Swedish trio Cavern Deep made their self-titled debut (review here) in July on Interstellar Smoke Records, and in so doing, chronicled the story of an archaeological dig gone horribly wrong. “Fungal Realm,” the penultimate of the included eight tracks, is the point in the narrative at which that seems to happen. It is here that the Umeå-based three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Kenny-Oswald Duvfenberg, bassist/vocalist Max Malmer and drummer/backup vocalist Dennis Sjödin (also keys) present the tragedy this exposition finds on its journey into the titular deep cavern. Not to give it all away or anything, but the song is called “Fungal Realm.”

Maybe this is off-topic — and maybe not — but anyone remember that episode of The X-Files where Mulder and Scully go out to investigate whatever it is, somebody disappeared or something, and they find out that the entire hillside is actually a giant, living fungus that tries to trap them and make them think they got away by making them hallucinate while it digests them? So much goo and ’90s special effects of faces melting. It ain’t the Smoking Man or “Is your hair chemically treated?,” but it was an awesome one-off episode just the same. Cavern Deep and “Fungal Realm” particularly kind of remind me of that, except, you know, epic, melodic, ambient doom instead of Gillian Anderson in shoulderpads. Can’t have everything.

To this point, Cavern Deep have done an admirable job reaching out to establish a following for their work. This lyric video series, which boasts a chapter for each song on the record, follows a series of live performance clips and another video series. In the meantime, they’ve also taken it on themselves to record and finish a second album, though when it’ll be out, I have no idea. Not before the end of 2021, in any case. Still, it tells you this is a band who not only believe in what they’re doing, but are looking to show that to other people as well. Seems like such a straightforward idea, and I suppose it’s true of everyone to some degree — myself included — but not everyone does to the same lengths, and as ever, I respect the hustle.

Under the lyric video and accompanying info, I’ve also included the live-in-studio clip of “Fungal Realm” and the Bandcamp album stream. Happy excavating.

Enjoy:

Cavern Deep, “Fungal Realm” lyric video premiere

Cavern Deep releases the 7th lyric video in the process of releasing an entire long concept video for their debut self-titled album.

Fungal Realm is the 7th song on the Cavern Deep concept album released on Interstellar Smoke Records worldwide on vinyl and digital distribution the 23rd of July 2021.

The songs synopsis is as follows:

“I am alone.. Traitors! They could not endure.. Out of sight.. Engulfed.. I am abandoned.. The spores burn..
Burn my lungs. The pulsating mass is limitless.. layers of layers..
The triangular gate.. The bridge.. I can see it.. I must reach it! Before this horrid,
rotting organism takes hold of my mind completely.. ”

Cavern Deep is:
Kenny-Oswald Duvfenberg – Guitars and Vocals
Max Malmer – Bass and Vocals
Dennis Sjödin – Drums, Backup Vocals and Keys

Cavern Deep, Cavern Deep (2021)

Cavern Deep, “Fungal Realm” live at Malmer Productions

Cavern Deep on Instagram

Cavern Deep on Facebook

Cavern Deep website

Cavern Deep on Bandcamp

Interstellar Smoke Records on Bandcamp

Interstellar Smoke Records webstore

Interstellar Smoke Records on Facebook

Interstellar Smoke Records on Instagram

Respect to Umeå, Sweden’s Cavern Deep, who it would seem aren’t wasting any time whatsoever. Less than a month out from releasing their self-titled debut (review here) on Interstellar Smoke, and just two weeks from launching a series of lyric videos for its narratively-constructed tracks, the trio have nonetheless announced their follow-up long-player is recorded. Doom that works at a space rock pace? Sure, that works for me.

Bassist/vocalist Max Malmer posted about this in The Obelisk group on Facebook and noted that it would be a while before it was released — they’re apparently making a video game of some sort to go with; before you ask, yes, I advocated for a classic SNES Final Fantasy-style turn-based battle system; “You spoony bard!” for life — but if the songs are already in the can, how long will it be before they start on a third full-length? They’ve already shown themselves to be the restless type as a unit. Will they have a backlog of material waiting to be released by the end of this year?

