Kataklysm – In the Arms of Devastation

As it turns out, “quality” is the operative term here, as the band’s eighth release is a consistently good listen from start to finish, the adroit mix of melody and heaviness approaching perfection. Consistency is the name of the game, as skipping tracks or shutting the album off at the halfway point are not options. The highlights are many. “Like Angels Weeping (the Dark)” is as strong an opener as you’ll hear on a melodic death metal album: the speed, the weight of the rhythms, JF Dagenais‘ fat ‘n’ melodic chords, and the fist-pumping one-line chorus combine to exemplify what made the best of the early Swedish acts so alluring. Forget about a one-two punch to open the album. How about a one-two-three-four punch? “Let Them Burn” arrives next with another up-tempo rhythm and memorable chorus, this time highlighting Maurizio Iacono‘s superb use of high-register screams to complement his thick growl. “Crippled & Broken” attacks with a slow and ominous pace during the chorus, like an armored division rolling through war-torn streets (it will put a snarl on your face), alternated with bombing run intensity on the main verse. Fooling us for a few moments, the clean picking intro of “To Reign Again” gives way to more pummeling chunk and machine gun rhythms, led by drummer Max Duhamel‘s flawless performance, one that is tight and teeth-rattling. You’ll feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention when Stephane Barbe‘s rotund bass line is heard in all its naked glory.