Cataract

Kingdom (Metal Blade)
by Martin Popoff

What is one to say? Like the criminally under-rated God Dethroned and Carnal Forge, Switzerland’s Cataract are out there in Europe making metal of a superb quality, using modern toolings, only a smidge of modern styles, anchoring their imposing sound in a complex miasma of death metal movements. Slayer is the obvious platform (with the intro to “On This Graveyard” being quite nearly a direct quote), even if this eight year old, four record band is caffeinated by the impatient high-concept riffing of metalcore and the attendant screaming bloody hair-pulled vocals. Tue Madsen’s production cooks the drums to a hard, dried-out crisp, perfectly tempered for the band’s quick-thrashing sensibilities and their doom-laden King and Hanneman circle-around riffs. Frustrating – one could rate Kingdom an 8 or even a 9, but should, responsibly, hold back due to the band’s inability (unwillingness) to break any sort of new ground, or indeed push forth persona, despite an unarguable sort of thrash perfection.
(www.metalblade.com)