Waiting for the End to Come

Gotta admit...I wasn't pulled into the Kataklysm world even back when they first stormed the scene. That being said, I wasn't wholly ignorant of how much of an impact they made on the melodeath world in their own fashion, so kudos on their ascent. And while it seems as though their output has been hit-or-miss since the explosion that followed "Shadows and Dust", it's truly up to the ears of the beholder whether or not said grace bestowed upon them is worthy, especially with regard to their later outputs. And so we've come to their latest in a long line of head rippers....

As far as hyperspeed melodic death metal goes, I can see, to a certain extent, where all the hype comes from. Kataklysm certainly has the capacity to get the blood boiling by way of shoving chaotic riffing, insidious growls and head-bashing drums at your poor battered form before occasionally turning the groove up to overdrive and adding a few extra bruises along the way. The guitars are the main violent offenders here, channeling through all sorts of pleasing nastiness, more than single songs can handle it seems while their new skinsmith really batters the ever-loving hell out of his kit, all brutal yet realistically intense (you can actually believe he's doing the actual smashing). But the worst culprit here? It's catchy. REALLY catchy, in that latter-era HYPOCRISY with gilded harmonics kinda way. The songwriting is decent enough, the down-tuned chugging and deathly single note progressions definitely more than competent, but it's really the bulk of it all, the sum of the parts, where it shines the brightest (the groovy melodies of "Dead and Buried" are easily the best to behold).

There's a frenetic level of energy being displayed all throughout, an almost giddy level of devastation as if the band is gleefully tearing this world asunder for our own amusement. But hey, if we don't care, why should they? See what I did there? The production is clear and concise with the instrumentation (though the pure chaos brought forth tends to evoke some unfortunate bouts of sonic overkill from time to time...), but somehow the vocals sounds drowned out, flat and blurred, like it was done with a CAD585 vocal mic with very little EQ fixings. Can't explain that, though I hope THEY can. All that said, the sense of mayhemic thrashing is perfectly fine all its own and in its own doses, but as the album progresses I found my interest waning bit by bit, almost like the band showed just what "Waiting for the End to Come" has to offer in the first four songs or so and just went through the motions all throughout the next half. That may not be entirely their fault; it's damned hard to set a blistering pace and expect it to last an entire album's length, especially given the inherent limitations of melodeath, even in its most extreme form. And yet, even within those limiting notions it's not all that bad. Just less interesting as time goes on.

At the end of the day, Kataklysm's latest is a decent affair, pretty nifty in a small package but risking overstaying its welcome. If all you need is a punch in the jaw with a jaunty tune hovering overhead, this is the album for you. Those looking for a level of depth to rival the Grand Canyon may be a bit disappointed. But by now, you know what to expect.

Anyone who knows Kataklysm well can tell you that since Maurizio Iacono first dropped the bass (*ba-dum-tss!*) and took the role of lead vocals, the sound of the band changed and they grasped a more modernized sound that would later define Kataklysm as a band; a sound consisting of heavy power chord grooves fused with prominent melodies carried out by major and minor chords, decently catchy tremolo riffs both on the high and low ends of the neck, a fair share of blast beats and lyrics that speak of triumph, empowerment and rebellion. Albeit a rather generic formula, it would still give Kataklysm a sound that is unmistakably theirs, and they have written some great songs with this signature recipe.

However a problem that has developed for them over the past couple years (approximately since the release of either Serenity In Fire or Shadows And Dust) is that Kataklysm have fallen into a rut of repeating and recycling a lot of ideas from past works with every aspect of their sound and rushing the song writing, and have gained a huge blend factor as a band with the listener thinking to his/herself “I think I’ve heard this riff before.” I never noticed it much when I was first getting into the band myself (which was between the releases of In The Arms Of Devastation and Prevail), but my tastes have changed quite drastically over the past 8 years and I get easily disheartened when I listen to a band that helped draw me towards extreme metal and get bored of them, a disheartening that worsens greatly when the band gets the brilliant idea to release a complete atrocity of an album called Heaven's Venom.

That album almost had me “Waiting for the End to Come” (*BA-DUM-TSS!!*) for the band, but when the follow-up to that abomination was released last year it had me pleasantly surprised. For the first time in a while, Kataklysm had written music that was new, exciting and really quite refreshing to listen to.

I use the word “refreshing” because this album is full of ideas that actually seem quite foreign to the band, the vast majority of them lying in the riff work of guitarist Jean-Francois Degenais. There is a pleasant amount of exciting and tasteful lead guitar work that is both elaborate and memorable while still showing a fair share of the usual crunchy grooves that has both the band and many fans foaming at the mouth (which have also been revamped this time around). It's absolutely delightful to hear Jean expanding on his riff writing because it brings new interest to their sound and perks the ear of the listener with sounds that are both surprising and welcome, while still sounding like the Kataklysm signature blend. Along with this, the drumming I find is also more exciting this time around because rather than simply keeping the beat like on the past few albums, their new drummer Olivier is doing a lot more to compliment the riff work of Jean, whether it’s emphasizing the mood of a lighter melody or thundering a heavy groove into your chest. While it is unfortunate to hear of Max Duhamel’s reasoning for leaving the band (I hope he gets better soon), I have to be honest: Olivier is more exciting to listen to on this album than Max has been in years.

