Label- Nuclear Blast
Release Date - 11th of August 2023
Words- Chris Fletcher
Things change pretty quickly in the world of music, so for those of us who love our death metal, it is comforting to have a band and formula to rely on. Now twenty-eight years and fifteen albums into their career, Canadian death metal stalwarts Kataklysm are a beacon of consistency for you to hang your battle jacket on. Returning with their new album Goliath, the Quebec four-piece continue their strong run of form that has seen them enjoy a much-deserved reputation as reliable purveyors of brutality.
With ten tracks clocking in at around forty-one minutes, Goliath is a hefty slab of groove-laden extreme metal that sees the band manage to build from their sturdy foundations, whilst also managing to shake it up enough for things to not get stale. Whilst the blueprint is well-established, the band are always looking for new ways to expand upon this. Evidenced by the addition of a seven-string guitar on their previous outing, Katakylsm have locked into a groove and are happy with their place in the death metal scene.
Goliath opens with 'Dark Wings Of Deception', which sets their stall out nicely and lets you know exactly what you're in for, whilst hinting at new aspects to the Kataklysm sound. From here the title track - a sub -three-minute rager - opens with a call to action of "Let's go to war!" before delivering one of the most headbang-inducing riffs of the year. Elsewhere, ninth track 'Gravestones & Coffins' shows the band trade blast beats for stomping four/four beats that help to create an arena-sounding death metal anthem akin to Amon Amarth, before album closer 'The Sacrifice For Truth' rounds things off with a fitting example of everything the band continue to do well.
Tweaking the recipe whilst still managing to sound both fresh and reliable is not an easy line to tread, yet Kataklysm have pulled it off like a finely tuned machine, programmed to keep death metal on track. The band have never had a real breakout moment in the sun, but they continue their run of consistent, groovy and riff-laden metal with a precision that fans of Meshuggah will surely appreciate. This is not the most innovative death metal album of the year, but the band know this and are happy with where they live in a metal scene that should certainly fling more plaudits their way.
8/10.
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