Cataract - Kingdom

After an ominous sounding intro, Switzerland's own, Cataract unleashes their 2nd full length on Metal Blade Records and 4th full length 
overall. Not having heard any of this band's past material I'm going on this album alone. However, with what I have to go on, this band sounds like they are a well-oiled machine that delivers with a approach that holds nothing back. While they will be label metalcore for sure with their mixture of metal and hardcore, they seem to set themselves apart from the current pack of metalcore goonies by drawing more on the sounds from the past to compliment their still modern sound. Drawing from the influences of bands like Hatebreed, Slayer (check out the Slayer influenced guitar solo in "Denial of Life"), The Haunted, Pantera, and Bolt Thrower (check out some of the riffing in "Tongues Spitting Hate") this five-piece cauterizes your senses with their brutal attack. 

Musically the band is constantly on the offense with rarely a chance for you to catch your breath. Their mixture of frantic and crushing riffs and pulverizing drumming compliment the violent hardcore/thrash vocals perfectly. This is angry, spit-filled hardcore combined with devastating metal that should appeal to fans on the metalcore fence along with fans on either side of that fence. While this isn't that new and innovating sound that this genre needs, it's a still a good shot in the arm that embraces the better parts of the genre from the past and the present. Add to all of that a great production, cool packaging, and well-written lyrics and you have the complete package. 

Cataract means business with this release and they are proof that there still can be some good come out of mixing hardcore with metal.

Rating: 90/100

Review By: Matt Morrow

Label: Metal Blade Records

Total Songs: 11

Total Time: 41:21

Tracklisting: 1. Kingdom's Rise, 2. War of Cultures, 3. On this Graveyard, 4. Denial of Life, 5. Tongues Spitting Hate, 6. March with your 
Battleforce, 7. Sacrificed for the Wealth, 8. Definition of the Sacred, 9. Legions at the Gates, 10. Unforgotten, 11. For Their Sins.

Best Songs: Tracks 3, 4, & 11.

Band Lineup: Simon Füllernann - Guitar, Ricky Dürst - Drums, Michi Henggeter - Bass, Greg Mäder - Guitar, Federico Carminitana - Vocals.

Band Website: http://www.cataract.cc