Deceased – Cadaver Traditions

album by:
Deceased

Reviewed by:
Rating:
2
On 2 October 2015
Last modified:7 October 2015

Summary:

King Fowley and his partners in Deceased crime scream, wail, divebomb, groove, thrash, and stab their way through 53 cover tunes on this 2CD set, titled Cadaver Traditions.

Deceased - Cadaver Traditions - album cover art

For Arlington, Virginia band Deceased‘s devotees and collectors, the new 2 CD set, Cadaver Traditions, is a treasure trove of uncommonly-heard cover songs. Featuring 53, yes 53! full length songs, this set incorporates 2 albums of Deceased’s which were out of print, plus a collection of 17 previously-unreleased tunes. The included older albums are 2002’s Zombie Hymns and 2004’s Rotten to the Core.

The songs are short, and the listening experience goes by quickly. Many genres are covered, from death metal, to hardcore, to punk, to classic rock. Songs seem to be well chosen for genre, tempo, and flow. The band also knows their speed limit, and wisely plays under it, delivering deviously good musicianship. Deceased are a fantastic live band, rightful underground kings, pandering to nobody. With that in mind, pick your favorite tune or tunes from Cadaver Traditions‘s list, and blast away. Featuring the ferocious, emotive screams, growls, howls, grunts, and shouts of King Fowley, the songs maintain a pattern and flow. Fowley’s partners in crime wail, divebomb, groove, thrash, and stab their way through a crowded soundspace.

Three highlight tunes are “Right Brigade” (a Bad Brains cover), which has a great midtempo headbanging breakdown midway through, plus a ripping guitar solo. “Doomed By The Living Dead” (a Mercyful Fate cover) has three motif morphs, and is an interesting listen and choice to include. It also had the most presentable mix. “SATO” (an Ozzy Osbourne cover) is melodic and mid-paced, with vocals deliberately a little left of center.

Depending on your point of view, Cadaver Traditions either sounds like a cool mixtape, or a very poorly mastered mishmash of tunes with no EQ. If someone made this for you as a free ‘get into this band’ type compilation, the obvious and plentiful mix, volume, master, and level issues would not matter. The same ‘issue disregard’ goes for a hardcore Deceased collector who wants it all. If you’re looking to pay for contemporary audio quality, this set will not work at all; some tunes sound inferior to smartphone recordings. If you’re willing to overlook the sound flaws for collection or archival purposes, or you like a raw garage-sounding mix, then go for it.

Track listing:

Disc 1
Black Metal (Venom cover)
Deathrider (Anthrax cover)
Corporate Death Burger (MDC cover)
Dis-Organ-Ized (Impetigo cover)
Right Brigade (Bad Brains cover)
VoiVod (VoiVod cover)
Doomed By The Living Dead (Mercyful Fate cover)
California Uber Alles (Dead Kennedys cover)
Wrathchild (Iron Maiden cover)
Here To Stay (Sheer Terror cover)
Headhunter (Krokus cover)
SATO (Ozzy Osbourne cover)
Do Or Die (Znöwhite cover)
Violent World (45 Grave cover)
World Peace (Cro-Mags cover)
Eliminator (Agnostic Front cover)
Die By The Sword (Slayer cover)
Witching Metal (Sodom cover)
Social Security (Excel cover)
Violence And Force (Exciter cover)
The KKK Took My Baby Away (Ramones cover)
No Compromise (Xentrix cover)
Chemical Warfare (Slayer cover)
Bodies (Sex Pistols cover)
Not To Touch The Earth (The Doors cover)
Reaganomics (D.R.I. cover)
Torn apart by werewolves (Deceased )

Disc 2
Mad Man (D.R.I. cover)
Fire In The Sky (Saxon cover)
2 Minutes To Midnight (Iron Maiden cover)
Die Hard (Venom cover)
V.A. Rocks Your Liver (Verbal Abuse cover)
Blower (Voivod cover)
Wiped Out (Raven cover)
Stay Clean (Motörhead cover)
Tormentor (Kreator cover)
Nuns Have No Fun (Mercyful Fate cover)
Agents Of Steel (Agent Steel cover)
State Oppression (Raw Power cover)
Bombs Of Death (Hirax cover)
New Age Of Total Warfare (Warfare cover)
Metal Church (Metal Church cover)
Subliminal (Suicidal Tendencies cover)
Zombie Attack (Tankard cover)
You Stupid Jerk (Angry Samoans cover)
I’m Not Jesus (Ramones cover)
Nothing (Plasmatics cover)
Iron Heads (Running Wild cover)
Stand Up And Shout (Dio cover)
False Profit (English Dogs cover)
Ultra Violent (N.O.T.A. cover)
The Ballad of Harry Warden (My Bloody Valentine soundtrack cover)
Luck of the Corpse (Deceased)

Band lineup (one of them):
King Fowley – vocals/drums
Mike Smith – guitars
Shane Fuegel – guitars
Les Snyder – bass

Link:
Official Band Website

 

King Fowley and his partners in Deceased crime scream, wail, divebomb, groove, thrash, and stab their way through 53 cover tunes on this 2CD set, titled Cadaver Traditions.

About Iris North

My formal position is: editor and music reviewer. I joined the PlanetMosh army in 2012. I enjoy extreme metal, 'shred' guitar, hard rock, prog rock, punk, and... silly pop music!