Kataklysm

Over 15 years in the making, Kataklysm is back with a relentless pace that could very well shake the planet. The hyperblast band straight out of Montreal, Quebec released their ninth studio album, Prevail, back in May of this year. The album actually reverts back to the brutality portrayed in Serenity in Fire, which in my opinion is a great regression.

Most Death Metal bands generally try to stay away from the higher pitched screams, and gear towards the lower growls. Kataklysm is usually among those bands. However, this time around, Maurizio decided to bring the higher (more demonic in my opinion) vocals into the mix. He does use his low growls most of the time, but sometimes busts out the high ones creating a more diverse sound.

As used in most of their albums, the disc opens up with “Prevail”, which begins with a quotation from a movie. The quote is “What the hell… Everybody ends up dead, it’s just a matter of when.” I’m not too sure what movie it’s from, but I’ll be damned if I don’t find out. The quotation actually reminded me of the track off Serenity in Fire, “Ambassador of Pain”. The quote from that track is: “This is the life we chose. The life we lead. And there is only one guarantee; none of us will see heaven.” The comparisons are a bit off, but there is a connection.

“Tear Down the Kingdom” really stood out against the rest of the album. It begins with a blood curdling scream, with a fast-paced melodic death metal guitar riff, accompanied with the bands signature blast-beats. Again, Maurizio uses a lot of his higher screams throughout this song, which really got me pumped and ready to see the band live.

The ultimate concert would have to be Neaera and At The Throne of Judgment opening for Kataklysm. With the energy these guys put out, it could be possible that is massively heightened while Kataklysm is on stage!  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Prevail
02. Taking The World By Storm
03. The Chains of Power
04. As Death Lingers
05. Blood In Heaven
06. To the Throne of Sorrow
07. Breathe to Dominate
08. Tear Down the Kingdom
09. The Vultures Are Watching
10. The Last Effort (Renaissance II)

Run Time: 44:00