Old school death metal (or OSDM) has been all the rage for the last few years. Initially, I welcomed this revival with open arms. I never cared for the pig squeals, gravity blasts, and chug riffing that came to define death metal from the mid 90s onwards. It was a breath of fresh air to hear bands going back to basics, imitating the legends of the late 80s and early 90s. But as time went on, imitation became plagiarism and originality gave way to redundancy. Some of the bands I enjoyed a couple years ago have grown stale. Molder hasn’t.
I’ve been hooked on these guys ever since their debut demo, An Act of Revenge (2018). If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought it was an unearthed demo tape from 1989. On their second demo, Necrobiome (2019), they sounded even more primal. Now, in 2020, Molder unleashes an arsenal of riffs, filth, and death on their debut full length, Vanished Cadavers. It consists of five brand new songs, five songs that appeared on previous demos, and a cover of the classic Asphyx song, “Serenade in Lead”.
Vanished Cadavers opens with my favorite Molder song, “Granulated Chunks”. The intro is the best riff Iommi never wrote for Born Again (1983). It’s so catchy, I had to start the song over five times before going on to review the rest of the album. I dare you to find a catchier riff from the last five years. After the intro, the song goes into a nasty, mid paced, thrashy death metal sound with a dose of d-beat for good measure. It lays down the groundwork for the remainder of the album.
The next song is another previously released track, “The Sweet Taste of Death”. Both of these re-recordings sound heavier than the original versions. The same can be said about the other re-recordings: “Necrobiome”, “God’s Critters”, and the song that started it all, “An Act of Revenge”. This new version is complete with an intro sample from I Spit on Your Grave (1978) and guest vocals from death metal legend, Mike Perun of Cianide. If Molder’s mission was to create a song as violent as the movie it’s based on, mission accomplished.
The two new songs that grab me the most are the title track and “Feasting on Dirt”. Both remind me of different Florida death metal titans. “Vanished Cadavers” wouldn’t sound out of place on Cause of Death (1990) by Obituary. Meanwhile, “Feasting on Dirt” has me screaming bloody mold! This is the type of song Chuck Schuldiner would disown writing come the late 90s.* In other words, it rules.
Molder is not afraid to pay respect to their elders. At their first show, they covered “Piranha” by Exodus. On their split with Coffin Rot, they covered “Repulsive Death” by Morgue. Vanished Cadavers continues this tradition with their finest cover yet, “Serenade in Lead” by Asphyx. It’s not a copy/paste cover, but it doesn’t stray from the spirit of the original either. This should be the golden standard for death metal covers.
I cannot applaud Aaren Pantke’s vocals enough. He’s always been able to hit those blood curdling Chris Reifert gutturals, but on Vanished Cadavers, he sounds stronger and more controlled than ever before. The band as a unit is tighter than a noose. Their latest addition, drummer Kyle Pooley, is right at home alongside the thundering bass of Dom “Pall Bearer” Vaia. Vaia evokes the same energy on record as he does live. One would think he’s the offspring of Gene Simmons and Cronos. You’d think correctly. Of course, the highlight of this album is the endless brigade of riffs. Pantke deals in riffs the way Rambo deals in death.
Molder gets more proficient and heavier with each release. Vanished Cadavers is their heaviest yet. It’s a knife in the skull of every PacSun clad trend hopper who just discovered Entombed last week. If you’re worried about the future of death metal, don’t be. The future is in good hands…the good, bloodied, bruised hands of three freaks from Joliet, Illinois.
* = If you like Death’s prog era, more power to you. For me, only the first three albums are real.
8 out of 10
Label: Headsplit Records
Genre: Death Metal
For fans of: Autopsy, Death, Obituary