Album Review: Waking The Cadaver – Authority Through Intimidation (Unique Leader Records)

Waking the Cadaver are an American death metal band from Jersey Shore, New Jersey, formed in 2006. The quartet grew to become one of the most exciting bands in the US underground, touring with the likes of Napalm Death and Immolation, and releasing three albums within a six-year span; Perverse Recollections of a Necromangler (2007), Beyond Cops, Beyond God (2010) and Real-Life Death (2013). Their live shows became somewhat legendary for their brutality and power.

Following a huge tour in 2013 with Dying Fetus, Exhumed, and Abiotic, Waking the Cadaver went on hiatus, but returned in 2018 with fresh sound and new line-up, with only vocalist Don Campan and guitarist Michael Mayo remaining. Now signed to Unique Leader Records and armed with their phenomenal new album Authority Through Intimidation, Waking the Cadaver are ready to reclaim their crowns as the kingpins of death.

Guitarist Mike Mayo commented on the new album:

I believe Authority Through Intimidation is the definitive Waking the Cadaver album. Our mission statement for writing it was SLAMMING GORE GROOVE. That’s been our slogan since the beginning and I think this collection of songs exemplifies its meaning more than any of our previous albums. We really wanted to level up the technicality and song writing of Real-Life Death, while also having more nods to our first album Perverse Recollections of a Necromangler. I think we succeeded in doing just that. Listeners will be able to hear our love for bands like Dying Fetus, Last Days of Humanity, and Disgorge, as well as our love for early Hatebreed and All Out War.

An album jam-packed with slamming death groove, Authority Through Intimidation is a destructive and belligerent blast of heavy noise. Combining the dirty and filthy sounds of grind with the speed of old-school American death metal and sprinkling in their own penchant for savagery.

Short, sharp and very painful… Authority Through Intimidation has 8-tracks and Waking the Cadaver keep it consistently ruthless from beginning to end. There’s not a lot to say to sell this to you. Having made their comeback in 2018, Waking the Cadaver have been raging, spitting and snarling ever since, and Authority Through Intimidation is just the next stage of that.

The crushing heaviness of the riffs, the slamming groove of the percussion, the squealing and guttural vocals… it’s a blend that never gets old. Authority Through Intimidation is an album to make your step that little bit more intense. An album to make you gurn and dream of tearing shit up in the nearest pit.

Long may this revival of the Cadaver continue when we’re getting such aggressive releases as this.

Waking the Cadaver – Authority Through Intimidation Full Track Listing:

1. Civic Assault
2. Corpse Decomposition
3. Human Chop Shop
4. Frenzied Vehicular Rampage
5. Arbiter of Punishment
6. Threaten Physical Force
7. Asphyxiating Ligature
8. Authoritative Aggressor

Links

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