KATAKLYSM
Serenity in Fire
Nuclear Blast
By: MBFlash
This was my first exposure to the Canadian metal outfit, Kataklysm. They refer to their brand of death metal as “Canadian Hyper-Blast”. That sounds all well and good, but what the hell does it mean? Think of song structures similar to what Slayer used when they were worth a shit, mix that in with a Modern Death Metal style and completely enclose it with the most insane drumming you may ever care to hear. Enough with the formalities, lets get to the review:
Sound/Production
Nice mix going on here, you won’t strain to hear anything at any particular time. Nice big sound from the guitars, although they may seem just a tad dry in sonic quality (it is a miniscule complaint). The disc pumps out loud and clear from the speakers and will terrorize the hip hoppers in the alley when you pull into the garage blaring it from the car stereo (at least this is my experience). (9.0)
Vocal Performance
This is death metal, so the rating here will suffer by default. Not that I don’t enjoy the style, I have actually come to like it more than I ever could have imagined. That being said, I am still a bit of a stickler for the ability to carry a tune. Regardless, I consider the vocals on this album to be above average for the genre. Not overly deep or disgusting, the dude refrains from sounding like he is passing a gallstone at most points and in a few instances comes across with somewhat of a thrash style. Oh yeah, there are points where we get harmonized death vocals, kind of cool. I would be remiss to not point out that “For All Our Sins” provides a guest appearance from Peter Tagtgren of Hypocrisy, and he does a wonderful job while screaming the chorus. (6.0)
Rippage
First off, there is only one guitar solo on the album. UH-OH. Not to fear, there are tons of killer riffs and snap-your-neck-off breakdowns. At one point we get five consecutive tunes with a memorable riff. The title track carries with it one of the better riffs I have heard in quite a long time, something out of the Sabbath encyclopedia of power chord dominance, it would hold up to any of the great riffs found on an album like Heaven & Hell, that’s how good it is. “For All Our Sins” and “The Night They Returned” both carry with them smooth riffs in the modern melodic death style, meaning they incorporate some very memorable progressions, and its not just one riff, its two or three per song. This should appeal to the average metal fan cause at the end of the day most fans want something to identify a song with, those identifying riffs are here and they are one after the other. (8.0)
Bass/Drum Performance
Above average bass work being done here, but enough talk about that. Let’s get to what this album is all about: THE FUCKING DRUMS! Ok, I have listened to a lot of metal in my time and listened to a lot of great drummers. Guys that make you wonder if it is real or not (Herrera from Fear Factory), guys that have tons of flavor (Mr. Neil Peart) and guys that blow you away (Richard Christy and Gene Hoglan from Death), but I have NEVER heard anything like what I heard listening to this album. I had been tipped off that this dude was a psychopath but I had no idea as to the severity of that statement. I am not quite sure how he is physically capable of getting his drums to sound like this…I just know they sound incredible. The most insane drumming you will ever hear, no exaggeration. (10.0)
Intangibles
So far, from top to bottom this is my favorite release of 2004. I can’t stop spinning this thing on a more than regular basis. Because of the vocal style and the lack of guitar solos, two of our scoring categories will jade the overall quality of this album, but in this category we will make up for the small flaw in our system. I cannot emphasize enough how great the title track is on this album; my only complaint is that the killer chorus only gets one rendition in the tune. A hook this great should be forced on us at least twice in a three-minute span. Of the 10 tunes on this disc, I count 9 must plays, and that is an excellent ratio of quality in today’s music scene. Go check these fucking guys out ASAP. (9.5)
Cheese Factor
Brutal Death Metal without the lame satanic references or silly vomit drenched vocals. No Cheese to be found on this album. If you feel the need to lift weights at any time in your life, make sure you include this disc in your collection. It stirs up feelings of dominance and determination similar to what a great Pantera disc from the 90’s could do for you. I wanted to kick the shit out of the first hippie I saw after listening to this. (No Cheese Deduction)
Bottom Line-- 42.5 out of a possible 50.
Do you like Metal? Yes? Then go buy this fucking album.
