Kadavar - Kadavar

I wasn't sure what to expect from the debut album of this young-looking Italian death metal band, but what I got was a pleasant surprise! This is no 'sub-myspace, low-budget blast-fest' but a very slick, dark and heavy death metal album, with a very polished production. Fans of the older-style bands should find a lot to like on this 9-track opus; a whole heap of crushing, heavy riffs, some excellent and very accomplished soaring guitar solos, a touch of doom-laden atmospheric keyboards on one or two songs, and some great song-writing (yes - actual songs!). Musically it reminds me a lot of some of the classic Swedish bands - in particular Dismember and Grave, the songs often concentrating more on heaviness and intensity rather than blinding speed. I also detect a huge Carcass influence - not least because of the dual vocal delivery (one gruff, the other more throaty), and the sweeping guitar solos - they've been listening to 'Heartwork' a lot I think! The end of the album is finished off nicely by an atmospheric instrumental, which is something you don't tend to hear that many bands doing these days.