Now, in the interest of full disclosure, our past histories do, in fact, influence what appeals to the inner music critic in all of us. And, with me, having worked in a military environment where the focus was bringing living death to currently breathing human beings, this style of music is hardly something I can’t handle. Horror metal is certainly not the worst horror I’ve experienced, not even remotely. In fact, we used music like this for, er, motivation, on occasion. And I actually enjoyed it, the music that is. Of course, there were other influences that may have impacted that level of appreciation for other participants.

I’ve been listening to Cadaveria for some time now, have several of the Opera IX products and like to listen to them regularly. Opera IX was the band Cadaveria worked with before developing the current group back in 2001. Of course, there are other bands with similar sounds, just not many who feature a female death vocal. This is the fourth major release for the band and I can’t honestly say I’m all that up to date on the rest. However, reading the reviews of this product would suggest that this release doesn’t break startling new ground. But then, what were they expecting, Therion with full symphony orchestras supporting male and female opera singers? I know enough about the band to know that this has some relatively new directions, if only in the use of clean vocals by one of the premier death metal vocalists around. And, she really sounds pretty good there. Of course, the truly interesting perspective is the playoff of the clean vocals against the harsh death metal vocals, not something you hear every day, especially by the same vocalist.

I don’t have a lot to point to in order to acquaint you with the material. There’s this little promo shot but this is pretty campy, with no real introduction to the material. However, let me give you this to provide a little "introduction" to the sound and feel as we say in the multimedia business. From a previous effort but you get the point. And the point is that you get some pretty decent metal, the band is a long way from amateurs. Just expect some different vocal styles in this new production.

I think one of the things that really turned me on to the Opera IX work was the lyrics. They were solid, as good as you’re going to get, and produced by an Italian in English, not a minor accomplishment. I mean, show me a rapper who can write lyrics with words beyond 4 letters and I’ll show you a failed rapper. I’ll certainly want to focus a little on some of those lyrics shortly; they are a highlight of the material and, IMO, some of the best around. Cadaveria was kind enough to send me the package. Funny thing with musicians who produce this kind of work, they tend to be some real sweethearts, really ruins the image assuming you require that continuity.

Anyway, back to the music, there are some themes that prove interesting. For one thing, the music does go in different directions. And, as I mentioned above, the background instrumental is quite good, solid guitars, drums and some keyboard work that often provides that "horror" component. And there is some solid production work, you get some almost classical influences, especially on tracks like The Oracle (of the fog) where our dark vocalist does some truly nice clean vocals over keyboard sounds that almost sound choral in nature. Maybe there is some Therion here. She has a nice clean vocal, good range, an emotive quality that she uses to good effect, and, when handled properly by the technicians, we get something no one would have expected back in her Opera IX days. Of course, innovation is a good thing, and the ability to take things in new directions only increases the attraction.

I should point out that we have an interesting interview with Cadaveria here on the Zine from back in 2007. Worth the read, this is a truly interesting lady, and a lady who clearly has some well thought out opinions on a variety of subjects. And you get this depth of thinking in both the music and the lyrics. This is especially clear on tracks like This is Not the Silence where the vocalist shifts effortlessly between those clean and harsh vocals while commenting on concerns beyond the grasp of the rap community. The music is driven by a throbbing guitar over a solid drum line, these guys do know there way around a metal sound. There’s a trace of the keyboard sound, not overwhelming, this ain’t Epica, doncha know. But, you could argue that the lyrics are closer than what we might expect from this style of death metal:

The music can only be described as solid metal, and, in this case, with vocals that can appeal to a broader range of listeners than what we’d get with the more traditional death metal.

Other sounds go in directions that approach the beautiful, if in a "horror" kind of way. Hey, even the average Dracula movie had its nice musical interludes. But, Assassin seems to have a relatively soothing, if disturbing, tone. And, it delivers that dark message that is at the core of the Cadaveria sound:

Interestingly enough, the song concludes with a touching piano that provides a psychologically jarring completion to the material.

Requiem is another one of these that takes us to multiple locations with a variety of musical and lyrical tricks. The song begins with the trademark death vocals over some musically interesting background sounds. A little more symphonic here, the keyboards seem to earn their pay on this one. But Cadaveria has thoughts here, certainly not mainstream but that’s not the intent:

The song concludes with what has to be a children’s choir, singing in either Latin or Italian, I’m not sure, but providing an otherworldly sound that sets the music to a "horror" filled conclusion. Yup, ya just don’t get this in Country / Western.

Hypnotic Psychosis brings the CD to a conclusion and brings a smile to the face of this old shrink. I can’t ever remember hearing a better interpretation of the concept, and I’ve been in some really strange environments. You get the best metal on the CD here, killer guitars and some additional background material, probably keyboard produced. Cadaveria does her best vocal work here, using a couple straight vocal styles in combination with the standard death vocal. And we get straight to the rubber room motif:

Wilhelm Reich couldn’t have said it better.

Well, like I said, maybe not for everyone, your parents, to say nothing of your boss, may send you immediately out for confession should they hear it even slightly. But, for those of us who appreciate the doom metal, the death metal and their related sounds, this is satisfying material. Just don’t take it to church with you, unless you’re into some really interesting religions.

9 / 10