Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Kat > 666 > Reviews
Kat - 666

Evil never sounded so good! - 97%

natrix, September 10th, 2007

Holy shit...now this is what EVIL thrash should sound like. From the beginning feedback on "Metal i Pieklo" to the ending notes of "Czarne Zastepy," this oozes old school awesomeness and a cold, sinister feeling.

Musically, Kat plays vintage thrash, with a really strong raw touch to everything. Riffs are gloomy and catchy at the same time. There is surprisingly much melody popping up, especially when they choose to slow it down for "Czas Zemsty," which is a bit of a slow, emotional song, but not nice in any way. Cold, evil and demented.

When Kat speeds things up, like on "Morderca" and "Czarne Zastepy" they prove that they are truly comfortable playing at heightened speed. Where they really shine are on the midpaced numbers like "Diabelski Dom Cz. 3," where Piotr Luczak's riffing is catchy as hell. "Wyrocznia" is unbeleivably heavy, with those first riffs crushing your bones. The chorus on here is pure Mercyful Fate, with the creepy guitar melodies and Satanic chanting.

The production sounds like this was recorded in a warehouse, but that give the whole album an icy, eerie feeling not unlike a rawer Don't Break the Oath. This works to Kat's advantage, because I don't think that they were expert musicians at this stage, but the performance eclipses any type of error. Drums and bass are overtly straight forward, and I had to take some points off for that.

Usually I find that vocalists add very little to my enjoyment to an album, except when they do something exceptional, like Masse Broberg's truely evil vocals on Hypocrisy's Osculum Obscenum, David Vincent's early work, Attila Csihar's entire career, or King Diamond in general. The singer on here sounds downright possessed; at times harsh as hell, part Jeff Beccarra and part Paul Baloff, but sometimes he throws in some chanting or clean vocals like on "Morderca" and "Czas Zemsty." For that, I can say that the vocals really add something to the mix. Plus, Polish sounds really cool when screamed out loud.

Bottom line, if you like old thrash, you need this. Really. No gimmicks here, just fucking balls out, rip your face off trash.

SATAN!!! SATAN!! - 79%

UltraBoris, March 23rd, 2004

Top-notch power-thrash to be found here... possibly the first thrash LP from the wrong side of the Iron Curtain, actually. This is really in line with what the rest of the world was doing in 1985, which is not something the Soviets can claim ;-) It's not quite the over-the-head wallop of Bonded by Blood, but imagine a bit of that album combined with the first Overkill LP, the first Slayer, and a lot of Teutonic influence (Iron Angel, Necronomicon)... and throw in some slightly harsh vocals, and you get this one.

Does it work? Fuck yes it works. This is not just a novelty act, a band that needs to be put on a pedestal simply because they're under communist oppression - no equal opportunity here, it does not suck simply because it DOES NOT SUCK, and there is no mitigation needed. From the hacksaw shredding opener and the first riffs of Metal i Pieko (Metal and Hell), which are a complete take on Bonded by Blood, except more speed-metal in style, to the very last notes of 666 (Satan, Satan!!), this is a raging basher. The album is really summed up more as power/speed for the most part, though every once in a while they throw in a real raging thrash riff... the first song, after some more chainsaw shredding (seriously, this lead guitar is vicious and sounds like nothing else on this planet), there is a huge Overkill/Necronomicon-style thrash break. Diabelski dom Cz. 1 (Devil's House, Part I) is more classic-styled, less fast and furious, with a bit of Rock Hard Ride Free melodicism, but still power-metal enough to border on thrash. Catchy as fuck.

Then, in Morderca (Killer), you get more insane speed metal out of nowhere, with some really over-the-top vocals, and again that shredding guitar style, and Czas Zemsty (Time of Revenge) is kind of a ballad, but imagine not Every Rose Has Its Thorn, but rather Laaz Rockit's Means to an End. And how they pull it off without changing that heavy guitar tone, but put in some more classical-style soloing, is really quite the sight to behold.

I have no idea what happened to Devil's House part 2, but Part 3 is kinda similar to Part 1, but not enough so that it becomes repetitive - there's one main counterpoint riff that keeps coming back, and the whole thing is really quite melodic, but also while staying heavy as fuck at the same time. There's more random thrash to be found in Wyrocznia (Oracle), which is probably the heaviest track on here...

Overall, this is pretty much just what you'd expect for 1985, Germany. So if you like German speed/thrash (and who doesn't!!), this is wholeheartedly endorsed. Recommended for thrashers, speedfreaks, and students of Communist history. SATAN SATAN!!!

Metal i Piekoaargh! - 96%

Axecrusher, March 8th, 2004

This must be the best LP from Poland ever! Oh yes, no doubt about that...

KAT play, on this release, a raw kind of Speed metal full of darkness and energy. This is the original Polish release of "Metal and Hell" which is the English version. I prefer this one, since it sounds more convincing to me. Well, let's take a listen to the songs. The LP starts with the neckcrusher "Metal i Pieko". Oh, what do I love the riffs and the vocals. They sound so evil! At the end of the song there is such a riff that makes me bang my neck ten whiplashes together. This is what I call metal. But not only "Metal i Pieko" delivers me this feeling, also, sometimes more melodic songs like "Diabelski Dom cz.1" and "Czas Zemsty" make me enjoy this record every minute. I always like Polish metal very much, bands like Turbo, Open Fire, TSA, Stos and this one. They play their music so pure, so full of energy and so 'honest'. This one is, like I said, maybe the best LP from Poland, and it's not by coincidence I give this album 96 points! You think "Show no mercy" is evil? You'd better think again!