And have I ever told you I used to daydream about writing ridiculous RPG plots? Also children’s books. Also Star Trek fanfic. Also poetry. Also pretty much anything. Alas, time.

I digress. To the PR wire:

Doom Metal Act Cavern Deep Are Back In The Studio!

Doom act Cavern Deep has just finished recording their second album. It continues the tale of the archeologist of the first album with 6 crushing new songs. All engineering, mixing and mastering is done DIY, same as the first album. More news to come very soon!

Cavern Deep is a slow, heavy band, founded 2019, by members from Zonaria and Swedish retro riffsters Gudars Skymning.

The debut self-titled album is about one archeologist and his crew of ambitious henchmen and their descent into the cavernous realm below the crust of the earth. Learn about their fate and listen to some heavy, gloomy riffs along their slow path downwards.

Cavern Deep is:
Kenny-Oswald Duvfenberg – Guitars and Vocals
Max Malmer – Bass and Vocals
Dennis Sjödin – Drums, Backup Vocals and Keys

https://www.instagram.com/caverndeep/
https://www.facebook.com/caverndeep
https://caverndeep.com/
https://caverndeep.bandcamp.com/
https://interstellarsmokerecords1.bandcamp.com/
https://interstellarsmokerecords.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Interstellar-Smoke-Records-101687381255396/
https://instagram.com/interstellar.smoke.label

Cavern Deep, Video Series Ch. 1: “Staring Down”

Cavern Deep, Cavern Deep (2021)

Respect to Swedish newcomer trio Cavern Deep. Right out of the gate with their Interstellar Smoke Records self-titled debut (review here), the band have shown multi-tiered ambitiousness. They not only crafted, refined and recorded a complete concept album as their first record, following a narrative across eight songs — which would probably be enough for a lot of acts — but they then went and recorded videos of themselves playing the entire thing live, and now, to emphasize the storyline, they’ve begun a new eight-part series that will take their audience through the entire downward-arc the full-length follows through the lyrics and the additional storyline they’ve written out.

It’s another way to listen, and it demonstrates plainly that Cavern Deep are looking to engage an audience even in a time (largely) without touring, and in a way that works geographically broader than touring probably would while simultaneously adding depth to the Cavern Deep LP itself. And they DIY it.

This is a band clearly passionate about their work doing everything they can to stand by it. Fucking. A. Doesn’t hurt either that the album kicks ass.

Info from the PR wire:

Cavern Deep Announce eight Chapter Video Series And Release “Staring Down” Chapter 1!

Doom Act Cavern Deep Announce eight Chapter Video Series And Release “Staring Down”, the first chapter in the series.

Cavern Deep adds: Today we’re officially announcing our 8 chapter long video series. Every video is a chapter from our recently released concept album such that you can follow the archeologist on his journey down into the depths below.

Video, mix and master was made by Max Malmer at Malmer Productions.

Cavern Deep – “Staring Down”
The start of the expedition.

One archaeologist and 49 men stand at the gates of a previously unknown civilization, for a moment staring down into the bowels of the mountain before they begin their descent. The journey downwards turn out to be more dangerous than expected, they climb down through whirling stairs lit only by organic fluorescent lights.

Further down the path turns more and more crumbled, eventually they must use ropes to traverse the broken bridges and tunnels over the deep chasms below. Filled by the promise of treasure they continue downwards. Many men go missing as they’re tasked to explore diverting tunnels, they never return and their screams are followed by silence. the only thing found is their safety ropes, driven by greed the archaeologist continues the expedition.

