Review Summary: Solidifying their place as one of the better melodic death metal bands out there at the moment, Prevail continues from its predecessor and hints at something more without truly reaching its potential.
’What the hell. Everybody ends up dead. It’s just a matter of when.’
I feel that there are two different kinds of bands. There are the ones that want to really push the limits of their own creative boundaries, challenge themselves in every release. These bands are often completely dynamic throughout their career, developing different styles and attitudes towards music throughout their releases and ultimately ending up with something unique. On the other side of the spectrum, there are those bands that are more than content to try and become masters of their own genre, sticking to one true style and (hopefully) developing their own identity within that. Kataklysm fall in this group, and their genre is melodic death metal. Are they masters of it? Well,
Prevail seemed set to answer that exact question.
From the opening seconds of the first song, you can tell that Kataklysm haven’t changed, not one bit. Bringing an air of familiarity the opening clip declares ‘What the hell. Everybody ends up dead. It’s just a matter of when’, completely mimicking the opening few seconds of their previous release, Kataklysm quickly burst straight into action with the first song, and it’s a typical song for the band. Headbanging riffs, undeniable groove, huge chorus, furious drumming, its melodic death metal with just the right amount of melody, rather than overpowering it like the majority of the bands in this genre will do. If you haven’t heard Kataklysm before, this opening track will give you a pretty clear impression early on. What they present is a relatively heavy (compared to the majority of the genre) version of melodic death metal, the production is crunchy, giving just the right amount of emphasis on the vocals and the drumming is chaotic throughout.
In this particular genre, it really helps to have your own identity, and Kataklysm manage to do this. Just. Between the splendid vocal performance and mid to fast tempo riffs Kataklysm have managed to mould your typical melo-death into something slightly different, slightly heavier and more memorable. While they have certainly perfected their formula to create this sound, the band is yet to do something truly special. On their last release, they hinted at true brilliance with the breathtaking closer, ‘The Road to Devastation’, fans of the band might have hoped that they build on this to create an album full of such glorious songs, but instead, just as before, the album hints at greatness without ever truly reaching it.
While songs like ‘Prevail’, ‘Breathe To Dominate’ and ‘To The Throne of Sorrow’ are very enjoyable, moments in ‘The Vultures Are Watching’ and ‘Blood in Heaven’ are truly spectacular. But the band cannot find the consistency to make this potential into a whole song, never mind a whole album. The better songs come in the second half of the album, oddly enough just like their previous effort. It again comes to a frustrating end when the second to last track ends up truly wowing at parts, and when you compare other parts of the album to it Kataklysm seem to be simply going through the motions. They are consistent throughout the album, but not to a level that they can (and should) be at by now.
Although this review may have seemed to have suddenly turned negative, it isn’t. Prevail is a great album, full of killer hooks, melodies and epic choruses. While Kataklysm haven’t produced a classic they have managed to make this sound on the whole more epic, more aggressive and yet more controlled than its predecessor. Truly, this does outdo In
The Arms of Devastation in places, and that is no mean feat considering the level which they were on in that album. ‘Blood in Heaven’ is a true monster of a song, which reaches a melancholic level of grandiose that was nowhere to be seen on their last effort, and the previously mentioned ‘The Vultures Are Watching’ is one of the best songs these guys have made. Around these two stand out tracks is a consistent level of quality, Kataklysm really know how to make a good song without any gimmicks, and it wouldn’t be far from the truth to say every song on this album is worthy of at least one listen. In truth, the entire album is one of the better ones in this genre. The vocals are impressive, ranging between a decipherable growl and a piercing scream, there are plenty of memorable hooks and riffs and the drumming is truly impressive at parts.
With Prevail, Kataklysm have answered the question of whether they are the kings of this genre. Unfortunately, the answer is no for now, but they’re not far from being that sort of level. If they raised their game just slightly and managed to achieve the potential they clearly have, then this band could truly create a classic. Prevail is certainly a strong showing, but it’s not quite there yet. They have the potential to create a classic, but at this late stage in the bands career, you can just sense that time is beginning to run out.
I realy liked the album before this so I will check this out, they are comming to grasspop in June anyway!
