A couple of weeks ago I added Kataklysm’s latest single ‘Die as a King’ to the rotation on my radio show – The Stress Factor, Thursdays on 91.5 WUML Lowell, by the way, and a fellow DJ asked what I thought of their latest tunes. “Well, it’s definitely Kataklysm” I fired back almost automatically. He nodded and was on his way as if we both immediately recognized that was not a slight towards the band.
Quite the opposite, fans of that long-running Canadian institution will likely very much enjoy what’s in store on the latest offering Goliath (Nuclear Blast Records).
And who really is expecting a grand stylistic departure on a band’s fifteenth full-length? My God, you’d be able to hear the angry internet gatekeepers from across the Atlantic if a Death Metal outfit decided to go rogue so late into the career. And fortunately for those battle jacket-sporting curmudgeons, Kataklysm starts nice and early with cuts like ‘Dark Wings of Deception’ and the aforementioned ‘Die as a King’ which assault the senses with great vengeance and furious anger.
And then they keep up that level of vitriol going through the title track (drummer James Payne most certainly earns his keep here) right through to ‘Gravestones & Coffins.’ So don’t say you haven’t been warned about what awaits you on this sonic journey. It becomes a tad problematic as we voyage further into Goliath and the songs hit some staleness and a reliance on mid-tempo groove.
‘Bringer of Vengeance’ and ‘Combustion’ are certainly brutal, but they also paint a very monochrome picture. Between all the smashing and grooving there is little time remaining for dynamics or even lead guitar work. Goliath stands head and shoulders above something like St. Anger but much like that album once you realize that there are no guitar solos it becomes abundantly clear that something isn’t quite right.
I never was expecting Kataklysm to go through some musical evolution but some minor tweaks would’ve been welcome.
Buy the album here:
https://bfan.link/kataklysm-goliath
7 / 10
HANS LOPEZ