Canadian death metal veterans Kataklysm have turned another corner in 2020 with their latest album “Unconquered” which sees the band move into a new era with a new sound and more. It’s as aggressive and heavy as they have ever been but is it any good? We took a listen to find out.
The first thing that pops into the radar once opening track “The Killshot” finishes up with it’s building intro is how much low end is now heard in the riffs. That real djenty, modern feel adds to the the overall heaviness of this whole thing and it’s found everywhere on this record, but real noticeable on this killer opener that is an otherwise thrashy beast.
“Cut Me Down” has a perfect combo of the faster paced stuff and the mid-tempo groove stomper that the band do so well on this album. There’s a bit of melody thrown in but the real winner is the dynamics of the song. The real low end stuff comes in strong once again on “Underneath The Scars“, bassy riffs and the energetic nature of this frenetic track doubled with huge breakdowns and furious double kick work towards the end make this a real strong number and we are still fairly early on in the album.
“Unconquered” continues to make use of that wonderful modern guitar sound and tone they seem to have well and truly embraced on this album. “Focused To Destroy You” is a perfect example of a song that really works well with that sound, the groove factor just seems to be stepped up a few notches more than they usually do. Then there’s songs like “The Way Back Home” which while does take a more back beat approach, really hones in on that djenty feel, giving the song a nice bounce. Same with “Stitches” which may be the bread winner here where heads will surely be banging hard on this one.
“Defiant” gives a bit of the old Kataklysm signature style, a bit of a break away from the rest of the album while the final two tracks, “Icarus Falling” and “When It’s Over” take that seperation even further by giving the listener something a bit more on the melancholy side, sombre but dark, melodic but still heavy in it’s own way. But overall “Unconquered” is a real solid album, one of the more aggressive ones Kataklysm have put out in a while and while there’s a new sound to be found here, it’s not going to displace any of the old fans who have by now come to expect things to progress from this now long time metal favorites.
8/10
TRACKLIST
The Killshot
Cut Me Down
Underneath The Scars
Focused To Destroy You
The Way Back Home
Stitches
Defiant
Icarus Falling
When It’s Over
