ALBUM REVIEW: Gatecreeper - "Sonoran Deprivation"

By: Rick Ahmed

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 07/10/2016

Label: Relapse Records

When they use melodies they're more creepy than pretty. They seem to only be there to allow you to catch your breath before they sit on your chest and start punching you in the face again

“Sonoran Deprivation” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Craving Flesh
2. Sterilizing
3. Desperation
4. Rotting As One
5. Stronghold
6. Patriarchal Grip
7. Lost Forever
8. Flamethrower
9. Grotesque Operations

The Review:

"In defence of hm-2 death metal"  Frankly I find it a little dismissive to reduce this new wave of death metal to nothing more than a type of distortion pedal produced in the early 80's. Gatecreeper does have that buzzsaw tone, they also conjure the spirit of the 90's, but they add much more of a doom metal vibe to it. At the same time the composition of these songs reminds one of traditional hardcore, the fat is stripped; the goal is simple, brutality.

When they use melodies they're more creepy than pretty. They seem to only be there to allow you to catch your breath before they sit on your chest and start punching you in the face again. The vocals are harsh barked death grunts that sit perfectly in the mix so as to compliment the crunching chugs rather than overpower them.  Also, the cover art is a breathtaking oil painting of what appears to be some sort of intergalactic horizon which also wins them some points in the "cool shit I'd like to display on my record rack" category. 

Anybody into extreme music should be able to enjoy the simple brutality and groove this album offers, I'd also recommend it to fans of; Nails, Trap Them, Obituary, Entombed, Kataklysm, Harm's Way.

“Sonoran Deprivation” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Kataklysm - 'Of Ghost And Gods' (Album Review)

Words by: Hunter Young

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 31/07/2015

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

As is very common on their albums, they communicate a sense of battle, even though much of the content isn't necessarily war themed. I can't help but visualize a muddy battlefield, churned to blackened soup by thousands of feet stomping more and more blood into the ground, throughout ‘Breaching the Asylum’ and ‘The Black Sheep’. Maybe I am just really weird...

‘Of Ghost And Gods’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Breaching The Asylum (4:04)

2. The Black Sheep (4:33)

3. Marching Through Graveyards (5:22)

4. Thy Serpents Tongue (3:56)

5. Vindication (3:42)

6. Soul Destroyer (3:28)

7. Carrying Crosses (4:31)

8. Shattered (5:02)

9. Hate Spirit (4:36)

10. The World Is A Dying Insect (6:39)

Kataklysm is:

Maurizio Iacono | vocals

JF Degenais | guitar

Stephane Barbe | bass

Oli Beaudoin | drums

The Review

Having been around since forever, Canada's Kataklysm has dropped their newest, ‘Of Ghosts and Gods’, and it continues their path of destruction through those that hold their gods and ideals as the only path. Through blasting beats, overdriven riffage, and their trademark throaty growling, Kataklysm has given us perfect fodder for review!

Always a tad blasphemous, and holding nothing sacred, Kataklysm are always a great listen to me.  They've never had the same muddied up sound that plagues the death metal genre, always having a very clear sound that just bleeds brutality when they come on my mixes or on my SiriusXM radio when I have it on. And with this new one, holding it to the standard with which they have hoisted before, it stacks up pretty damn well.

‘Of Ghosts and Gods’ opens with a familiar style, using a sound bite that very often gets the blood boiling, and then a great lead in, slow tempos, then break neck into brutalizing your eardrums (Breaching the Asylum). As is very common on their albums, they communicate a sense of battle, even though much of the content isn't necessarily war themed. I can't help but visualize a muddy battlefield, churned to blackened soup by thousands of feet stomping more and more blood into the ground, throughout ‘Breaching the Asylum’ and ‘The Black Sheep’. Maybe I am just really weird...

Sonically, the album holds no surprises to the even fairly casual listener of Kataklysm, as they don't experiment with artistic BS, odd sounds, overly complicated sections, etc. It's dead simple, written to their successful formula Death Metal down your noise canals. Compared to earlier works (pre-04), their style is smoother, more accessible, and a little less grind. Of Ghosts and Gods is very polished, allowing them to present a clear idea of their sound and material, and is a really fun album, even for a casual listener of death metal. 

This album honestly performs to expectation, as a listener, and I would have no problems throwing this on at the gym, with friends, ignoring work... ‘The Black Sheep’, ‘Soul Destroyer’, and ‘Marching Through Graveyards’ are my highlights from Kataklysm's ‘Of Ghosts and Gods’.

‘Of Ghost And Gods’ is available everywhere now

FFO: Krisiun, Hypocrisy, Behemoth, Cryptopsy

Band info: Facebook | Official

The Sludgelord News: KATAKLYSM - announce album release date & festival shows 2015

Montreal based death metal powerhouse KATAKLYSM, are done with the recordings of the follow up to their critically acclaimed Waiting For The End To Come album.
The record, which has been dubbed “Of Ghosts And Gods”, is set to be released  Aug 3rd. via Nuclear Blast!

