The Canadian death metal mongrels Kataklysm are back with a super follow-up to 2004's Serenity In Fire. This new Nuclear Blast release, In The Arms Of Devastation, is a smoldering and brutal example of prime death metal as only Kataklysm can create. Let's face it, these guys have been at it since the early 90's, and time and time again the have come up with a winner. Featuring nine tremendous metal monoliths, In The Arms Of Devastation never lets up for one second, and throws the listener a multitiude of complex and crunchy guitar riffs from JF Dagenais, growling vocals courtesy of Maurizio Iacono, and the insane rhythm team of drummer Max Duhamel and bassist Stephane Barbe.
Whether it be gloomy and pounding numbers like "Crippled and Broken" and "Let Them Burn", or galloping, almost Iron Maiden influenced pieces like "To Reign Again", these guys are masters of their craft. In some ways, I liken their sound to the Polish kings Vader, as Kataklysm manage to combine intricate yet brutal riffs with growls that while extreme are not too over the top. The riffs....now this is where this band really shines. Dagenais lays down some absolutely evil and plodding guitar dirges at the end of "It Turns to Rust" that will send chills up and down your spine, and "Temptations Nest" is just chock full of superhuman crunch-o-rama.
If you have any interest at all in the death metal genre, give this new one from Kataklysm a try. After you do, my bet is you will be quickly searching out their back catalog. No atmospherics, keyboards, or acoustic interludes here, just precision guitar riffs, melodies galore, and take no prisoner attitude. Death metal, through and through folks-all hail the Northern Hyperblast !
Track Listing
1) Like Angels Weeping (The Dark)
2) Let Them Burn
3) Crippled & Broken
4) Open Scars
5) To Reign again
6) In Words of Desperation
7) Temptation's Nest
8) It Turns To Rust
9) The Road to Devastation
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