Proudly raising the flag of Stoner Metal high in their beautiful homeland, this Danish power trio delivers a catchy, raw and filthy album inspired by the amazing Hard Rock and Heavy Metal of the 70’s.
Old school proto-metal guitar and gritty, distorted bass combine with fat, organic drums to concoct an evil gumbo of dirty 70’s-inspired stoner riffs, topped off with a few pinches of catchy doom grooves that is bound to fill that empty hole in your stomach. If none of that makes sense to you, it’s because you don’t know Danish Stoner Rock/Metal power trio Stone Cadaver, a band formed in 2013 in the city of Aarhus, Denmark that’s all about heavy and groovy Stoner Metal set within a compositional framework inspired by the Hard Rock and early metal of the 1970’s. Mixing the likes of Pentagram, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Electric Wizard in their music, the power trio comprised of lead singer and guitarist Anders Bech Nielsen, bassist Andreas Slocinski and drummer Jesper Hauptmann Christensen has finally released their debut album, entitled Reject Remove Replace, an album that was, for all intents and purposes, recorded live in the studio, beautifully crystallizing the band’s raw and filthy sound.
As a whole, Reject Remove Replace comprises the band’s most focused material to date, as explained by Anders. “We have tried to create an album like in the old days. You know, one that you’ll want to listen to from beginning to end. In this regard, you could call it a concept album, the concept being a unified, musical whole.” Despite not being a regular concept album like what several other bands usually do, what Anders says about Reject Remove Replace somehow makes sense, because instead of telling the story of a battle, a specific moment in the history of mankind or a fantasy story based on a book, Stone Cadaver tell the story of the album itself through their music. And if not even after reading all this you have any idea of what Stone Cadaver are, simply listen to the music found in Reject Remove Replace and take your own conclusions about the band and their acid musicality.
The initial riff by Anders in the opening track, titled Sscum, sets the tone for the entire album, being sluggish, dirty and raw. It takes us on a journey back to the 70’s, with Jesper delivering precise heavy beats during the whole song, while its lyrics are as demented as possible (“Misguided cause / On a course to nowhere / The snapping jaws / Of a beast with walleyed stare / You wear the signs / Of genocide and minds’ decay / The six straight lines / You’re so eager to display”). In We Need Your Fucking Blood, Andreas begins smashing his bass mercilessly, emanating a rumbling metallic sound, before the music evolves to a potent blend of Stoner Metal and Rock N’ Roll also presenting soulful guitar solos and a thunderous atmosphere. Moreover, Anders not only kicks ass with his crude riffs, but he also thrives with his psychedelic vocal lines.
Suffer The Scorn brings forward more whimsical words by Stone Cadaver (“The problem is you seem to forget / That time is what you make of it / It’s possible to carve it up / And take command to an extent / But it’s not your fault / Life’s so tough, you can’t help it / To reverse the failure / All I have to do is break the mould”), enhanced by the song’s headbanging, pounding rhythm led by Jesper, while Anders and Andreas keep slashing their strings beautifully. Then we have the instrumental bridge Ruins In The Sand, where acoustic guitars and sharp bass lines warm up the listener for the rockin’ anthem Hands Of Death, with the power trio being simply on fire, blasting cutting riffs and solos, low-tuned bass punches and intricate beats nonstop. Furthermore, the level of acidity and progressiveness in this composition is way above average, with Stone Cadaver providing all that’s needed to break your fuckin’ neck into tiny pieces.
And they still have a lot of Rock N’ Roll fuel to burn, offering the listener more of their piercing Stoner Rock and Metal in Removal Of The Eye, showcasing a high-speed musicality led by Jesper and his unstoppable beats, while Anders and Andreas give a lesson in lunatic guitar and bass sounds. And lastly, Dead Horses (pts. I & II), the longest of all tracks, brings the spirit of a mighty horse inside it,sounding almost tribal at times, with its primeval aura together with the old school Stoner Rock by Stone Cadaver making the whole musical voyage even more interesting. As if the journey wasn’t already crazy enough, the song’s last two and a half minutes are simply a smooth, psychedelic amalgamation of bass and guitar sounds, taking the listener to a different dimension.
Not even the way Stone Cadaver name their instruments is ordinary. Anders is responsible for the “6-String Demonic Vocalizer”, Andreas Slocinski takes care of the “4-String Detuned Low-End Slaughter”, and Jesper is the man behind the “Tactical Assault Battery”, which connects to how crude and visceral their music sounds. If you like to explore the rough grounds of Stoner Metal, Stone Cadaver and their Reject Remove Replace are a highly recommended option, and you can get more details on the band through their Facebook page, listen to their music on YouTube or on Spotify, and grab your copy of the album through their BandCamp page, Record Heaven, Kicktrack Music Store, iTunes or Amazon. And then you might finally understand the purpose of the music by Stone Cadaver, who are definitely raising the flag of Stoner Metal and Rock high in their beautiful homeland.
Best moments of the album: We Need Your Fucking Blood, Hands Of Death and Removal Of The Eye.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2017 LongLife Records
Track listing
1. Sscum 5:37
2. We Need Your Fucking Blood 6:48
3. Suffer The Scorn 5:16
4. Ruins In The Sand 1:53
5. Hands Of Death 6:32
6. Removal Of The Eye 4:32
7. Dead Horses (pts. I & II) 8:45
Band members
Anders Bech Nielsen – vocals, guitar
Andreas Slocinski – bass
Jesper Hauptmann – drums
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