Cavern Deep is:
Kenny-Oswald Duvfenberg – Guitars and Vocals
Max Malmer – Bass and Vocals
Dennis Sjödin – Drums, Backup Vocals and Keys

https://www.instagram.com/caverndeep/
https://www.facebook.com/caverndeep
https://caverndeep.com/
https://caverndeep.bandcamp.com/
https://interstellarsmokerecords1.bandcamp.com/
https://interstellarsmokerecords.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Interstellar-Smoke-Records-101687381255396/
https://instagram.com/interstellar.smoke.label

Cavern Deep, Video Series Ch. 1: “Staring Down”

Cavern Deep, Cavern Deep (2021)

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Kenny-Oswald Dufvenberg of Cavern Deep

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I define myself as a creative person, in the art, writing and music fields, with a humble approach to my craft and a soft spot for the ’60s/’70s heavy rock and prog scene. I started playing and writing music in eighth grade when my stepdad introduced me to his vinyls, guitar gear and such. Before that I was not really interested in playing myself. I needed that creative kick in the ass to get started! No turning back since.

Describe your first musical memory.

Probably my mom humming around the house. A lot of singing all the time. She is one very musical lady.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

There are so many! But the first time I saw Bigelf live was a big one! It blew my brains out! The sheer volume was insane. I was 15 then and the experience had a huge impact on me.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

I thought that nothing would be more important than my music, my guitar playing… Writing… When I got my first kid I realized at once that there are more important things in life.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

It has nothing to do with practice or how much more awesome things you play or make. I think progression is about understanding your strengths as time passes and being able to put them to the best use in your creative process.

How do you define success?

When people I do not personally know, genuinely enjoy my music. When doors open so that you get the chance to work with other creative people you admire.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

The human body in a bloated, half decayed state.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

Aside from exploring the angles on doomy heavy music, I would like to record a stripped-down, nasty blues album: Live. And a fat, gnarly prog epos, In the vein of late-’70s Rush or such. It would be a challenge!

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

To make people feel and connect.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Waiting patiently for the second season of Made in Abyss. A great little animated gem, that series. Very special tone in both story, animation and soundtrack. Great stuff.

I’m also drawing a lot more these days after a quite long hiatus. I am really looking forward making more art in the future.

Thanks again, and may the riff be with you.

https://www.instagram.com/caverndeep/
https://www.facebook.com/caverndeep
https://caverndeep.com/
https://caverndeep.bandcamp.com/
https://interstellarsmokerecords1.bandcamp.com/
https://interstellarsmokerecords.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Interstellar-Smoke-Records-101687381255396/
https://instagram.com/interstellar.smoke.label

Cavern Deep, Cavern Deep (2021)

Swedish trio Cavern Deep release their self-titled debut July 23 through Interstellar Smoke Records. The album begins on a ledge looking underground and ends simply in “The Dark Place,” so it’s safe to assume that the narrative happening across the eight-song/46-minute outing from the Umeå-based three-piece doesn’t go well for the team of 50 explorers undertaking it. The band — guitarist/vocalist Kenny-Oswald Duvfenberg, bassist/vocalist Max Malmer and drummer/backup vocalist Dennis Sjödin (also keys), who introduces second cut “Abandoned Quarters” with duly ceremonial organ — use open space as well as tonal largesse to their aural advantage throughout Cavern Deep, with Duvfenberg‘s vocals echoing out in mournful fashion atop willful lumber, embodying the slog one might make in pursuit of unknown riches, and in spaces minimal and crushing, telling the story with duly grim and soulful perspective while remaining fluid in songcraft all the while.

From the shift out of the plodding stretch of “Staring Down” into its solo-topped apex, the instruments have their say in the narrative as well. Sjödin‘s drums march with a dutiful sensibility as “Abandoned Quarters” takes up the journey where the opener left off, and Malmer‘s bassline later in the open, quiet portion of the second half helps to set up the Candlemassian epic finish, rumbling into the cinematic-then-crushing back and forth of “Ominous Gardens,” and leading the way into the presumed side A finale, “Waterways,”  a highlight for the confidence of its vocal arrangement and the splendor-in-decay its riff conjures over the still-tense keys. This is not a debut lacking attention to detail, or patience, or complexity in its construction. It is not haphazard. Cavern Deep are methodical both in their groove and in how these songs are built. In short, they are not fucking around.

There’s dissention in the ranks of our cavern-divers as “Leap of Faith” opens with the lines, “22 are stalling/Below is only void,” and the more active chug that accompanies. Like “Deeper Grounds,” which follows — and for which a live-in-studio performance video is premiering below — “Leap of Faith” strips down some of the lyrical impressionism of side A to add a sense of chaos to the ever-downward procession, but is one word and one central riff in “Deeper Grounds,” and “deeper” about covers it. Both songs are shorter than anything on the first half of Cavern Deep, and they give way to the brooding lurch of “Fungal Realm,” the dark hallucinogenic crescendo of the record as a whole, answering back to the grandiosity of “Waterways” as a closer might, but still leaving room for the organ-laced “The Dark Place” to cap with a feeling of arrival.

If you’re worried about a spoiler for how it turns out, I guess it would be a jerk move for me to ruin the end of the tale, so I won’t do that, but yeah. They telegraph pretty well where the conclusion is headed. They kind of gave it away too when the album was announced, but in any case, there’s a reason it’s “The Dark Place” and not “The Friendly Place Where Everything’s Fine and Hey I Just Found Five Dollars Isn’t That Awesome.”

The performance video below for “Deeper Grounds” follows one for “Fungal Realm” the band posted in April, and they’ve been leaking tracks periodically through their Bandcamp page as well if you’d like to get even more of a sense where they’re coming from. The crash and hopelessness of “Deeper Grounds” are both well represented here and not to be discounted for their effect on the album that surrounds.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

Cavern Deep, “Deeper Grounds” live video premiere

Cavern Deep on “Deeper Grounds”:

“Deeper Grounds is the 6th track of our upcoming concept album, the song is about the point where the expedition into the cavernous realm realize that there is no way to go except further down into the abyss. The lyrics are as follows:

Deeper
Deeper
Deeper
Deeper

This live recording was made at our bassist Max’s studio-rehersal in Umeå. The hats is an artifact of the number of beers consumed prior to the recording of the song.”

Cavern Deeps debut concept album is about 50 adventurers that find the entrance to a lost underground civilization which they enter with the hopes of treasure.

The debut self-titled album is about one archeologist and his crew of ambitious henchmen and their descent into the cavernous realm below the crust of the earth. Learn about their fate and listen to some heavy, gloomy riffs along their slow path downwards.

The album will be released on all major platforms and vinyl via Interstellar Smoke Records on July 23rd.

Cavern Deep is:
Kenny-Oswald Duvfenberg – Guitars and Vocals
Max Malmer – Bass and Vocals
Dennis Sjödin – Drums, Backup Vocals and Keys

Cavern Deep, “Funal Realm” live at Malmer Productions

Cavern Deep on Instagram

Cavern Deep on Facebook

Cavern Deep website

Cavern Deep on Bandcamp

Interstellar Smoke Records on Bandcamp

Interstellar Smoke Records webstore

Interstellar Smoke Records on Facebook

Interstellar Smoke Records on Instagram

Duly dramatic and duly doomed, the self-titled debut from Swedish trio Cavern Deep will be released on July 23 through Interstellar Smoke Records. I read a lot of press releases — it’s kind of a habit of mine, actually — but not a lot of them come with a full narrative guide to the record in question. And frankly, not a lot of records warrant it. Even those that might fall into the category of “protagonist falls into abyss, is consumed” are rarely presented with such a clear attention to detail as what one might glean from the below, and as Cavern Deep — who are from Umeå, which is Meshuggah‘s hometown as well (the things you remember) — have already put up several of the album’s tracks on their Bandcamp, including “Waterways,” which you’ll find streaming at the bottom of this post, you can hear they match their intensity of purpose with a fitting sonic grandeur.

