Cadaver

Death metal outfit Cadaver originated in the Norwegian locale of Fredrikstad during 1988, assembled by vocalist and drummer Ole Bejerkebakke alongside guitarist Anders Odden and bassist Rene Janssen. Their arrival preceded the notorious “inner circle” episodes in which fervent black metal figures carried out acts of arson and murder, as well as the broader black metal wave that fueled those events. The trio’s intricate yet conventional death metal approach echoed the style of English grindcore pioneers Carcass; guitarist Bill Steer encountered the band’s “Abnormal Deformity” demo and facilitated a recording agreement with Necrosis, an Earache Records subsidiary. Issued in 1990, the debut album Hallucinating Anxiety delivered an array of skillfully crafted, highly original death metal compositions—one track even incorporated tuba—while its unsettling artwork of decaying, maggot-ridden tissue satisfied every grindcore visual expectation. Shortly after the record’s appearance, Eilert Solstad stepped in for Janssen, introducing his distinctive double-bass technique to the already intense sound, and Espen Sollum joined on second guitar several months afterward. Cadaver issued its second full-length effort, In Pains, in 1992 with comparable strength, yet the group gradually faded from view over the ensuing years and never resurfaced. Nearly ten years later, however, guitarist Anders Odden resurfaced fronting a fresh endeavor titled Cadaver Inc.