Kataklysm
Goliath


2.5
average

Review

by Vasilis S. CONTRIBUTOR (45 Reviews)
August 12th, 2023 | 33 replies


Release Date: 08/11/2023 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Another stale release from a band that struggles to step out of mediocrity.

Canadian outfit Kataklysm is part of history in extreme metal with more than 30 years of activity, yet their best days are behind them. The band has been consistently indifferent since 2008’s Prevail, as they can’t seem to escape the hole of average / predictable modern death metal they have put themselves in, and their latest work Goliath is no exception. The album’s artwork (done by Eliran Kantor) was a happy surprise compared to the grisly covers of the previous three - four records, but the excitement ends at the door with Goliath.

Everything is squashed and unnecessarily loud, almost as an attempt to trick the listener into thinking like there’s something musically interesting here. Once attention is put on the instruments themselves, it becomes evident that the tracks in Goliath are full of re-played, unimaginative melodies, with only a handful of solid moments. A good riff might arise here and there, for example in “Living the Land of the Living to the Land of the Dead” or “Gravestones & Coffins”, but through most of the rest of the album you’ll hear a watered down version of At the Gates mixed with some current Amon Amarth, low level clean hardcore and an ounce of Lamb of God groove (e.g. in a couple of guitar lines at “Die As a King”).

Moreover, vocals are as bland as the guitars, desperately trying to sound heavy but never really taking off with such unimpressive material. A few tracks are especially bad, such as the opener “Dark Wings of Deception”, the last track “The Sacrifice of Truth”, “The Redeemer” and “Bringer of Vengeance”, which will have the fan of actually hard hitting death metal, scratching their head in distress about what has become of this scene. On the other hand, one fine piece of melodic death metal is “Heroes to Villains”, where more thought has been put on how to make a more engaging composition and generally stands out among fragile songs all around it.

Goliath is not a complete disaster and if you leave it playing while doing the dishes, you might even nod your head along a bit. Upon closer inspection, the album doesn’t have much to offer, and it is yet another confirmation of how Kataklysm are the definition of an average band by now. There’s numerous more worthy older and newer groups going around for you, if you want to feed your soul with some compelling death metal. From this one, you’ll end up maybe picking a song or two and then moving on, as it has been the case with Kataklysm for more than a decade now.



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user ratings (39)
3.1
good


Comments:Add a Comment 
Voivod
Staff Reviewer
August 12th 2023


10946 Comments


-- The band has been consistently indifferent since 2008’s Prevail

Well, I remember fancying their 2015 album Of Ghosts and Gods, and the rating average comes to my defence, as it is equal to the lowest limit for an album with great merit, for Sputnik at least.

That said, there is another album nearing 3.5+ with a lot of votes, so it seems that there are exceptions to the assessment above, and the votes for this album are marginally enough so as to say that this may be an exception as well.

Pikazilla
August 12th 2023


31204 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

of ghosts and gods had some cool tracks, yeah



invictus's album is the best kataklysm we've got since that time





Hawks
August 12th 2023


93728 Comments


I've only ever heard Epic and In the Arms of Devastation by these guys and love them both. What should I czech next???

NexCeleris
August 12th 2023


669 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

They went downhill fast after Devastation. Serenity in Fire still slaps, so maybe give that a try.

NightOnDrunkMountain
Contributing Reviewer
August 12th 2023


845 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

I may have been harsh!



But I really think there's a lot of stuff out there that are worth more our time.

Lichtbringer
August 12th 2023


1224 Comments


"shadows and dust" is easily their best album. the early chaotic stuff is trash and so is the newer stuff.

heck
August 12th 2023


7199 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

is this at least better than the djenty deathcore nightmare that was Unconquered

Pikazilla
August 12th 2023


31204 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

same style save like one track

Azazzel
August 12th 2023


937 Comments


these riffs hit my head like a beachball

mkmusic1995
Contributing Reviewer
August 12th 2023


2028 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

This was not good. This review was good though :D

Space Jester
August 12th 2023


11283 Comments


If anyone hasn’t heard their first two albums or the EPs before that, you definitely should. They were a much more technical and brutal band until their first vocalist left and their early work is severely overlooked

Space Jester
August 12th 2023


11283 Comments


“ "shadows and dust" is easily their best album. the early chaotic stuff is trash and so is the newer stuff.”

Lol

Lichtbringer
August 12th 2023


1224 Comments


lol the early albums are like medium cult classics among die hards. for as awful as they are i'd hardly call them overlooked. sylvain houde had his charm, but that's about it.
further, these guys were never good at their instruments, much less so early in their day. calling that pile of slop technical is absolutely hilarious.

Space Jester
August 13th 2023


11283 Comments


I don’t think I’ve ever seen a comment of yours that didn’t reek of misplaced pretentiousness, keep up the good work bro /m

Casavir
August 13th 2023


5652 Comments


"lol the early albums are like medium cult classics among die hards. for as awful as they are i'd hardly call them overlooked. sylvain houde had his charm, but that's about it."

Arghoslent fan, opinion disregarded

Muzz79
August 13th 2023


3100 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Yeah I didn't get much out this on first spin. Unlike Iacono's other (new) project Invictus (CAN) from last year which hit straight away. That one (Unstoppable) has got more grooves and diverse vocals than this

NightOnDrunkMountain
Contributing Reviewer
August 14th 2023


845 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Haven't heard of Invictus but i will check the project out

ToSmokMuzyki
August 14th 2023


12464 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

katasillism

NightOnDrunkMountain
Contributing Reviewer
August 14th 2023


845 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Seems like you don't like them too

ToSmokMuzyki
August 14th 2023


12464 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off

katasassilism



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