What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Canada? Of course, the foking infamous bacon. Canada’s claim to fame, the Canadian crown jewel. The final compliment to my eggs with hollandaise sauce and my freaken English muffin. The shit should be called “Eggs Canada” not Benedict. What the fok did we do before the astronomical invention of Canadian bacon? My guess is we had some lonely ass eggs. Now what’s the second thing you think of when you think of Canada? Cryptopsy, smothered in Canadian bacon. Damn straight. I feast on this delightful delicacy twice a week. In all seriousness, bacon slams aside, shit I didn’t even get to the Mounties. Which I see my spell check enforced the capital M on the prestige that is the Canadian Mounties. So quite possibly the third thing you think of when dwelling on the ever-innovative Canada, could be the veteran death metal crusaders Kataklysm. Amongst all the bacon and Mounties, Kataklysm unleash their sixth release (according to nuclear blast, tenth upon review of their web site) entitled Epic – The Poetry of War. Which in no way should be taken lightly and littered with such bacon sarcasm. The blend of devastation that is created befalls right into the wings of crushing. Their musicianship is quite apparent immediately upon the first listening of the opening track entitled ll Diavolo In Me. The chaos does not seize through out the whole album. Extreme blends of speed, punishing guitar medleys, sandwiched together with drumming that is nothing less of a metronome disaster. The punishment does not cease until the final measures of track nine, accurately named When Time Stands Still. Kataklysm have set out and have proven to be a conquering force, leaving bodies and commercial melody behind. When I speak of melody I do not in any way mean they lack composure in song structure, but they have strayed from the standard hooks and into a world of their own. Demanding respect through sheer power. Which upon complete dissection leaves the listener with an appreciation for Canada beyond the utter joy of their bacon. Bottom Line: Kataklysm will deliver metal supremacy.
As I’ve traveled along the path of metal for the past several years, dwelling among it’s darkest depths on many occasions, Kataklysm seemed to have slipped through the cracks and passed my by. Whether you have been a fan since day one, or are relying on Soulless and company to give you some sense of direction here, I’ll tell you right now that this disc is going to fit in nicely with my collection. Usually I save that part for the end of my reviews, but I need to make sure I have your attention here. Yes, this is an extremely enjoyable disc and if you’ll give me a few minutes of your time, I’d be more than happy to share my first experience with this band with you. Epic (The Poetry Of War) starts out with an excerpt from none other than the classic movie “Hellraiser”. Although this has been done by several other bands since this big screen favorite hit us in true horrific fashion, they get away with it here by assaulting us with a brutal style of music they call “Northern Hyperblast”. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never heard of that brand of metal before, but if that’s what they call it then count me in. To me it’s just heavy, speedy, melodic, groove oriented death metal which is a combination that we all will recognize and favorably endure. As soon as the music started to roar through the speakers on the trusty “home system” my ears instantly perked up. With a speedy guitar section in track #1 containing some accents from the drums, the entire band came in with the fore mentioned skinsman starting in with the almighty blast beat. When the vocals arrived I sank perfectly into my seat truly delighted, for now the guitars were providing a melodic harmony section for the first verse that just made it all come together instantaneously. After a couple of chorus sections and another verse or two, the drummer comes in with a hellacious fill followed by a riff in the middle that immediately got me up off my seat in need of my remote control, a fine habit I picked up from Diabolic. The rest of this album follows in the same vein with every track containing at least one or two parts that are worthy of being rewound. Where is that damn remote anyway? To sum it up there are many moments on this disc that are reminiscent of masterpiece material, and I’m not sure I can even completely explain why I haven’t chosen to award Kataklysm with a perfect score. It might be that, although almost perfect, the production isn’t completely to my liking with the kick drum and vocals possibly having been mixed a tad too high. At any rate, if you’re in need of a new disc, this is a winner. Even if your wish list is long like mine, trust me when I say this one belongs close to the top. Although it won’t “tear your soul apart”, it will bring out the head bang in full force. Favorite Track: Wounds
I must say that I was on the edge of my seat about hearing the new album from Kataklysm. I had sampled a tasty morsel of the new stuff from an mp3 that I “dug up” on the net, and it left me starving for more. Because the society that I dwell in is obviously not “cool” enough to provide this album for me to readily purchase, I took my quest for metal to the underground “dungeon”, and it paid off……….. My first listen to this packaged brutality came in my car on a two-hour drive home. Immediately, my ears were pounded by punishing double bass blast beats. Kataklysm starts things out w/ killer horror movie samples, and continues to match the mood with equally dark guitar riffs, followed by the trademark “Northern-Hyper-Blast” drum beats. They stay true to these essential elements throughout Epic-Poetry of War….. Kataklysm has convinced me that this is a spectacular album. Let me tell you why: First of all, the production is so “in-your-face” that it hurts. Secondly, the catchy guitar work pulls you in and keeps you interested. The riffing is not exactly the most technical, especially after being compared to Cryptopsy quite often, but it remains brutal and heavy. Jean-Francois Dagenais is a great guitarist. He creates very distinct moods…..ranging from fist pounding rage to very emotion-soaked intros and interludes. He combines the elements of death, grind, and black guitar work together, berthing a very diverse sound. Also, the lyrical text is superb. The atmosphere of power and domination are present in every song. If you are like me, and you like to get in and really FEEL the music by reading the lyrics, you will not be disappointed with the intelligent songwriting of this band. Maurizio Iacono delivers the poetry in two distinct vocal styles, and his voice is generally very unique and very unmistakable, with the low end growling sometimes reminding me of the legendary Mark “Barney” Greenway from Napalm Death. And lastly, but by far the most dominant, is the awesome drum work. There are blast beats everywhere. The double-bass absolutely pounds you to a pulp. Let me also add that the songs are longer than your average 3 minute blast, which to me, adds a lot of substance to the album. To sum things up, this is a diverse album. It has all the key ingredients for a brutal audible beatdown. And if you are a metalhead, this is exactly what you are searching for. This disc is a ball of rage and emotion, and when inserted into your player of choice, there is no escape from it.