Guitarist J- F Dagenais has tracked drums, guitars and bass for the album, while vocals were recorded by producer Mark Lewis (WHITE CHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER,CANNIBAL CORPSE).
The entire process will be mixed and mastered in the UK by legendary producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, AMON AMARTH).

The band states:

"The new album is finished being recorded and will travel into the very capable hands of legendary producer Andy Sneap this month for the final mix and production work.

We haven’t been this excited to release an album in a very long time , "Of Ghosts & Gods " is set to stand alongside the bands classic records like Shadows & dust,Serenity in Fire and In the arms of Devastation it  has all the elements that make Kataklysm the force that it is with unrelenting power, melodic hooks , extreme passages and the head stomping grooves Kataklysm is well known for, plus it  jumps into new territory in the true nature of the band’s adventurous exploits to push the limit, the end result will be our fans head banging with their horns in the air and shouting the hymns - and that’s our satisfaction right there., We will be hitting the road this summer with a string of Open-Airs in support of the album. This is a determined Kataklysm like you’ve never seen before,, be ready \m/"

Confirmed festival shows 2015:
22.05.  D                     Eichstätt                     - Open Air am Berg
23.05.  D                     Gelsenkirchen              Rock Hard Festival
20.06.  BE                   Dessel                         - Graspop Metal Meeting
09.07.  D                    Ballenstedt                 - Rock Harz Open Air
17.07.  HU                   Dunaujvaros               - Rock Maraton Open-Air
24.07.    SLO               Tolmin                        - Metal Days Open-Air
31.07.  D                     Wacken                      - Wacken Open Air
06.08. ES                     Villena                        Leyendas Del Rock Festival
07.08   CZ                   Jaromer                      - Brutal Assault
08.08.  D                    Schlotheim                 - Party.San Festival
13.08.   RO                 Rasnov                       - Rockstadt Extremefest
15.08.    D                   Dinkelsbühl                - Summer Breeze
16.08.  FR                    Bretagne                    - Motocultor Festival

www.facebook.com/kataklysm  |   www.nuclearblast.de/kataklysm

VISIT THE NUCLEAR BLAST UK AMAZON STORE: http://smarturl.it/NBAMZ

Source: Nuclear Blast UK

The Sludgelord News: KATAKLYSM Announce New Album Title!

'Of Ghosts And Gods' due this Summer’

Montreal based death metal powerhouse KATAKLYSM, are currently in the studio recording the follow up to their critically acclaimed Waiting for the End to Come album. The record, which has been dubbed 'Of Ghosts And Gods', will tentatively be released this upcoming Summer. A short teaser for the album can be viewed now via the group’s Facebook page.

Guitarist J- F Dagenais will track drums, guitars and bass for the album, while vocals will be recorded by producer Mark Lewis (WHITE CHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, CANNIBAL CORPSE). The entire process will be mixed and mastered in the UK by legendary producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, AMON AMARTH).

KATAKLYSM has had one of their busiest years in 2014 supporting their latest gem Waiting for the End to Come. The band started a successful run that started in Australia and Japan a year ago and made its way worldwide to many countries, including some first time stops in places like Brazil and South Africa among others.

KATAKLYSM’s latest record Waiting for the End to Come was released October 2013 via Nuclear Blast records.

Waiting for the End to Come was recorded by guitarist Jean Francois Dagenais and mixed by Zeuss (SUFFOCATION, HATEBREED, ARSIS). The artwork by Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, HATEBREED) is featured on the deluxe digipak and LP versions of their new album, while the cover art by Peter Sallai (SABATON) is featured on the standard jewel case and limited edition cassette tape versions.

More on ‘Waiting for the End to Come’:
“Elevate” music video http://youtu.be/g7Yw1jYMptI
“Fire” lyric video http://youtu.be/ayVOskyUYyk
“American Way” music video http://smarturl.it/KATAKLYSM-TAW-VIDEO
Track-by-track part 1 http://youtu.be/XJLS2OXFDQA
Track-by-track part 2 http://youtu.be/kvd1qBQqYFA
Track-by-track part 3 http://youtu.be/5XmPxczBaJY
Artist profile part 1 http://youtu.be/PYUZayXVDEw
Artist profile part 2 http://youtu.be/hd80YUJ6bsU
Artist profile part 3 http://youtu.be/3A4ZRMyH6yo

KATAKLYSM is:
Maurizio Iacono – Vocals
Jean-Francois Dagenais – Guitar
Stephane Barbe – Bass
Oli Beaudoin – Drums

For more information visit:

www.facebook.com/kataklysm  |   www.nuclearblast.de/kataklysm

Source: Nuclear Blast UK

Kataklysm - Waiting For The End To Come (Album Review)

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

For more information :

www.facebook.de/kataklysm

www.nuclearblast.de/kataklysm