Review: “The Rot Beneath” by Grand Cadaver

“When you look at the state of the world today, it’s difficult not to feel despair. We see madness, death, war, corruption and polarisation. And it makes you think, what are we if not the cause of the problem, what are we but the rot beneath? This is the anthem to mankind’s demise.” ~ Grand Cadaver

A band who should really need no introduction, Grand Cadaver were formed in the great plague years by five long time friends from Gothenburg and Stokholm who suddenly had enough time on their hands to start a project. You will of course know them by the trail of the dead with vocalist Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity, The Halo Effect), guitarist Stefan Lagergren (The Grifted, ex-Treblinka ex-Tiamat), guitarist Alex Stjernfeldt (Novarupta, CHILD), bassist Christian Jansson (Pagandom, Dark Tranquillity) and drummer Daniel Liljekvist (Disrupted, Vorder, ex-Katatonia) but what you might not know is they were united by a for old-school, HM-2-drenched Swedish Death Metal.

Lyrically the soundtrack to The Purge, opening cut “Blood Red Banner” finds Stanne at his fiercest vocally as he roars through a vitriolic anthem of grandiose proportions, the band a little violin adding a macabre element to the oppressive atmosphere. Weighty guitars churn and burn alongside the clanky bass, the band proving themselves once more to be a true force of nature. Subsequently title track “The Rot Beneath” is a whirlwind of percussive battery, the band driving the nails into humanities coffin with buzzsaw riffs and dark, brooding atmospherics. The hatred felt for the powers that be who are gradually destroying the world as we know it with greedy corporations and corrupt politicians only out for themselves is very much in the venomous vocal tirade, Stanne getting his points across in no uncertain terms. All that’s missing from this seething piece of rage is a face melting whammy bar drop solo but the band instead choose the left hand path of rhythmic pummelling and that is equally as effective, especially with the scream-a-long chorus.

It seems almost impossible but increasing the intensity while raising the tempo makes “The Endless Dead” a skull rattling endeavour, frontloaded with powerful rhymical battery. Grand Cadaver show no remorse, no regret and no mercy as they plough a new furrow from your ear drums to your cranium and they do so while you love every last second. This one is like the theme song for an anti-hero with enough barbed riffs to split your skull and yet they’ll have you coming back for more like Oliver Twist. A sinister introduction gives “Darkened Apathy” a new light under which to shine, the post-apocalyptic vibes coming home to roost with another dark and twisted lyrical narrative and the band roar like Satan’s hellhounds. Subtle tempo shifts make all the difference as the five piece burn in this down tuned oblivion, their powers growing by the second [8/10]

Track Listing

1. Blood Red Banner
2. The Rot Beneath
3. The Endless Dead
4. Darkened Apathy

“The Rot Beneath” by Grand Cadaver is out 15th August 2025 via Majestic Mountain Records and is available over at bandcamp