Kataklysm
Shadows & Dust

THE REVIEW

Devastating.
The demonstration of how one can produce a work of unheard violence while maintaining an incredibly high technical level.

After solidifying, with “The Prophecy” and “Epic (The poetry of war),” the well-deserved position they occupy today in the extreme metal scene, the Canadian band Kataklysm returns with “Shadows & Dust,” offering us their unmistakable trademark sound, where the ferocity of Death Core, the captivating melody of the best Swedish Death, and the malevolence of the most inspired Black Metal perfectly come together.

“Shadows & Dust” presents a band in brilliant form.
The rhythm section moves, as always, at heart-pounding intervals, demonstrating, at the same time, incredible agility in alternating shocking blastbeats with more solid, cadenced moments.
The impressive and dark riffing of J-F Dagenais often flows into extremely felicitous melodic openings, thanks to which the compositions maintain an unexpected freshness, thus avoiding falling into the surreal claustrophobia towards which some pieces initially seem to lead us.
Max Duhamel’s drumming strikes with violence and precision, supporting an incredibly thick wall of sound, on which Maurizio Iacono alternates a never-exasperated Growl with the most malignant Screaming.

The title track, “Beyond Salvation,” “Illuminati,” and “Face the Face of War” represent the most engaging moments of the album, even though we are faced with one of those records that are appreciated more for the inspiration and the atmosphere that permeates the entire album than for individual episodes.

It is always with immense pleasure that one welcomes certain works, where you can sense the great professionalism and dedication that precedes the recording, characterized by a production I would say is almost perfect, albeit, for my taste, a bit too clean and Swedish oriented.
I recommend a listen to everyone, although it can be fully appreciated only by ears already accustomed to certain sounds.