‘Circle of the Seven Infernal Pacts‘ in terms of general rhythmic shapes.
The inspiring peak of the full listen hits between the slower-stomping punt of “The Abyssic Entity” and its direct companion piece “The Apocalyptic Vengeance” where we find the most direct tribute to 90’s Varathron on the album around ~42 seconds in, probably the biggest brain-worming riff on the record for my own taste and one that evolves within the song’s otherwise bestially rambling second half. This was the peak of the spin and where I’d felt Cadaveric Possession have improved most beyond the previous album in terms of developing sublimely ugly and retching slow-to-mid paced movement, generally recalling all that I’d liked about their debut LP. Beyond that point the rotten thrashing trills and slow-pummeled blast n’ roll-out of “Erase the Seraphic Presence” is one of the more slick and simple pieces on the full listen, the kind of song I’d generally want to experience live and (again) for the sake of the interplay between Ketzer‘s unholy kit work and the riffs themselves.
You’ve gotten the damned point by now that this record will likely stoke the minds of folks prone to follow the riff down its morbid trail, the voice and the vigor of Cadaveric Possession‘s work finds all roads leading back to the riff and as such ‘The Rhythmic Execration of Existence‘ is my kind of ‘old school’ black/death metal record where we hear the bones of 80’s extreme metal behind every last strike. The whole deal is a contained rant, songs built with a singular flow of menace in mind, yet doesn’t lack the dynamic of bestial, raw and austere movement at the heart of the trio’s established signature. Per my experience the full listen was easily grasped but a pleasure to return to thanks to the focus on the riff and an authentic stripped-to-bones sound. A high recommendation.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=t1Lx2yNyjoU&t=592s
