Canadian death dealers return with their 15th (will you believe it?) full length this summer. It's titled "Goliath" and if the first single is anything to go by, the groove-era persists.



"Goliath" track listing:

01. Dark Wings Of Deception
02. Goliath
03. Die As A King
04. Bringer Of Vengeance
05. Combustion
06. From The Land Of The Living To The Land Of The Dead
07. The Redeemer
08. Heroes To Villains
09. Gravestones & Coffins
10. The Sacrifice For Truth

I heard Maurizio yell "NOOO MOOOORE" and I thought to myself "lies?" and he was like "LIIIIEEEESSSS" - I fucking called it.

JF also playing the same chugs he's played for the last 4 albums or something like that, except OMG HE'S TUNED LOWER SO HEAVY :O :O :O

God damn. This band can literally stop writing new music, mix/match riffs from previous records and call it a new album. At this point they might as well just do that.

Side note - didn't these guys say last year how they were going on an indefinite hiatus, they didn't think there would be a new album, etc.? So much for that, eh?

Whyyyyyy, just keep doing Ex Deo shit.

One of the most useless and bland death metal bands.

Now, for sure. But their early stuff still gets multiple plays from me and is the furthest thing from bland.

When I saw these guys last year they started a "Fuck Trudeau" chant between songs. Total losers on top of writing worthless music.

Isn't Justin Trudeau generally unpopular in Canada at the moment or are they hardcore right-wing assholes? I haven't heard of anything like that about them but let me know if that's the case. Bands spouting off politically isn't unique to Kataklysm though.

Not to turn things too political, but after the initial love affair with Trudeau, sentiment cooled when it became clear he was just another establishment Liberal politician. Occasional scandals around funding and influence have only reinforced that over the last few years. I think a lot of hate towards him is also a result of his slightly preachy speaking style, which has a way of really triggering conservatives.

However, "Fuck Trudeau" has become a popular slogan that is associated heavily with the alt-right and its various brands (trucker convoys, anti-vaxxers, fascists, anti-LGBTQ, etc.). It's basically a dog whistle at this point, while still appealing to people who are just frustrated with Trudeau overall.

So, it's not necessarily a confirmation Kataklysm has bad views, but considering it's a bunch of French Canadian guys who seem to have a giant hard-on for the majesty of ancient Rome, it's not a great look.

Y'know, I've gotta say... this is certainly a song that exists as there are notes used and also instruments being played. Their new album will absolutely be one of the albums of all time.

Can't believe this is the same band that released Temple of Knowledge.

Yeah they don't really have their politics laid out in their rather basic lyrics so I guess they make them clear with rants like that at shows. I agree, not a great look.

The Houde stuff is cool, but after that it's just one nothingburger after the next.

It will be a death metal album, that's for sure.

Yeah I love the first two albums, great shit there indeed. After that it's been a steady downhill, sadly.

That cover is rad but it seems familiar

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps3/60597 ... xes/205287

I don't know why I'm making that comparison.

Wasn't that the game that had the ending in a DLC?

Kinda what I thought - it's basically the same as if someone started a "FUCK BIDEN" chant here, because while he is a useless neoliberal ghoul who occasionally makes superficial performative gestures towards the progressive wing of the party (who by far and large dislike him), the only people who are actually going to say that are the "have I been a good kitten Daddy Trump" morons who really liked having a president who openly endorsed their horrible views.

surprised they are still going. I remember hearing them on college radio around ‘94. I heard their song before I knew the name of the band. I kept saying to myself “what is is garbage? The vocalist is just free forming screeches and grunts. The music sounds like it’s falling apart. It sounds like someone put together a mock death metal band.” Then the host of the show announced the ridiculous song title and I was like “ohhhh, yeah it’s just a joke band obviously.”

Over the years I’ve watched their discography continue to grow and I’m just puzzled who the hell is sitting down with these albums?

On the other hand, they're from Quebec, and Quebeckers in general have a hate boner for Trudeau, even if it's just because of the name. Still strange, however, because he is ultimately a milquetoast PM, and apart from the vaccine/mask mandates stuff, which is mostly righ-wing nuts material, I am not aware that he did something that would warrant a metal show to go into such a rant.

As for their music, I see they're not very popular here. I think they are OK. They make catchy death metal, and each album has at least one song whose melody will stay with you or that you could easily sing along, and these are harmless fun, but they have stopped pushing themselves, and they have lots of fillers. In any case, I prefer them over Ex Deo. I tried and tried to get into Ex Deo, but I just can't.

