Random Earworms VIII – Kataklysm – Prevail
6 min read
Firstly, I want to say that this band hails from Canada. I’ve never seen them live and for that I’m mad because, they are a kick-ass death metal band due the respect and appreciation for all they’ve done to forward the Canadian metal scene. “Prevail” is their 9th studio album out of 13, with their 14th album “Unconquered” soon to be released in September 2020. As I also hail from Canada, I am stoked to be hearing and giving the readers a look at one of the long standing bands in Canadian death metal. Kataklysm began in 1995 with first album “Sorcery” and has been letting the world know since then that they deserve to be heard. 🤘
Band: Kataklysm
Title: Prevail
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release date: 23 May 2008
Country: Canada
Metal Marie
All the tracks, carry the death metal vocal style, with that guttural growl that comes from their feet, or hell, I’m not sure where, but I like it! Clever lyrics, dealing with a battle theme of mind, especially in first track, “Prevail”. The second track “Taking the World by Storm” I really enjoyed with the ongoing refrain “overcome the pain, take away the fear, kill the voice inside, kill the lie, Kill the lie, I will conquer this lie…” read more As I listen to the whole album I got right into it. Their sound conveyed a thrash style guitar riff too which solidified and got stronger throughout the album. Also, a melodic touch to their vocals from time to time. Awesome body of work by this band. I will be going through their discography to discover more about them. Jammerfal’s rection: For many metalheads and myself included, Kataklysm is one of those bands that we know are there. We know it, we have heard it and we have seen it there or here but we hardly ever give it the importance and value that this band has, especially for Canadian metal. Although “Prevail” has not been one of the best Kataklysm works, it is an album that I like, creating a good feeling when listening to it, and most importantly, it does not bore me. Tom’s reaction: Another Random Earworms and another band I’d never heard (I think the name is familiar, but I didn’t really know what to expect). I guess you might call this Melodic Death Metal. There are moments, such as on “Taking The World By Storm” where I’m reminded of “Death Magnetic” era Metallica (but with growling vocals). Elsewhere, as on parts of “Blood in Heaven”, there’s a bit of the stomp of “Where The Slime Live” Morbid Angel, but in amongst these moments the music is often much more melodic. Proua Metallist’s reaction: Ok, so it’s time to make a confession. I know that Kataklysm are North American death metal giants, but I have never listened to this band, not even once. I’m not entirely sure why I’ve never given them a shot, although at the risk of sounding like an egghead, I suspect that I have subconsciously avoided them because of the intentional misspelling in the band name, of the word Cataclysm. I believe that this literary device is called ‘sensational spelling’ and it’s something that I find mildly irritating. So with that slightly embarrassing admission out of the way here are my thoughts on Kataklysm’s 2008 offering “Prevail”. read more Firstly, the band’s overall sound is close to what I had anticipated from a high-calibre death metal band from this region of the world, but with much more of a melodic death feel than I had expected. There is certainly no denying the talent of each of the members, there’s plenty of clean, fast drumming on offer, solid riffs, and brutal vocals. The band has a strong, cohesive sound, however I felt that there was just something missing. I can’t pinpoint what that was exactly, but for me the album just felt a bit generic. The themes and lyrics were also quite unremarkable and lacked any real depth. There were however a couple of tracks that stood out from the rest: “Blood in Heaven” and “To the Throne of Sorrow”. The Key Keeper’s reaction: Well… To start I have to say this… The last album I heard from this band was the “The Prophecy (Stigmata of the Immaculate)” and that was in 2000 when the album was out. After that, I remember to see the announce of future albums and album covers but… Didn’t listen to. Why? I don’t know why don’t ask me now cause I simply don’t remember. lol read more “Prevail” is very different from that time. Yes, it is… Where is the brutality they used to have? Those crazy and frenetic riffs with a strong and hated voice? Oh my… That are so different, at least to me. They look one Melodic Death Metal band that came from Sweden mixed with a lot of groove. Nothing against, I like some Melodic Death Metal and there are plenty (not to say many good bands playing this style). I’m just comparing their sound with the old days. It’s true that sometimes the old and crazy riffs mixed with the blast beats appear here and there… “Prevail” is not a bad album, to be honest. In fact is a good album, but my head/feet/ears/feelings are a bit… Surprised/mixed/confused with the change even if in the “The Prophecy (Stigmata Of The Immaculate)” the groove was already there but only a bit… Even if my mind/body is struggling to accept the change I say again, this a very good album. And thank you, Metal Marie, if you didn’t choose this album probably I will never hear it. Truly Yours, **Please support the underground! It’s vital to the future of our genre
I will say, I’ve heard much more brutal death metal vocals, but each band has to be true to their own direction and unique take on their music styling.
They have been active since the ’90s and have done a lot of high-quality work. But the fact that they are not in the United States already leaves them a little hidden from the radar, although not so much.
This band knows what they’re doing and they do it in a great way. They have a brutal quality and this 2008 album “Prevail” proves it. Released after a storm of albums, this becomes their ninth album and their sound matured, polishing details and creating a style that characterizes them and makes them different from the rest. read more
The album graduates the duration of the songs placed in sequence, going from shorter to longer and ends up being an enjoyable 44 minutes of melodic death metal.
What you are going to hear here is fantastic speed and technique, with a stunning drum work, guitars that invoke the most powerful storms and a solid vocal display. The bass can be perceived doing its thing in terms of composition and production, this album sounds great. Perhaps for me, the guitar lacks more prominence, I would like to listen to more solos and I prefer the well-achieved melodies throughout the album.
Certainly the beats and riffs are always heavy. There’s a lot of rappid, battering drums throughout. Although the vocals are in a growled Death Metal style you can generally actually hear what’s being sung. read more
For my tastes when it comes to Extreme Metal I prefer things a bit more fucked up, whether it’s with schizophrenic shifts in riffs and rhythms or just more dissonance. This music doesn’t sacrifice the heaviness for the melodic elements that form a big part of the music, but it’s not really the kind of thing I would choose to listen to myself
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