Since 1991, Kataklysm have remained remarkably consistent exponents of melodic death metal. With Singer Maurizio Iacono and guitarist Jean-Francois Dagenais a stable part of the line-up from the outset and bassist Stephane Barbe part of the fold since 1998, it should be no surprise that the band have evolved steadily over the years. Even newest member Oli Beaudoin has been a part of the band for five years now, with ‘meditations’ his third album with the band to date. Such unity pays dividends and the band’s recent albums have ranked amongst the best of their career, 2016’s astonishing ‘Of ghosts and Gods’ even securing the coveted Juno award for heavy metal album of the year. Where some bands may flounder in the face of following up such an achievement, for Kataklysm it was simply a matter of putting their heads together and refining their core sound still further, the resultant ‘meditations’ proving to be a punishing example of Kataklysm at their most brutally focused.
Opening, as is now customary, with a short sample, ‘Guillotine’ sees Oli endeavouring to batter his drum kit into submission, his frenetic double-kick assault driving a song that somewhat surprisingly echoes Slipknot, with the churning, elastic riff of the verse giving way to a memorable, melodic chorus. Maurizio, if anything, has intensified his performance as he spits out the lyrics from between gritted teeth, and as an opening statement, it’s as powerful as they come. The deadly groove of ‘outsider’ is up next with its neck-snapping riff backed by chrome-plated percussion. It’s Maurizio’s percussive delivery of the vocals that stands out most here, and the track is a sure-fire mosh-pit ignition tool. Keeping things short, sharp and violent, ‘The last breath I’ll take is yours’ builds from an angular introduction to suddenly explode into action, veering at the last minute into a crushing, mid-tempo grind that disguises a surprisingly catchy chorus. In contrast, ‘Narcissist’ emerges from a primordial soup of resonating bass and tribal percussion to become one of the album’s highlights. A rather more traditional metal cut with blistering solos, ‘Born to kill and destined to die’ has a Motorhead vibe to it with harmonised guitar work and a punkish undercurrent all combining to savage the listener mercilessly.
One of the album’s lengthiest cuts, ‘In limbic resonance’ appears in a blizzard of double kick noise and blackened riffing. One of the album’s fastest, most extreme outings, Maurizio’s vocals are positively inhuman here, the band matching his vocal-chord-destroying performance with impressive dexterity and power. Another highlight is the evocative mini-epic ‘and then I saw blood’ which, with its stair-stepping chords and dark atmosphere, is as if the band created a metal accompaniment to Game of Thrones – all flickering firelight and crimson blood flowing across the paved courtyard floor. A shorter, nastier slab of death metal awaits with ‘what doesn’t break doesn’t heal’, whilst the slower intro of ‘behind the arc, cut the cord’ disguises the ferocious maelstrom within. It leaves only the monstrous workout of ‘Achilles heel’ to bring the album to a close. A surprisingly elegant and imperious mid-tempo piece, ‘Achilles Heel’ is a perfect summary of the album’s strengths condensed into five short minutes.
Although ‘meditations’ possibly doesn’t improve upon the utterly brilliant ‘of ghosts and gods’, it certainly stands as its equal. Apparent from the outset is the way that the band have so brutally pared their material back – there is not an ounce of fat to be found anywhere on these ten songs and the result is an album that makes its violent mark and disappears before you’ve fully had a chance to appreciate the force with which you’ve been hit. Highlights include the gruelling ‘narcissist’ and the impressively atmospheric ‘and then I saw blood’. With a number of sure-fire mosh-pit fillers and a performance of typically exquisite musicianship, Kataklysm remain masters of their craft. 9
Bonus DVD Notes
A special edition, ‘Meditations’ comes with a DVD that features a complete live concert (complete with interview segments) in which the band play the entirety of ‘Shadows and dust’ and ‘serenity in fire’. The concert, shot in Munich, Germany, is well shot with multiple camera angles capturing the heat and intensity of the performance. The sound mix, sadly, is PCM 2.0 only, but turn it up and it packs an impressive punch, each of the band members captured with impressive clarity. If there’s any slight criticism, it’s the fact that you cannot play the concert without the interview clips which is a shame because, although the clips are interesting, they disrupt the brutal flow of the show and it would be good to have the option to watch them separately. However, it is a generous bonus DVD and a worthy addition to a stunning album.