Into the deep we go:

Doom distributors Cavern Deep gear up to release their chilling debut album via Interstellar Smoke Records

The start of the expedition.

One archaeologist and 49 men stand at the gates of a previously unknown civilization, for a moment staring down into the bowels of the mountain before they begin their decent.

The journey downwards turn out to be more dangerous than expected, they climb down through whirling stairs lit only by organic fluorescent lights.

Further down the path turns more and more crumbled, eventually they must use ropes to traverse the broken bridges and tunnels over the deep chasms below. Filled by the promise of treasure they continue downwards. Many men go missing as they’re tasked to explore diverting tunnels, they never return and their screams are followed by silence. the only thing found is their safety ropes, driven by greed the archaeologist continues the expedition.

Cavern Deeps debut concept album is about 50 adventurers that find the entrance to a lost underground civilization which they enter with the hopes of treasure.

1. Staring Down – The first song is about the ominous feeling whilst staring down the stairs. “Staring down…. Into the deep.” Unknown symbols from a by gone by intelligence fills the walls of the staircase which never seem to end.

2. Abandoned Quarters – In this song the party finds the remnants of a lost city with abandoned spires and halls. “To the levels below.” The ruins are filled with hatched eggs and signs of struggle. But no corpses… On the other side of the city the stairs continue into the depths.

3. Ominous Gardens – After leaving the city the party stumbles on a huge abandoned garden. Abandoned by the warden this underground garden is filled with ancient deadly fauna. Many of the party members perish as the jungle takes its toll.

4. Waterways – Below the jungle lies the aqueducts that provided all of the water needed for the once prosperous civilization. It soon becomes obvious that they’re no longer alone. “Searching… for the door.” The party soon gets lost in this maze, hope seems lost.

5. Leap of Faith – After many men had perished in the waterways, they finally find the door which leads out to a ledge. Before them lies an enormous gap, the chasm is so deep that the only thing they see is an endless darkness in the depths below. The darkness seem to have a life of its own…

6. Deeper Grounds – The depths of the leap swallowed its fair share of adventurers. “Deeper…” Less then half of the party left they realize that there no way out but down.

7. The Fungal Realm – Finally, the party arrives in a dark and damp large cavern. It’s full of a fungus which has a hive mind intent of consuming the minds of the adventurers. “My mind is melting away.” Slowly the everyone but the leader of the expedition becomes a part of the fungus.

8. The Dark Place – The leader of the venture now alone enters a great dark room. On the other side of the room a dark and ancient entity lurks. The entity has lived in these caverns for a very long time, possible being the source of power of the ancient civilization. “We are lost, Cavern Deep.” This old god of a forgotten time has waited for someone to take his place. As the lost adventurer tries to scream the god consumes him to take his place, finally released.

The art: All of the art is made by Kenny, the guitarist of the band.

Cavern Deep is a slow, heavy band, founded 2019, by members from Zonaria and Swedish retro riffsters Gudars Skymning.

The debut self-titled album is about one archeologist and his crew of ambitious henchmen and their descent into the cavernous realm below the crust of the earth. Learn about their fate and listen to some heavy, gloomy riffs along their slow path downwards.

The album will be released on all major platforms and vinyl via Interstellar Smoke Records on July 23rd.

Cavern Deep is:
Kenny-Oswald Duvfenberg – Guitars and Vocals
Max Malmer – Bass and Vocals
Dennis Sjödin – Drums, Backup Vocals and Keys

https://www.instagram.com/caverndeep/
https://www.facebook.com/caverndeep
https://caverndeep.com/
https://caverndeep.bandcamp.com/
https://interstellarsmokerecords1.bandcamp.com/
https://interstellarsmokerecords.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Interstellar-Smoke-Records-101687381255396/
https://instagram.com/interstellar.smoke.label

Cavern Deep, “Waterways”