Cataract – S/T

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Switzerland, although contributing greats like Celtic Frost and Samael, isn’t exactly known as being a hotbed for heavy metal. Underground bands like Disparaged and Brutal God are starting to make some noise but one of the highest profile bands definitely has to be Cataract. Their potent combination of Scandinavian flavored death metal and hardcore has garnered the combo a respectable following worldwide. The past year has brought many changes for the hard working band but none have had the impact of the addition of new guitarist Tom Kuznic. Their new, self-titled album finds the band firing on all cylinders from the first riff assault of “The Separation of Life and Time” to the triumphant conclusion of “In Ashes.” All of the strength comes from the Kuznic and Greg Mäder’s propulsive guitar work. They’ve also left behind a lot of their metalcore-ish tendencies and leaned much more on their death metal instincts which have definitely worked wonders for them.

Vocalist Federico Carminitana’s roar has never sounded as effective with enough clarity in it to make the lyrics distinguishable. His vocals command authority on tracks like “Choke Down” and the more traditional hardcore sounding “Breeze of the Kings.” You also can’t deny his precise cadence which works wonders for the material. The band co-produced the album with the usually reliable Tue Madsen and while they do a competent enough job, it could have benefitted from more of an organic touch in places. Ricky Dürst’s drums sound a bit sterile at times and it would have been great to hear them with a more “live” type of feel. I can’t wait to find a band of this kind actually be brave enough and record in a strictly analog setting. That said Cataract is far and away the band’s best effort. If they can land the right tours, they’ll be turning heads nightly.