KATAKLYSM — Unconquered (review)

KATAKLYSM — Unconquered album cover Album · 2020 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Kev Rowland
One thing one notices immediately with this album is the depth and power of the production, which is not at all surprising when one reads the small print and realised that none other than the mighty Colin Richardson has been coaxed into his first death metal album since his retirement. It is hard to believe that this is the fourteenth album from the French-Canadian melodic death metal outfit, and with an incredibly stable line-up (although it has to be noted that since this recording, drummer Oli Beaudoin has left the band to be replaced by James Payne). With two members having been there since the beginning some 30 years ago, in Maurizio Iacono (vocals) and JF Dagenais (guitars), plus bassist Stéphane Barbe has been there for more than 20, there is no wonder that they have focus and know what they want to achieve.

“It’s so aggressive yet at the same time, easy to listen to,” describes Dagenais, and this comes home with the opening number, which apparently was also put out as a single, “The Killshot”. It is massively aggressive, with plenty of downtuned ferocity, yet is amazingly catchy, and this coming together of the two quite different avenues results in something which is deep, dramatic, and intensely powerful. It has been quite a while since I last heard anything from these guys, and the last album I reviewed was 2013’s ‘Waiting For The End To Come’ and they have released two more in between these, and it appears I have been missing out as this is a fun ride from beginning to end. They have long past got past the point of having to prove themselves to anyone, and instead are out to have a blast, and that is exactly what they are doing.

This album does show that they are still continuing to push themselves, with Dagenais saying, “From the ground up, the first demos to the final thing, I didn’t want to have any regrets with this. I wanted to make sure there was nothing left behind, unfinished, no mistakes.” He even employed a 7-string guitar on the album for the very first time, providing that additional element which comes from hitting the chords in a different manner and having additional range. Powerful, and intensely impressive, this is a goodie. 
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

The Goblin Sessions Heavy Metal
THEM
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tormenta De Arena Metalcore
VORAGO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Infinite Metalcore
FUTURE GHOST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Heretic Melodic Death Metal
SUNCINDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like A Life Vest As The Night Wept Mathcore
FRONTIERER
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Future Ghost - Wolves (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Future Ghost - Nemesis Game (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Harrowed TwentyTenVideo
HARROWED
Bosh66· 2 days ago
Sunmancer - Realms of Dilemma (Official Visualizer)
SUNMANCER
Bosh66· 7 days ago
Sunmancer - Lower Cavalier (Official Visualizer)
SUNMANCER
Bosh66· 7 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed