Their press info lists them as a metalcore band, but to lump these Germans into such an oft-hated genre does a bit of a disservice. These Germans play a form of thrash/death/punk with a large dose of early Napalm Death for good measure. So if you do want to put them in the metalcore genre, then it would definitely be the early days of the genre. They have been releasing EPs and full lengths for almost 20 years, and Katharsis is their sixth and most recent full length.

One thing you notice immediately about this album is how damn catchy it is. The lyrics are a gruff shout, and pretty easily decipherable which can make for an enjoyable listen depending on your personal tastes. What that gives you are choruses like the ones found in “Your Rotten Life”, “Hatebomb”, and the anthemic “Old Times, Good Times”. Just try to listen to that track once and not walk away humming it to yourself. While the lyrics aren’t philosophical or groundbreaking by any means, they will worm their way into your brain and hang out there for a while.

The band keeps a pretty steady mid-pace overall, but mix things up by slowing down to a chug to close out title-track “Katharsis”, and wearing their thrash influence on their sleeve with “Vicious Assault”. “The One” sees the band take their closest foray into the death metal realm, sounding like a slower Kataklysm. The drumming is solid, with plenty of skank and d-beats to keep your head bobbing. The guitar work is mostly straight-forward, with a few solos thrown in but they don’t crop up very often. This album is all about groove, and if you don’t come to it expecting too much then it’s worth a spin or two to take a break from all the great death metal that is coming out the first part of this year.

 

 

[Visit the band's website]

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