I usually get a little bit leary of when people hand me things to “check out” at a convention. Regardless of the material, I always manage to get to it, even when it takes months to happen. Such is the case with this album, CADAVEROUS PRESENCE, the 2008 release by Chicago’s Cardiac Arrest. The CD was given to me back in February by guitarist Tom Knizner. In one of the rare instances where I’ve actually enjoyed the almost-obligatory “intro” track on an album, “The Inevitable” is a crusty, instrumental behemoth of fuzzy guitars and brooding power that provides a working build-up to the machine-gun assault of the album’s title track.
The immediate reaction upon listening to the first few tracks was that Cardiac Arrest is bringing back a seriously old-school death metal vibe. The dueling-vocals harken back to songs like Brutal Truth’s “Birth of Ignorance” from their excellent 1992 release EXTREME CONDITIONS DEMAND EXTREME RESPONSES. Most of the “deeper” vox range from Glen Benton territory into an almost Six Feet Under/early Cannibal Corpse style, while the higher screams recall Seth Putnam’s A.C. shrieking.
Everything about this album is old-school, right down to the cover artwork that would feel right at home alongside Cannibal Corpse releases at the local record store (if you can still find one). Clocking in at nearly an hour in length, CADAVEROUS PRESENCE is modern nostalgia at it’s best, inspiring you to break out the early-mid 90’s death metal, all while looking forward to the next release from Cardiac Arrest, said to be titled HAVEN FOR THE INSANE, and set for release later this year.
Rating: 3.5/5
