Cataclysm
| Cataclysm | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 Kataklysm live in Strasbourg , 2007 |
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| General information | |
| origin | Montreal , Canada |
| Genre (s) | Death Metal , Melodic Death Metal |
| founding | 1991 |
| Website | www.kataklysm.ca |
| Founding members | |
| Sylvain Houde (until 1998) | |
| Jean-François "JF" Dagenais | |
| Maurizio Iacono (until 1998, since then singing) | |
| Ariel Saied (until 1992) | |
| Current occupation | |
singing |
Maurizio Iacono (since 1998, previously bass) |
guitar |
Jean-François "JF" Dagenais |
bass |
Stéphane Barbe (since 1998) |
Drums |
Oli Beaudoin (since 2013) |
| former members | |
Drums |
Nick Miller (1996-1998) |
Drums |
Jean-François Richard (2002-2004) |
Drums |
Martin Maurais (2004-2005) |
Drums |
Max Duhamel (1993–1995, 1998–2003, 2005–2013) |
Kataklysm (derived from cataclysm is) a French Canadian death metal - band from Montreal , Quebec . A special characteristic of the band are the fast drum parts , which the band itself calls "Northern Hyperblast". Today Kataklysm are among the most successful bands in death metal.
Band history
Foundation and style development
The band Kataklysm was founded in 1991 by Sylvain Houde, Jean-François Dagenais, Maurizio Iacono and Ariel Saied in Montreal . In 1992 they released their first demo recording, Death Gate Cycle of Reincarnation . With this recording they applied to the German music label Nuclear Blast , which the band signed in 1993.
Meanwhile, the group separated from their drummer Ariel Saied, who was replaced by Max Duhamel. With The Mystical Gate of Reincarnation , the band released their first EP in 1993 . Then two more demo recordings were produced and published with Rehearsal and The Vortex of Resurrection .
1995 appeared with Sorcery Kataklysm's first studio album. Like the following albums, this was produced by guitarist Dagenais. In the same year Duhamel had to leave the band at short notice due to knee problems. He was temporarily replaced by Nick Miller. Together with Deicide , Cathedral , Brutal Truth , Sinister and Fleshcrawl , the band then played a tour through Europe.
With Miller, the band released their second studio album Temple of Knowledge and started their first headlining tour, including through Europe.
In 1998 singer Sylvain Houde left the group because he could no longer identify with the music of Kataklysm. His part was taken over by bassist Maurizio Iacono. Stephane Barbe became the band's new bass player. In addition to the re-release of the debut album and the first EP (Nuclear Blast), the third album Victims of This Fallen World and the live CD Northern Hyperblast were released in 1998 on the Hypnotic International label.
In the following two years, Kataklysm released the albums The Prophecy and Epic: The Poetry of War . In the meantime, the drummer Max Duhamel, rehabilitated from his knee problems, returned to the band. After a headlining tour through 19 countries, Kataklysm's sixth studio album, Shadows and Dust , was released in autumn 2002 . The album has since been considered the band's breakthrough album. Iacono and Barbe were mainly involved in the songwriting. With the mix of blast beats , catchy song structures and technically demanding passages, the band had found their current style. On the subsequent tour with The Haunted and Skinless , Jean-François Richard was the band's drummer after Duhamel left the band again for personal reasons.
In spring 2004 the group released Serenity in Fire, the seventh album. Guitarist Jean-François Dagenais took over the songwriting. The drums on the album played Martin Maurais, who was also on the following No More Serenity tour as well as the tours with Danzig , Trivium and Napalm Death . He left Kataklysm afterwards, however, as there was tension between him and the band. His successor was the returnees Max Duhamel, who had been in contact with the band after leaving. After overcoming his personal problems, the band decided to re-enact Duhamel.
First collaboration with external producers
The eighth studio album, In the Arms of Devastation , was recorded with him. For the first time a Kataklysm album was not produced by guitarist Jean-François Dagenais alone. At the band's request, producer Tue Madsen mixed the album with guitarist Dagenais. The album also features singer and guitarist Morgan Lander from the band Kittie and Rob Doherty, former guitarist of the band Into Eternity , who recorded various guitar parts. The cover of the album was determined by a competition worth 500 US dollars on the occasion of the band's 15th anniversary. "Heartbeast", designed by a certain "Tony" from Los Angeles , has been the band's mascot ever since and can be seen on the cover of all subsequent albums.
On January 26, 2007, Kataklysm released their first DVD . It is called Kataklysm Live in Germany / The Devastation Begins and contains, among other things, parts of the live performance at Party.San 2006. The DVD also comes with an audio CD .
