UMUR "Deities of Deathlike Sleep" is the second full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Grand Cadaver. The album was released through Majestic Mountain Records in August 2023. It´s the succeessor to "Into The Maw Of Death" from October 2021.

Stylistically Grand Cadaver continue the old school Swedish death metal style of their previous releases, but they´ve added a few more melodic elements to the sound and a few more atmospheric sections have also found their way to the soundscape. When Grand Cadaver are most melodic they remind me quite a bit of contemporary At the Gates. It´s of course not surprising given the fact that Grand Cadaver comprise several Swedish death metal scene veterans including lead vocalist Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity, In Flames, The Halo Effect). So this is not melodeath, but instead old school Swedish death metal with melodic death metal elements. So if you can imagine how the bastard child of Bloodbath and contemporary At the Gates would sound like...you´re halfway there.

"Deities of Deathlike Sleep" features a well sounding production job, and not surprisingly Grand Cadaver are a well playing act and Stanne is arguably a great aggressive growling vocalist too. There´s nothing here you haven´t heard before and Grand Cadaver don´t write material which is anything out of the ordinary for the genre, but the album still comes across as highly professional and effectful. To my ears the more easily asseccible melodic moments bring some good variation to the songwriting, which the previous releases didn´t feature to the same extent. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Into The Maw Of Death" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Grand Cadaver. The album was released through Majestic Mountain Records in October 2021. Grand Cadaver formed in 2020 and comprise several veterans of the Swedish death metal scene including lead vocalist Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity, In Flames, The Halo Effect). It´s the follow-up release to the "Madness Comes" EP from February 2021. Some versions of "Into The Maw Of Death" features the four tracks from the "Madness Comes" EP as bonus material.

Stylistically Grand Cadaver play an old school Swedish death metal style which is both brutal, heavy, and sometimes a bit more melodic. This is not melodeath, but rather old school death metal with a melodic sensibility. Stanne has an edgy angry sounding growl, and the instrumental musicianship is on a high level on all posts. It´s easy to hear that these guys are seasoned veterans of the scene. They have the skills and the know-how in terms of effective songwriting.

What they lack though is curiosity and the burning ambition to achieve something extraordinary with their music, which young upcoming musicians often possess, and therefore the outcome may be professional, relatively memorable, well produced, and overall effectful, but it´s also very standard quality for a retro old school death metal release. It´s enjoyable and entertaining while it plays, but it is not a release begging for repeated plays. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Madness Comes" is an EP release by Swedish death metal act Grand Cadaver. The EP was released through Majestic Mountain Records in February 2021. It´s the band´s first release after forming in 2020. All members of the band are veterans of the Swedish death metal scene (lead vocalist Mikael Stanne is probably the most well known name) and Grand Cadaver are a retro old school death metal act just like fellow countrymen in Bloodbath and Death Breath.

The premise of scene veterans creating side-projects to play and compose the music of their youth is understandable and in the case of the material on "Madness Comes" also quite successful. This is old school Swedish death metal like your mother made it with both mid-paced brutal sections, and slower more heavy and doomy sections. Stanne is an aggressive and commanding growling vocalist and his vocal style perfectly suits the instrumental part of the music.

The sound production is both meaty, brutal, and powerful, and it´s a little more polished than what the music asks for, and a more filthy and organic sounding production would probably have suited the material better. When that is said this is still a very well sounding production. Upon conclusion Grand Cadaver have created a good quality old school death metal release, and although there´s nothing new here and it doesn´t exactly beat the early 90s classics of the genre, it´s an entertaining listen and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.