Album Type : Full Length
Date Released : 25/11/2013
Label : Nuclear Blast
Waiting for the End to Come, album track listing:
1. Fire 5:27
2. If I Was God - I'd Burn It All 4:38
3. Like Animals 3:25
4. Kill The Elite 4:15
5. Under Lawless Skies 3:29
6. Dead & Buried 3:12
7. The Darkest Days of Slumber 3:52
8. Real Blood - Real Scars 4:32
9. The Promise 4:28
10. Empire Of Dirt 3:46
11. Elevate 3:56
The Band :
Maurizio Iacono | vocals
J-F Dagenais | guitars
Stephane Barbe |
bass
Max Duhamel |drums
Review :
Kataklysm. Like
their name suggests, these Canadian hyper metallers sound like an oncoming
apocalypse, and their brand new release ‘Waiting for the End to Come’ is 11
tracks of some of the heaviest, mightiest, and downright gnarliest death metal
you could ask for. With a change behind
the drumkit (ex-Neuraxis hammerer Oli Beaudoin now keeps the beat),
there seems to be a newfound hunger to the band. Not only this, but the record itself was
mixed by Zeuss, a man who has worked with Hatbreed, Suffocation and Arsis. So to say ‘Waiting for the End to Come’ is as
badass as an army of motorcycle-riding Terminators is an understatement. Northern Hyperblast
is back with a big bang, ladies and gentlemen.
Let’s get one thing straight: Kataklysm are all about
power. Each track comes scorching in
with the force of a white phosphorous carpet bombing, and leaves in much the
same fashion. ‘Like Animals’ does
exactly this: bursting out with ferocious intent, smashing your speakers then
snapping to a spitting, seething conclusion.
Oli Beaudoin’s drumming is a real compliment to the relentless charge of
the guitar and bass, keeping up the passion and intensity with flair. Check out ‘Dead & Buried’ if you don’t
believe me: this guy has some groove and no mistake. The fact that Jean-Francois
Dagenais’s guitarwork is like Zakk Wylde battling Dimebag Darrell on a
blood-soaked moutaintop also helps turn the track into a true-blue epic.
Maurizio Iacono’s vocals are just as viperous as ever
on this brand-new release: ‘The Darkest Days of Slumber’ sounds like a call to
arms for metalheads everywhere, with a chorus so hard it could be used to crush
diamonds, while ‘Empire of Dirt’ has Maurizio sonically strangling you with his
vocal rage. The latter track in
particular has some exceptionally outstanding riffs, with a middle breakdown
pounding like a pit fighter on your eardrums.
On an album this full of standout tracks, it’s
difficult to pinpoint one that everyone should listen to. Opener ‘Fire’ does exactly what it says on
the tin: a brimstone-bearing beast that ignites in your speakers like an
erupting volcano. Then we have ‘The
Darkest Days of Slumber’, which sidewinds in and then grinds over your face
with bloodthirsty abandon. The personal
favourite of mine, though, has to be ‘If I Was God - I'd Burn It All’. From its ‘Book of Eli’-quoting intro, through
to its thrashy, charging verses, to its leviathan of a chorus and beyond, it
simply oozes death metal majesty and brilliance. Well done, Kataklysm fellows.
This being their twelfth studio recording, Kataklysm
are nothing if not productive, not to mention fiendishly inventive. ‘Waiting for the End to Come’ is a dark,
devilish, and definitive example of how great death metal albums should be
done. Well done to these Northern Hyperblast giants: they’ve made an album to be
feared and revered in equal measure.
Words by : Chris Markwell
You can buy it here