Another studio album followed in 2008, Prevail , on which Pat O'Brien, guitarist of the band Cannibal Corpse , and Dave Linsk, guitarist of the band Overkill , recorded some guitar parts. The album was again produced by Dagenais, but this time together with producer Jason Suecof . In the same year the band members founded the side project Ex Deo together with François Mongrain and Jonathan Leduc . In contrast to the aggressive and brutal music of Kataklysm, the music of Ex Deo is rather epic . Both bands performed at a festival for the first time in 2010 at the Way of Darkness Festival in Lichtenfels .
Kataklysm's next work was released in August 2010 under the name Heaven's Venom . It was produced again by Jean-François Dagenais and Tue Madsen. In order to be able to finish the album in time, Kataklysm had to cancel a planned appearance at the Wacken Open Air . After the album was released, the band played at Ozzfest , on a tour with DevilDriver and on the festival tour Neckbreaker's Ball . Kataklysm also received an award at the Winter Freeze Festival in Stuttgart for their 15-year collaboration with their label Nuclear Blast.
In 2011 they made up for the appearance at the Wacken Open Air that was canceled the previous year . On August 19, 2011 they played a special show for the 20th anniversary of the band at Summer Breeze . This concert was recorded and will be released as a live DVD.
Surname
The band's name is derived from the word cataclysm ( ancient Greek . Κατακλυσμός , lat . Cataclysmos ) and is in the booklet of the album Serenity in Fire declared itself follows from the band:
“[A] monomentous and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition; broadly: an event that brings great changes, the end of the world as we know it. "
“A tremendous, violent event that is characterized by fundamental upheaval and destruction of everything that exists; in a broader sense, an event that brings about great upheaval; the end of the world as we know it. "
style
music
Kataklysm play Death Metal , which is mainly characterized by aggressive drum and melodic guitar tracks. They themselves often describe their style as "Northern Hyperblast", a modification of the blast beat , whereby continuous sixteenth notes on the snare drum , sometimes combined with a slow rather than the typically fast-played bass drum , are typical.
In the following example from The Road to Devastation , the bass drum plays slow quarters, plus eighths on the cymbals :
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Kataklysm's blast parts are often compared to those of bands like Cannibal Corpse, Cradle of Filth and especially Morbid Angel . Another striking feature is the vocals of singer Iacono, which both screams and growls , and is often described as extremely variable.
The guitar plays a mix of easily catchy, very melodic parts and hard riffs . Therefore they are often compared with bands like Amon Amarth or Bolt Thrower from this point of view . Kataklysm deliberately refrain from using a second guitar, as the band only sees itself as a quartet . Instead, they try to improve the sound through production so that it sounds like two guitars. When asked about a second guitarist, singer Iacono replied in an interview:
"[...] that [wouldn't] feel like a cataclysm. In my opinion, Kataklysm boils down to four people. We feel very comfortable as a quartet and we are very happy that JF [Jean-François Dagenais] as producer can also work on our sound so that it sounds like two guitars. "
Another characteristic of Kataklysm are the samples from films that have been heard as an intro at the beginning of every album since The Prophecy . Right from the start they make clear the message the band wants to make with the album. For example, Serenity in Fire begins with the words:
"This is the life we chose, the life we lead and there is only one guarantee ... non of us will see heaven."
"This is the life we chose, which we lead and in this life there is only one guarantee ... none of us will go to heaven."
The intro of the album The Prophecy is from the feature film Dark City , while the intro of Epic: The Poetry of War is from the horror film Hellraiser IV . The sequel Shadows & Dust has its intro from the movie Gladiator , the above quote from Serenity in Fire comes from the movie Road to Perdition . The quote "Revenge is a meal best served cold" on the album In the Arms of Devastation comes from the movie Man on Fire . The sample for the album Prevail comes from the movie Last Man Standing , the sample for Heaven's Venom from the movie Rocky Balboa . The sample from "Of Ghost's and Good's" comes from the movie "Exodus"
Development of the musical style
The first four albums are melodically far less pronounced and more death metal than their successors. The album Victims of This Fallen World , for example, contains more grindcore- heavy parts. On this album, however, there were experiments with slower pieces and instruments that were rather untypical for Death Metal. A keyboard is used in the song Extreme to the Core and a violin can even be heard in the song I Remember .
On The Prophecy , besides the very fast and precise “Northern Hyperblasts” and the mostly aggressive guitar riffs, significantly more melodic parts come into their own for the first time. The hyperblasts are not reduced, but no longer come to the fore as before. This mixture of brutal and melodic parts has shaped the band's music ever since. The following albums keep this mixture, the music remains very aggressive and death-metal-heavy.