^

Yep, not really a fan of the over-praised yet ultimately underwhelming Ex Deo either. Kataklysm from their Sorcery (their debut) to about 2004's Serenity In Fire is enjoyable death metal fun for me. It gets really really spotty soon enough and I remember liking bits off Waiting for the End to Come like that Slayer-ish start to "Kill The Elite" and really hating the stupid "Arch Enemy as shitty groove metal" thing they sorta became. They have good melodies strewn through some songs and usually write pretty cool intros before the songs develop into outright stinkers. The aforementioned "Kill The Elite" is a good example.

Obviously not looking forward to this album but it will have 2-3 corkers.

Would it be accurate to say that these guys are the Sabaton of death metal at this point?

This is pretty close to how I feel although back in the day (mid 90s) I was a HUGE Kataklysm fan. Sorcery and Temple of Knowledge were two of the first DM albums I ever owned. Back then a lot of people including myself considered Sylvaine Houde and Lord Worm THE best death metal vocalists around. Then Kataklysm released “Victims of this Fallen World” and the cries of sellout came with the groove/nu metal elements. Prophecy was considered a slight “return to form” and an album I personally love… then Epic and Shadows and Dust which got favourable reviews as a true return to form even though the stylistic change was definitely starting to take shape. After that it’s spotty, I actually really like Serenity in Fire, Heaven’s Venom and Waiting for the End to Come… but the in between albums I really don’t like. It’s weird how hit and miss thery are. The latest single just sounds like Garbo to me though and if they’re doing the fuck Trudeau shit live then they sound like they drank the Freedumb flavour aid and I am no longer interested in supporting them.

Pretty much how I feel. They were one of the bands that I adored when first getting into death metal, and then I really grew out of them and realized that most of it is utter trash with a few cheap thrills that have 0 lasting power. Still some catchy melodies here and there with the odd song that actually does stand as being a good composition, which gave me hope that maybe they'd somehow write a consistently good record, but after Waiting For the End To Come (the last album I'd actually consider good) it was just down in the gutter from there. But even leading up to it, I can't stomach most of their popular albums - I sold my whole collection except for The Prophecy, Epic and WFTETC.

Still kicking myself for selling Victims Of This Fallen World, because I listened to my album rip of it much later and it fucking SLAPS. Seriously, what a goddamn underappreciated album. It's like the modern Kataklysm groove sound, but back when the ideas were still fresh in their infancy (so even the typical "Kataklysm" moments didn't suck), and as juvenile and all-over-the-place as the song structuring is, it's entertaining and sounds like a young band with a ton of heart. It's actually endearing, and just might be my favourite album of theirs.

But don't listen to the re-recording. They killed the spastic nature of the songs with a way too clean and formal production. The shitty, hollow, borderline Breeding The Spawn-type production actually fits the songwriting way better. Plus Maurizio's yelling is funny sometimes. But I'm laughing WITH it, rather than at it. IMMINEEEEENNNNNT!!! DOWN-FAAAAAAAALLLLL!!!

Still gotta give the Sylvaine Houde era a proper listen dive (aside from the collection of songs I've heard) but what I've heard is good. I feel like they're just going to be another band where I yearn for the "good ol' days" and never get them.

Stopped listening to them after The Prophecy from 1999/2000 which was a decent album.

Mmm Nuclear blast-core, can't wait for this uh..i forgot that this band existed

I'd venture to say that a Marvel analogy is due here, I mean the Hulk himself made an appearance on the cover!

I mean....there's NOTES on that one. Not just chugs. Still not enough to save it for me. They literally just swapped riffs beats and lyrics between songs and called them new songs. Ech

The new song's terrible. A song only Soulfly could wish to have written. I hate that the verses are so spaced out with those inconsequential rhythms that just make room for Maurizio's subpar vocal delivery. The song is very vocal-driven but the vocalist sucks.

Eh, it's even a stretch to make this point. In name yes, but only 2 of them are left, and one of them has switched instruments.

The Sylvain Houde stuff is the only one I’ve ever listened to thoroughly. I’ve heard a couple of other songs here and there like Iron Will, but that’s about it.

Looks like somebody’s malding lol

Well that's one way to nuke one's account.

A new Kataklysm album topic is always a good thing, for it reminds me to put The Mystical Gate of Reincarnation to the CD-player

There there, you can cry on my shoulder. It’s ok.

It's amazing how extremely passionate StelioKuntosser (from Chad of all places) is for Canadian politics.

This guy probably doesn't even know what communism actually is if that's what he associates Justin fucking Trudeau with.

Communism is just whenever anyone disagrees with one of these assholes, get with the program, guys.

I love when these threads get derailed by morons who claim we're the ones making everything hysterically political...

I do remember liking some of the old Kataklysm shit. Maybe I should try it again.

The Mystical Gate of Reincarnation and Sorcery are eternally amazing though.

Not sure why they made one of the weaker songs of the album into a single.

Album is good overall. I like the production. The super-low tuned guitars and bass actually work well together. Drums and drum production are a bit meh.