CADAVER SHRINE is the work of Maurice de Jong, insanely prolific mainman of Gnaw Their Tongues, De Magia Veterum, Cloak of Altering, Hagetisse, Golden Ashes, and countless others. CHAOS has recently worked with de Jong’s doom-death band THE SOMBRE on two albums, and now turn their attention to another deathly entity of his: CADAVER SHRINE. Born out of the love for ancient Metal of Death as well as doom, CADAVER SHRINE are indeed putrefied, reeking of the same eternal rot of classic Bolt Thrower, Autopsy, and other more underground-entrenched entities. Having released a two-song digital demo during October 2022, CADAVER SHRINE rises from the rotting soil with their debut album, Benighted Desecration. Hulking and unremittingly heavy, Benighted Desecration rolls forward with the ominous intent of a tank; riffs crush bones, and the eerie twist of melody coursing through them adds an exquisite touch of doom. But, like THE SOMBRE’s iteration of doom-death is a twisted one, so is CADAVER SHRINE’s death metal: bouts of bestial speed crop up, sometimes jarringly/unsettlingly, and many moments of deathcrush are held longer for maximum hypnotic effect. However, the all-encompassing atmosphere of the album is one of putridity, its production tar-thick and sweltering. Maniacs for old-school death metal and doomed death as well as modern practitioners of such like Spectral Voice, Grave Upheaval, and Encoffination are hereby commanded to enter CADAVER SHRINE’s Benighted Desecration.