The album In the Arms of Devastation contains much quieter tracks, in which the "Northern Hyperblasts" are much more moderate. In addition, influences from Thrash Metal can be seen on the album .
Prevail again contains more aggressive drum parts than its predecessor, but slower and quieter pieces can also be heard on this album. In addition, effects are used in some places in the singing and some songs contain spoken passages. Furthermore, the album contains riffs that are typical for classic heavy metal and hard rock .
The 2010 album Heaven's Venom is more melodic than its predecessor and features virtuoso-sounding guitar solos. Furthermore, singer Iacono speaks of "epic parts" on the album.
Texts
The texts of the first works, such as The Mystical Gate of Reincarnation , which were written by the former singer Sylvain Houde, among others, contain occult themes. The more recent works mostly deal with the abysses of humanity, with which the band deals with social criticism. The war issue often plays an important role. The albums Epic: The Poetry of War and Shadows & Dust in particular are concept albums that deal with the subject of war and its historical significance. An example of this is the title Crippled & Broken , which singer Iacono comments as follows:
“In particular, it's about the Vietnam veterans from the sixties who came back from the war and whose brains were ruined by the war and who are only mentally cripples due to this fact. The sad thing is that the US government doesn't lift a finger to help these people. After all, they sacrificed their lives for their country. "
Another important theme in the Kataklysm texts is death . The main message of many texts is that people should conquer the fear of death and accept it as a given in order to have a full life. Above all, the album Prevail puts the thematic focus on this. In the eyes of the band, accepting death does not happen with the help of religion , which is rejected by the members of the band, who call themselves atheists . Max Duhamel commented on this in an interview:
“In my opinion, religions were created to control people. That worked well in the past and is still going on today. "
Further topics are historical events and the current situation of the metal scene .
reception
Kataklysm are due to their varied, melodic music as one of the most successful bands in death metal . In the music magazine Metal Hammer they are referred to alongside the bands Amon Amarth and Cannibal Corpse as part of the "holy trinity of death metal of the last ten years".
In many of the reviews, the criticism is also good. The mix of aggressive and melodic music is particularly praised here. The online magazine whiskey-soda.de writes about the band:
"Bands like Kataklysm (are there any that play at a similarly high level ???) show that Death Metal is not to be equated with annoying noise without melodies."
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Metal Hammer there was an internet vote for the “greatest death metal song of all time”. Kataklysm made it to number nine with the song In Shadows and Dust from their album Shadows & Dust .
Special connection to Germany
Kataklysm have a particularly good connection to Germany. In an interview, Max Duhamel stated:
“The German fans mean everything to us. Germany is like a second home for us. [...] You can feel so much passion for our band - that's just unbelievable! "
One of the reasons for the good relationship is the band's support by the German label Nuclear Blast, which meant that Kataklysm was able to build up a loyal fan base in Germany very quickly. This is why the band is on tour particularly often in Germany and even released the live album Live in Germany in 2007 : The Devastation Begins .
In addition to the album Heaven's Venom, the bonus title Das Feuer Leben was recorded , a thank you to all fans in German-speaking countries. The chorus of the song is sung in German, while the verses are in English.
Band members
- Kataklysm, live at With Full Force 2018
Singer Maurizio Iacono
Guitarist Jean-François Dagenais
Bassist Stéphane Barbe
Drummer Oli Beaudoin
Discography
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Demos
- 1992: The Death Gate Cycle of Reincarnation (in-house production)
- 1993: Rehearsal (in-house production)
- 1993: The Vortex of Resurrection (Nuclear Blast)
Albums
- 1995: Sorcery (Nuclear Blast)
- 1996: Temple of Knowledge (Nuclear Blast)
- 1998: Victims of This Fallen World (Hypnotic Records)
- 2000: The Prophecy (Stigmata of the Immaculate) (Nuclear Blast)
- 2001: Epic: The Poetry of War (Nuclear Blast)
- 2002: Shadows & Dust (Nuclear Blast)
- 2004: Serenity in Fire (Nuclear Blast)