Another thing I’d like to point out is the vocals of Maurizio Iacono. Despite what I said earlier about some of their past works, one thing about Kataklysm that has always remained strong is Maurizio’s screaming and growling, which keeps getting better with every release. He’s become one of my favourite extreme metal vocalists over the years, and Waiting for the End to Come is his strongest performance yet. He has both a very menacing roar and a violent screech, and not only do they both sound great but the power and strength that he has as a vocalist puts so much weight behind his delivery and it brings out the most chaotic emotions in the listener. Simply put, he’s come a long way from the gut-busting intro of “Imminent Downfall.”

That being said though, I honestly can’t say the same thing about his lyrics. I feel really bad for saying it, both because of how much I love his vocals and because every time they release an album he talks so enthusiastically about his inspiration behind every song, but I’m really getting tired of his use of words. I don’t necessarily think it’s the topics that he is writing about; in this case I think it’s a matter of “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” To put this into perspective, Deathspell Omega are a very satanic band but don’t just bash you over the head with “Hail Satan!” Legion-era Marduk sounds like it was written by a Neanderthal, whereas Mortuus frequently plays with his vocabulary both in Marduk and in Funeral Mist. Kataklysm on the other hand take their themes of triumph, empowerment and rebellion and deliver them in the most generic and spoon-fed manner you can think of (to the point where some people I know have referred to them as the Hatebreed of death metal), usually saying something along the lines of “I will take you down because I am better and stronger than you and I crush all my enemies! The walls are closing in you lying traitor!” In fact when I bought this album, while I was excited for songs like “Kill the Elite” I was still wary of the lyrical content, saying to myself “If I hear him say ‘the walls are closing in’ one more time I’m gonna throw this CD onto a fucking highway,” although in this case though I think I still would have kept the album because the musical content was strong enough to make me not care too much about the lyrics. Plus, there are a few moments where Maurizio gets a little more creative with his poetry, like in the following excerpt from “Kill the Elite,” the fourth track on the album:

“The blind lead the blind, eternal darkness
The poor eat the poor, forevermore
The rich eat it all, they want it all
We are sentenced to fail

Break through the circle of trust that leads to nowhere
There’s no way out of here, the blood they spill is gone forever”

While those indeed aren’t the words of a scholar, they still go deeper beneath the skin of the listener than what could have been said, and what they have said in the past. However, even moments like this are still too few and far in-between (side-note, was listing the seven deadly sins at the end of “The Darkest Days of Slumber” really necessary?)

At the end of the day though, the lyrical content is still only a minor flaw on this album. To sum it up as a whole, Waiting for the End to Come is a breath of fresh air for a once declining band. Kataklysm is once again on the upswing and are embracing a new musical vision, albeit one that isn’t fully realized yet. I say this because while there are indeed new ideas especially in the riff work throughout the album’s 45 minute duration, many of these ideas still don’t seem fully flushed out yet and some of the riffs still feel incomplete, as if they want to travel to new territory but Jean wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. Not only that, but structurally speaking their music is still overly predictable aside from a few songs that either wane away slightly from traditional verse-chorus format, or completely abandon it altogether (in the case of “Fire”). It’s fair to say that maybe more writing time would have made this a phenomenal release and a milestone in Kataklysm’s discography, but aside from that it is still indeed a very enjoyable listen that not only will have you coming back, but shows a very promising future - assuming of course, that the end doesn’t come for us first (*BA-DUM-TSS!!*).

Highlights: “Fire,” “If I Was God… I’d Burn It All,” “Kill the Elite,” “Real Blood, Real Scars,” “Empire of Dirt”

Kataklysm are a band that strongly divide opinion. Their early works were chaotic, technical and brutal. The last 10-15 years have seen them move on and adopt a more groove metal and melodeath approach to their self styled 'northern hyperblast', which has obviously pissed off the original fan base (all 12 of them). Can't blame a band for settling into a style which makes them popular, but a little ambition and improvement from album to album also helps. Up until this album, Kataklysm seemed to be stuck in a rut of making fast, blasting, melodic death-groove without any real effort for crafting memorable songs. The albums before this weren't as bad as some reviews would suggest, but they weren't great either.

I titled this review 'a true return to form'. To be honest, this is more like the second coming of Christ in comparison to the last decade of Kataklysm! The band haven't really changed their formula, but somehow they've managed to craft decent songs that are both brutal and catchy at the same time. It seems like a lot more effort has gone into this album, the songs feel much more energetic than recent output. I don't know if a change of drummer has inspired them or if they just happened to come up with the goods in the songwriting department this time.

