5 Shocking Truths Behind 'A Taste Of Blood Kettle Cadaver': The Cult Of Extreme Metal's Most Controversial Video

As of December 2025, the name 'A Taste of Blood Kettle Cadaver' continues to stand as a gruesome monument in the annals of extreme music, a phrase that evokes a specific, visceral brand of shock rock that few bands dared to touch. It is not an album, but a notorious video compilation that captures the raw, often horrific, live performances of the Californian industrial metal/deathrock band, Kettle Cadaver. The footage, spanning the band's peak from 1995 to 2002, is a raw, unfiltered document of frontman Edwin Borsheim's self-destructive artistry, which has since been re-examined through the lens of a critically acclaimed documentary, making the band's legacy more relevant—and tragic—than ever before. This is the definitive, updated look into the cult video that redefined the limits of stage performance.

For those uninitiated, the DVD is a collection of barbaric stage antics that went far beyond the theatrics of shock rock pioneers like GG Allin or Alice Cooper. It is an artifact of pure, unbridled extremity, showcasing acts of self-mutilation, bloodshed, and controversial imagery that earned the group a fearsome, almost mythical, reputation in the underground scene. The story of A Taste of Blood is inseparable from the tragic life of its central figure, Edwin Borsheim, whose performances blurred the line between art and self-destruction.

The Tragic Biography of Edwin Borsheim Gallagher (Kettle Cadaver)

The intensity captured in A Taste of Blood was a direct reflection of the troubled life of its creator, Edwin Borsheim. His journey from a controversial underground figure to the subject of a major documentary provides the most crucial, and tragic, update to the Kettle Cadaver story.

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• Real Name: Edwin Borsheim Gallagher
• Born: January 8th, 1977
• Origin: Born in Norway, later resided in Temecula, California, United States.
• Primary Role: Frontman, Vocalist, and primary creative force behind the band Kettle Cadaver.
• Band Status: Kettle Cadaver was an Industrial Metal/Deathrock/Crossover band, active primarily from 1995 until the early 2000s, later splitting up.
• Notable Works: Albums Horronomicon (1995), Halloween (1996), and the infamous video compilation A Taste of Blood (2002).
• Known For: Extreme, shocking, and violent live performances involving self-mutilation, piercing, blood draining, and controversial themes.
• Later Life: Subject of the 2016 documentary Dead Hands Dig Deep, which explored his life after the band’s extreme period.
• Died: June 20th, 2017 (Age 40).
• Cause of Death: Suicide.

Unpacking 'A Taste of Blood': The DVD That Was Banned by Reality

The phrase "A Taste of Blood Kettle Cadaver" is essentially shorthand for the most extreme footage of a band that ever existed. Released in 2002, the self-published video compilation was Kettle Cadaver's final major release and served as a chronicle of their most intense period. It was not a polished music video but a raw, handheld document of their live shows in the underground California scene.

The Unsurpassed Dosage of Extremity

The content of A Taste of Blood is what cemented Kettle Cadaver’s legendary, albeit disturbing, status. Reviewers described the footage as a "blatant call of the bluff" on other so-called extreme metal bands, delivering an "unsurpassed dosage of bloodshed and mutilation." The acts performed by Edwin Borsheim were not fake; they were genuine, documented instances of self-harm used as performance art.

• Self-Mutilation: Extensive footage of Borsheim piercing himself with various objects, including nails and safety pins, and draining his own blood on stage.
• Controversial Imagery: The band was also known for incorporating shocking and violent imagery, including references to zoophilia and other taboo subjects, into their stage shows.
• The Cult of Authenticity: Unlike theatrical shock rock, Kettle Cadaver’s performances were viewed by fans as an authentic, dangerous expression of inner turmoil, making the footage feel less like entertainment and more like a document of mental health crisis.
• Discography Context: The video also contains music from their albums like Halloween and Horronomicon, providing a soundtrack to the chaos.

The Modern Legacy: 'Dead Hands Dig Deep' and the Aftermath

For over a decade after its release, A Taste of Blood remained a shadowy cult item, traded among the most extreme music enthusiasts. The band was largely inactive, and Edwin Borsheim disappeared from the public eye. The most significant modern update to the Kettle Cadaver story—and the fresh angle for this discussion—is the 2016 documentary, Dead Hands Dig Deep.

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Directed by Jai Love, the documentary sought out the now-reclusive Borsheim years after the band’s breakup, providing a stark, sobering look at the man behind the mayhem. The film essentially acts as a sequel to the raw footage seen in A Taste of Blood, examining the psychological cost of his extreme past.

Connecting the Past to the Present

The documentary is vital for understanding the A Taste of Blood era because it shifts the focus from sensationalism to tragedy. It profiles Borsheim, who was 38 at the time of filming, and explores his life and mental state after the glory days of the nineties and the video's release. Critics noted that the film avoids sensationalizing the violence, instead presenting a portrait of a deeply troubled artist.

The film’s release in 2016 brought renewed, mainstream attention to the band's extreme history, helping to solidify the cult status of the original A Taste of Blood video. It also served as a poignant, final chapter. Edwin Borsheim died by suicide in 2017, just a year after the documentary’s release, cementing the film and the video as bookends to a life lived on the extreme edge.

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The Topical Authority of Extreme Art

Kettle Cadaver and the A Taste of Blood compilation hold a unique and controversial place in music history, providing a touchstone for discussions on the limits of performance art, mental health in the extreme music scene, and the ethics of documenting self-destructive behavior. The band is an essential entity when discussing the history of Industrial Metal and Deathrock.

Key Topical Entities and LSI Keywords:

• Extreme Music: Industrial Metal, Deathrock, Crossover, Shock Rock, Noise Music, Underground Scene.
• Performance Art: Self-Mutilation, Bloodshed, Mutilation, Stage Antics, Transgression, Cult Status.
• Key Figures & Media: Edwin Borsheim Gallagher, Jai Love, Dead Hands Dig Deep (2016 Documentary), Horronomicon, Temecula, California.
• Related Concepts: Psychological Trauma, Cult following, Extreme Violence, Authentic Performance.

The legacy of A Taste of Blood is a complex one. It remains a piece of footage that few can stomach, a testament to the raw, dangerous energy of a bygone underground era. However, thanks to the modern context provided by Dead Hands Dig Deep, the conversation has matured. It is now less about the shock value of the self-mutilation and more about the mental health struggles of the man who performed it. The video is a horrifying document of a troubled artist, and its existence is a constant reminder of the thin line between extreme art and genuine self-destruction.

The video compilation, A Taste of Blood, will forever be remembered as the ultimate document of a band that pushed the boundaries of decency and performance into a territory that remains unmatched. It serves as a morbidly fascinating piece of extreme culture, forever tied to the tragic fate of its visionary, Edwin Borsheim.