Album Review: Kataklysm - Unconquered
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
Few bands remain as consistently ferocious in the death metal scene as Canadian bruisers Kataklysm. For close to three decades, Jean-François Dagenais has led his band with one mission: to flatten all those in front of him with brutal death metal. ‘Unconquered’ is the fifth album since 2010, and the 14th in the band’s solid discography. With his faithful generals Maurizio Iacono and bassist Stephane Barbe both now entering their 22nd year, the only change on ‘Unconquered’ is the arrival of drummer James Payne. And boy is this a change that brings the hammer down. Payne has done his time in such brutes as Hour of Penance and Vital Remains and here his performance is simply mind blowing. This is extreme drumming from one of the best in the business.
It’s been a mere two years since Kataklysm last flayed the eardrums with ‘Meditations’ but from the opening intro on ‘The Killshot’, which builds with military snare and atmospheric tension before roaring out of the speakers with such force that there was a strong change of ruptured ear drums, this is an album that belies the band’s years and challenges any pretenders to the crown. Kataklysm are going nowhere.
‘Unconquered’ is a statement of barely controlled aggression. A furious rage that spews forth with a power that even Kataklysm have rarely reached in the past. Iacono attributes the ferocity to the state of the world, heralding a rebirth of aggression for the band. It’s a positive aggression though with themes throughout the bludgeoning 38 minutes of fighting back and overcoming massive challenges, this is simply highly impressive death metal at its finest.
Iacono is in intense form, his roars moving buildings, and his muscular delivery spars with Wolfheart’s Tuomas Saukkonen on ‘Cut Me Down’ is excellent. Dagenais’s traditional hammer to face riffing is enhanced by his first use of seven strings, adding weight and punch to the Katakylsm sound. Payne’s blistering drumming and Barbe’s pancreas splitting bass lines all combine to provide an uncomfortable yet compelling release. Iacano sums it up when he says that “the music delivers the band’s exact meaning”. Containing much of the pent-up rage that has caused him such anxiety over the years, this is a middle finger to the doubters, critics and to all those creating misery for others.
For long term Kataklysm fans, there is much on ‘Unconquered’ to enjoy. For those new to the band, this is an ideal entry point. The crisp production is superb, courtesy of retired Colin Richardson who Dagenais managed to pull back for a post-retirement fanfare, and there are echoes of earlier Kataklysm classics such as ‘Shadows & Dust’ and ‘Serenity in Fire’. It is technically precise, but with a straining old school feel that should cheer all death metal fans.