JF Dagenais really brings some strong riffs and melodies to these songs, even the few lead parts are excellent. The bass is more prominent than the last few albums but still not brought out enough in the mix. The drummer change I already mentioned, Oli Beaudoin plays in a style you'd expect on a Kataklysm album without overdoing it, very important part of why this album sounds so good. His playing is solid rather than spectacular, but more importantly it fits the songs. Maurizio's vocals are better than ever, less of the obnoxious black metal screech he used to do, mostly just his gruff yet clear bark. Best lyrics in a long while too. I wouldn't necessarily single out any tracks as the best, the quality is strong throughout the album. The production is one of their best too, crisp and balanced, not drowned out under the drums or vocals but as i said could do with the bass standing out a bit more.

As I've already stated, this isn't too distant from the more recent Kataklysm sound, but the songwriting has improved massively. Fans of the early albums with Sylvain's vocals aren't likely to be won over by this, but anyone curious as to how Kataklysm sound now should start with this album. Also, anyone buying this should get the special edition. Not so much for the bonus track (a reasonable yet ill fitting cover of Sacred Reich's 'The American Way') but for the vastly better artwork! I've really been enjoying this album and i hope they continue with this rich vein of form.

Edit: I originally wrote this review not long after the release of the album which is something I don't intend to do very often. I was simply swept away by the massive improvement over the last few albums and scored this very highly. After a few more months, I still like this album a lot, but I've found that it works better as a whole album. I've got it on my MP3 player and sometimes a track comes on randomly and I don't care much for it. But when the album is played from start to finish, it somehow feels different. The full album sounds great, but I'm reducing the score slightly as individual tracks don't always hold my attention.

Recommended tracks: If I Was God...I'd Burn It All (what a great title), Kill The Elite, Dead & Buried, Elevate

This is a “what should have been” scenario, at least from my perspective. Amon Amarth’s Deceiver Of The Gods steamrolled with its mediocrity and thus became forgotten just as quickly as it was anticipated. That album felt so by-the-numbers and hardly had anything redeeming about it. It didn’t flat out suck, but coming from a band that is completely undemanding and known for catchy songs makes it hit home harder. Kataklysm’s melodic death phase is much like Deceiver Of The Gods, going for groovy, melodic death riffs and pasting the rest on top of it. It doubles for being generic like on the last album (and the one before, and the one before that), but they did something here – they refined it. At the very least, Amon Amarth should have accomplished what this album does.

There’s no major departure from the last album, so if you thought that was shit then more or less you might consider this of the same class. I don’t, which is strange since there’s no difference in the core formula. The toss-up between melodic death and harmonic leads twisted what would have been manufactured into something surreptitiously epic. There’s a rocking rhythm, some moderately distorted riff with that modern metal coating, and some very standard drumming (blasts, flutters, stock beats, etc.) on a plain kit and harsh vocals to go with it. There’s no resounding tone or overly heroic quality like with Ex Deo (Kataklysm’s symphonic alter-ego). Maurizio Iacono’s growling and screams have the bark but it’s quite average with that clear, rusty exhale. It’s just an additive to the turbulent, swaying guitar. Heaven’s Venom relied on this too much, and thus lacked class and failed to keep things interesting by devolving into modern metal’s vague limbo of heaviness. It just ran through the motions, and this can be spoken of just about every one of this band’s later albums.

This one on the other hand gets it right by crafting shining leads, enhancing the delivery, in turn making a nice, fun listening experience. At the core it’s the same Kataklysm: trudging riffs, mid-paced dominance, and tidy mixing with a heavy emphasis on the guitars. I’ve heard a billion metal albums that sound like this but I’m not turned off by it here. These songs are catchy and simple; they’re not too generic that they shoot themselves in the foot. Some songs are standouts like “Dead & Buried” with its power metal-esque harmonies and “Elevate” with those poignant, oceanic leads. A lot of praise is going to the melodies on this one, but add in the proper writing built around it and it makes an otherwise rigid approach a pleasing one. Kataklysm’s been pretty consistent in producing the same ordinary albums for a decade now. Only this one gets it right by having some component of atmosphere, elements of charisma, hints of sophistication, and the benefit of vibrant flow.

If given a choice, I’d disregard everything they’ve done in the last decade and pick this one (preferably with the kickass alternate cover art, since the main one sucks ass). It isn’t the fiercest, most skilled melodic death, but it’s entertaining in its own right. It’s their most equitably sufficient release in a while (not counting the Ex Deo stuff), holding up for its entire duration without completely tiring out before the end. Adding doses of the above mentioned characteristics goes a long way in turning otherwise typical modern metal into something with value behind it. Back that up with non-experimental compositional dexterity and writing music that’s good didn’t seem that far off.