- 2006: In the Arms of Devastation (Nuclear Blast)
- 2008: Prevail (Nuclear Blast)
- 2010: Heaven's Venom (Nuclear Blast)
- 2012: Iron Will (Nuclear Blast)
- 2013: Waiting for the End to Come (Nuclear Blast)
- 2015: Of Ghosts and Gods (Nuclear Blast)
- 2018: Meditations (Nuclear Blast)
Live albums and compilations
- 1998: Northern Hyperblast Live (Hypnotic Records)
- 2004: Northern Hyperblast / Victims of This Fallen World (Hypnotic Records)
- 2007: Live in Germany: The Devastation Begins (Nuclear Blast)
- 2011: Summer Breeze Open Air (Nuclear Blast)
Singles and EPs
- 1993: The Mystical Gate of Reincarnation (Nuclear Blast)
- 1994: Vision the Chaos (Boundless Records)
- 2008: Taking the World by Storm (Nuclear Blast)
- 2010: Cross the Line of Redemption (Nuclear Blast)
- 2010: Determined (Vows of Vengeance) (Nuclear Blast)
Music videos
- 1996: The Awakener (Temple of Knowledge)
- 1996: Beckoning of the Xul (Temple of Knowledge)
- 2001: In Shadows & Dust (Shadows and Dust)
- 2004: As I Slither (Serenity in Fire)
- 2006: Crippled & Broken (In the Arms of Devastation)
- 2006: To Reign Again (In the Arms of Devastation)
- 2008: Taking the World by Storm (Prevail)
- 2008: Blood in Heaven (Prevail)
- 2010: Push the Venom (Heaven's Venom)
- 2011: At the Edge of the World (Heaven's Venom)
- 2012: Iron Will (Iron Will)
- 2013: Elevate (Waiting for the End to Come)
- 2014: The American Way (Waiting for the End to Come)
- 2015: The Complete Album (Of Ghosts and Gods)
Web links
- Official website
- Kataklysm on MusicBrainz (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c whiskey-soda.de: CD review: Heaven's Venom ( memento of the original dated December 2, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 13, 2011.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i metalnews.de: Interview with Maurizio Iacono , accessed on March 17, 2011.
- ↑ a b whiskey-soda.de: Review of The Prophecy ( Memento of the original from October 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 25, 2011.
- ↑ a b History of Metal Part 1 . In: Metal Hammer , April 2011, p. 32.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j laut.de: biography of the band Kataklysm , accessed on March 17, 2011.
- ↑ a b c The wrath of the master. In: Metal Hammer , September 2010, p. 74
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i heavyhardes.de: Interview with Kataklysm , accessed on March 17, 2011.
- ↑ a b c d vampster.com: Interview with Maurizio Iacono , accessed April 10, 2011.
- ↑ a b c d e powermetal.de: Interview with Maurizio Iacono , accessed on April 9, 2011.
- ↑ a b c d metalnews.de: Interview with Max Duhamel , accessed on March 21, 2011.
- ↑ a b c d e f g metal.de: Interview with Maurizio Iacono , accessed on April 9, 2011.
- ↑ a b c d e stormbringer.at: Interview with Maurizio Iacono , accessed on April 10, 2011.
- ↑ News . In: Metal Hammer , July 2010, p. 11.
- ↑ Kataklysm: Wacken confirmation and Summer Breeze special! ( Memento from February 12, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b c d vampster.com: CD Review: Serenity in Fire , accessed April 12, 2011.
- ↑ a b c d e f g vampster.com: CD Review: Shadows & Dust , accessed April 12, 2011.
- ↑ a b c vampster.com: CD Review: In the Arms of Devastation , accessed April 12, 2011.
- ↑ a b c metal.de: CD Review: Serenity in Fire , accessed on April 12, 2011.
- ↑ a b c metal.de: CD Review: Shadows & Dust , accessed on April 12, 2011.
- ^ A b metal.de: CD Review: In the Arms of Devastation , accessed on April 12, 2011.
- ↑ a b c metal.de: CD Review: Prevail , accessed on April 12, 2011.
- ↑ a b c d vampster.com: CD Review: Heaven's Venom , accessed April 12, 2011.
- ↑ whiskey-soda.de: CD review: Prevail ( Memento of the original from October 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 13, 2011.
- ↑ whiskey-soda.de: Review of Serenity in Fire ( Memento of the original from October 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 25, 2011.
- ↑ Man on fire in the IMDb
- ↑ a b metal.de: CD review: Victims of This Fallen World ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 22, 2011.
- ↑ metal.de: CD-Review: Epic ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 22, 2011.
- ↑ a b Presentation: Prevail . In: Metal Hammer , April 2008, p. 23.
- ↑ Poison and Bile . In: Metal Hammer , August 2010, p. 11.
- ↑ rockhard.de: Interview with Maurizio Iacono ( Memento of the original from June 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 25, 2011.
- ↑ whiskey-soda.de: Review of Shadows & Dust ( Memento of the original from October 25, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 25, 2011.
- ↑ Death Metal Special . In: Metal Hammer , October 2009, p. 14.
- ↑ Chart sources: DE AT CH
