Cavernous Death Metal
by u/HighwayCorsair
In the last few years, the popularity of bands playing a sort of reverb-drenched massive-sounding and absolutely filthy type of evil that a lot of fans have been calling cavernous death metal has skyrocketed; some of the most popular bands playing this and related styles headline small festivals, and their albums are at the forefront of the underground's minds during end of year lists. What IS this style? Where did it come from, what are the biggest influences on it, and where is the genre going today? These are some of the things that I'll try and touch on in this.
The Beginnings: Not necessarily playing in the cavernous style we know and love, but highly influential on it.
Incantation: A band with as many members as Nunslaughter has splits, Incantation was formed in 1989 by former Revenant members John McEntee and Paul Ledney. They quickly (and soon with the help of the now-legendary, and infamous, Craig Pillard) forged a sound all their own that would come to become one of the most influential in all of death metal. A band without any bad albums (despite some shakeups along the way), Incantation's lifeblood is their sole remaining founding member, John McEntee; with ten studio albums and more influence on their chosen genre than almost every other death metal band to ever exist, they're a force to be reckoned with. Recommended albums: Onward to Golgotha (1992), Mortal Throne of Nazarene (1994), Diabolical Conquest (1998).
Immolation: Immolation is Morbid Angel taken to their most extreme. Thick and mean, Immolation go fast at times, slow at other times, and make heavy use of pinch harmonics; their aggression, memorable songwriting, and accessibility has made them one of the most well-loved bands in death metal history. Their influence, if not as direct on cavernous death as Incantation's is, remains wide. Recommended albums: Dawn of Possession (1991), Here in After (1996), Close to a World Below (2000).
Deteriorot: As notable for how incredibly early the band decided to start taking influence from Incantation as for their actual music, Deteriorot arose from the ashes of Mortuary in 1992, quickly putting out a demo and EP before doing absolutely nothing for nearly a decade. Recommended listening: Demo '92 (1992), Manifested Apparitions of Unholy Spirits (1993), In Ancient Beliefs (2001).
Infester: Pounding death metal assault offset by chaotic tremolo picked riffage, all overlaid with the harsh bark of vocalist/guitarist Jason Oliver. Their slow-to-mid-paced rage influenced many of the bands to follow them despite their many influences from outside of the normal Incantation leanings. Recommended listening: To the Depths, in Degradation (1994).
Molested: Another of the early bands that took heavy influence from Incantation, Molested take Incantation's thick, driving riffs and mix them with a heavy amount of melody. Also notable for being quite possibly the only good thing that Øystein Brun ever did, and for featuring Erlend Erichsen, who would later go on to drum for Gorgoroth. Recommended listening: Blod-draum (1995).
Birth of the Modern Scene: These are the earliest bands playing in what I'll be calling "caverndeath" from here on out. Some are more influential than others, and some are more cavernous than others, but they're all good.
Dominus Xul: Long before the rest of world started jumping on Incantation's sound, these Chileans were making punishing music in the same vein. Just as good as many of the bands that came after them, they were one of the first bands genuinely playing in this style as opposed to just being an influence on it. Recommended listening: The Primigeni Xul (I Condemned My Enemies) (1999).
Funebrarum: Also coming from before the rest of the caverndeath scene came into existence, Funebrarum brought some Finnish influence to their murky take on what Incantation established a decade before them, and put out one of my absolute favorites in this style. Recommended listening: Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods (2001), The Sleep of Morbid Dreams (2009).
Portal: Caverndeath in the modern sense started here, with a divergence of sound from pure old-school worship into one that was thick, murky, slow, and inaccessible. Portal threw in a heavy dose of miasma and plain oddness to the formula that Incantation invented, and while not many bands have decided to approach caverndeath in quite the same way that Portal did, these Australians were doing this before anyone else. Recommended listening: The End Mills (2002), Seepia (2003).
Dead Congregation: This is where cavernous death metal got its real start in the terms of being a movement instead of a handful of disparate Incantation affectionatos. Hailed as being competition for Incantation themselves, Dead Congregation's dead-serious (no pun intended) Morbid Angel influenced debut album marked the point where the entire movement got going, and that's easily traceable by just how many bands formed right after hearing it for the first time; even before that, a suspicious amount of bands formed right after the first Dead Congregation EP came out, and honestly, it's all with great reason. Graves of the Archangels is one of the great death metal albums of the '00s, with extremely little competition on that sheer level of quality; if you listen to just a single band from this section of this primer, listen to Dead Congregation. Recommended listening: Purifying Consecrated Ground (2005), Graves of the Archangels (2008), Promulgation of the Fall (2014).
Caverndeath Today: Right around 2006-2008, a bunch of bands suspiciously coinciding with Dead Congregation's output came into existence. This is right around when some early caverndeath bands started adding more influences to the style than Morbid Angel or Abhorrence, turning some caverndeath into something that could no longer claim to be a pure ode to the old school. At the same time, others buckled down to try and replicate Incantation's sound even more directly than bands like Dominus Xul ever did. This is going to be delegated entirely to bands adding in other influences; if you want to listen to Incantation clones, ask in the comments.
Antediluvian: A band that made waves worldwide with their early material, Antediluvian's subterranean murk adds black metal influence to create an extra sense of evil and are the forerunners of the Canadian caverndeath scene, to the extent that it can be called that. Recommended listening: Through the Cervix of Hawaah (2011), Initiated in Impiety as Mysteries (2012, split with Adversarial), λόγος (2013).
Grave Miasma: Another band adding black metal influence to their Incantation for extra cavern, Grave Miasma is much more up front than Antediluvian and are the forerunners of the British caverndeath scene. The members also do the more directly Incantation-sounding Cruciamentum, who are great. Recommended listening: Exalted Emanation (2009), Realm of Evoked Doom (2010), Odori Sepulcrorum (2013).
Irkallian Oracle: Thick, suffocating Swedish caverndeath with an unknown lineup. First album is great, wasn't big on the new one. Recommended listening: Grave Ekstasis (2013).
Other recommended newer bands- Adversarial, Cruciamentum, Grave Upheaval, Ritual Necromancy, Unaussprechlichen Kulten. Full-ish list of bands I like in comments.
EDIT: Typo
EDIT2: Finally updated Immolation's section.
Megalist (no particular order):
Antediluvian
Irkallian Oracle (I only like the first album)
Ritual Necromancy
Cruciamentum
Ignivomous
Impetuous Ritual
Qrixkuor
Grave Upheaval
Backyard Mortuary
Father Befouled
Disma
Dead Congregation
Portal
Mitochondrion
Adversarial
Ritual Chamber (demo is by far the best)
Triumvir Foul
Genocide Shrines
Mefitic
Funebrarum
Dominus Xul
Shroud of the Heretic
Deteriorot
Unaussprechlichen Kulten
Grave Miasma
Disciples of Mockery