WAKING THE CADAVER
BEYOND COPS. BEYOND GOD. (Album)
2010, Candlelight Records / Siege Of Amida Records


1. Beyond Cops 03:55
2. Reign Supreme 03:09
3. Sadistic Tortures 05:02
4. Made in Hell 03:25
5. Boss Status 02:19
6. Terminate with Extreme Prejudice 03:05
7. Suffering Upon Revenge 03:26
8. Waking the Cadaver 00:43
9. Beyond God 03:29

Total playing time 28:33


Crinn : 15/20
[Originally posted December 10, 2011]

Waking the Cadaver released their debut disaster in 2007. Although there was a good amount of people that fell in love with them, it is considered by most to be one of the worst albums in history, right along with Lulu, St. Anger, and A Thousand Suns. A very accurate description of the album is in a review written on this site (not by me). So then Waking the Cadaver toured almost constantly for the next two years, desperate to try to prove to the world that they are worthy and they are not shit. Well I will tell you, they failed, badly. So then they disappeared for about a year or so, I was hoping that I would never hear from them again.

I then noticed that they just released a new album. I thought to myself, “Do I dare listen to this? After what I heard these guys make last year? Do I really want to risk my ears, my innocence, and possibly even my health and well-being by listening to this album?” Well it is obvious that I decided to give the record a spin and…holy shit.

This album has expressed one of the biggest improvements I’ve ever seen in a band! I think that they owe most of this improvement to getting a new drummer and changing the vocal style. In their first album, there was an obvious lack of focus in just about every area; the vocals were the worst pig squeals I’ve ever heard, and the drummer was horrid. The drummer could not keep time AT ALL, he took the buzz off of his snare and it sounds so annoying that I can’t stand to listen to it for very long, and the songs have no structure at all, it’s just random breakdown after random breakdown, with blazing fast parts in-between while failing miserably to keep a consistent tempo.

The first song off of this record is astounding compared to their debut poop. The drums sound great, the vocalist switched to doing exhaled growls that fit the brutality of the music perfectly, and there is an obvious large amount of focus. I believe that the band finally accepted the fact that they sucked and that they needed to turn over a new leaf if they wanted to continue making music. They turned over a new leaf and have put a fresh, unique side up to blow everyone away.

Beyond Cops. Beyond God. has expressed proof that a metal band has the ability to turn themselves around and turn a shitty band into something great. There are a lot of good things about this album, and I will say that the vocalist does let out that awful pig squeal occasionally in the album, but it actually sounds kind of cool! Some of my friends have been turned on to these guys after hearing this album and have wanted to see them in concert. Unfortunately, I saw them at the California Deathfest when they sucked. This album is actually really good, I rated this album 15/20.

The video below is from when they sucked, just so that you have an idea of their history.

2011-12-19 21:03:04


Nerikull : 14/20
The second album from "Waking the Cadaver" is quite an improvement from their heavily panned debut album. With new guitarists and a sense of focus, I wasn't sure if I was listening to the same band.

The title reflects the two songs that bookend the overall album, and the lyrics are a step up from the former album's mess of brutality. There seems to be actual themes and subjects within, ranging from video-game rage kills to touching slightly on the Satanic.

As before, I won't go song-by-song. Let's just look at the overall.

Vocals: Don Campan won't win any awards for his vocals, but this time he has better control and clarity. The dreaded "bree" is heard from time to time, but far less than in the debut, and the styling is closer to the more traditional death-roar. One great improvement is that Don's vocal pattern allows the listener to know that there are lyrics, and not just a long growling.

Bass: Steve Vermilyea is more prominent this time, though he's still providing an anchor for the guitars. It's a bit frustrating to review his playing, as he's not really doing anything of note.

Guitars: For this album, the guitar work was handled by Mike Mayo and Rob Wharton. Compared to the debut, these two were able to keep the tempo steady and the playing tight. The riffs were lead-heavy and caught my ear, though there wasn't a great deal of technicality in the playing. This really isn't a problem, as this isn't a genre that concerns itself with overt technical prowess.

Drums: This is where the album truly shines. Dennis Morgan redeems himself here with drumming that fits each part of every song. Unlike the debut, there is a sense of control about the drumming, and evenness at any tempo. I would like to think that he took the hint from the reviews of the first album and busted his backside to become a better drummer. If that is the case, it shows.

This is not a perfect album by any means, but it is a damned sight better than where they began. I pick "Beyond Cops", "Made in Hell", and "Terminate with Extreme Prejudice" as my top tracks.

2018-01-08 13:54:20


SaurianBear : 18/20
This new WTC album is the greatest masterpiece of Slam Death I have ever heard!
And to top it off, I like how they changed styles on this album quickly...

First off, I actually enjoyed the previous album in general because it was this one new band and genre I liked to call, "Slam Gore Groove". It sounds fast, raw, heavy, and deathgrind-influenced. From what I heard to some people was that they could rarely hear any lyrics off this album. I mean, some songs did actually enable you to hear the lyrics. But because of the pig squeals and low vocals? WTF!!! Stop complaining about a band such as Waking the Cadaver having no talent because of vocals. In general, I think the mean complainer has no talent in the music business. He/she must be retarded or something to say all of these at a band who probably perform live, write intense music, and finally play it!

No one can do that today except for some metal bands in the mainstream today like Cannibal Corpse and Job for a Cowboy. Other bands like Veil of Maya, Dr. Acula, and PsyOpus try as hard as they can to do this, and I believe they can! Also, if you call me a scene fag for liking this, I will probably come to your house and rip out your body parts and burn them in a fiery-type of substance that I hope you can manage to stay in for as long as possible.

Overall, this album is very dark in some way possible and can probably be a good catch for the Halloween season. Even look at the album cover... I mean, that's something like what would happen in terrorist attacks mixed with bloodbaths. I love it!

2010-09-23 00:00:00