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KATAKLYSM MAINMAN COMMENTS ON BAND’S INCLUSION ON OZZFEST 2010

Ozzfest 2010 will kick off on August 14 in San Bernardino (Ozzfest’s birthplace in 1996) and travel to Chicago, Illinois; Hartford, Connecticut; Camden, New Jersey; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Boston, Massachusetts.  Playing the Second Stage will be none other than Canada’s kings of northern hyperblast, KATAKLYSM.  Frontman Maurizio Iacono checks in about the band’s inclusion on Ozzfest 2010:

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Evig Natt – Darkland (2010)

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After their impressive debut album “I Am Silence” back in 2007 we were left wanting more from Evig Natt, and finally we get “Darkland” this 2010. This Norwegian band debuted combining Black Metal with Gothic/Doom Metal influences in a very unique way, getting them enough attention and acclaim for their first album.

With “Darkland” the band is back with a sound geared towards our favorite trifecta: Gothic/Doom/Death Metal. We completely love this genre, and we can say we are its harshest critics. With only a handful of bands that we discovered in the last few years that are worthy of carrying the banner of the combination of these three genres, we were pretty cautious when reviewing “Darkland”.

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Fall of Empyrean – A Life Spent Dying (2010)

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After a waiting period of 6 years between releases Fall of Empyrean is finally back, with their crushing Death/Doom Metal. “A Life Spent Dying” has been waiting to be released for a few years now, and finally Grau records picked it up for release. The band still plays Death/Doom Metal like in the old days and kills at it.

“A Life Spent Dying” is a pretty decent successor to “A Darkness Remembered”, the band features their characteristic sound crafted with “Anhedonia” with only a few tweaks to make it sound even better. Most of this album is very formulaic; take for example the song “The Air is Still” which showcases every Death/Doom Metal trick in the book. This approach does not reduce the quality of music created by Fall of Empyrean, and take anything from this great release.

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Trollech – Jasmuz (2010)

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All the way from the Czech Republic, today we get Trollech presenting their latest release “Jasmuz”. The band self-labels their music style as “Forest Pagan Black Metal” but we prefer Pagan Metal to sound less pretentious. We review quite a few Pagan/Viking Metal albums every year, and this 2010 we have to say the best so far is Trollech’s “Jasmuz”.

“Jasmuz” like we mentioned is a very solid release that features every single element that makes a great Pagan Metal album. But it’s an extra element in this release that made us deduct several points from our score, some terrible vocals that sound like a troll getting raped by a bear, or something like that. In the first song “Moudrost Kovare” they stick out like a sweater on the beach. And most people will stop listening to this album after they hear them.

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Angmar - Zurück in die Unterwelt (2009)

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For all of us that like our Black Metal with some Melodic aspects to it, today we have Angmar, a French band that would easily be considered a pissed-off version of Alcest. Angmar features magical acoustic/atmospheric passages similar to what Alcest, Fen, Celestia, etc. are doing but with an overall focus on Black Metal.

“Zurück in die Unterwelt” is the band’s second full-length album and a very memorable one. The band kicks off the album with a very hypnotic atmospheric part with backing choruses that sets the stage for the Black Metal assault that is to follow. The whole album varies between melodic sections into full-on BM aural assaults.

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Nominon – Monumentomb (2010)

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For a band that has been around for 17 years, Nominon’s music does not really reflect this. “Monumentomb” features nine sub-par Death Metal songs that pretty much anybody else would have been able to come up with. The band’s old-school Death Metal sound is ok, but it lacks a lot in the creativity department.

Featuring members from tons of other bands, we can’t really point out want is wrong with this release except that is plain uninspired and empty of worthy content. Hailing from Sweden and having tons of great bands around them we would definitely expect more from this band. Another issue with “Monumentomb” is that the production behind it sound very cheap and does not allow the music to shine properly.

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The Vision Bleak – Set Sail To Mystery (2010)

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From the brilliant minds of Markus Stock and Tobias Schönemann we get another mesmerizing release from The Vision Bleak. The band is right back on track, exactly where they left off with “The Wolves Go Hunt Their Prey”. With their bombastic Gothic Metal, this duo has managed to enthrall all fans of the genre with hauntingly brilliant hymns, and they are back with 8 more on “Set Sail To Mystery”.

As with all their previous albums, we get a first hand look at the bands unique world that is highly influenced by Horror movies and literature. The band has worked over the years in creating a demented universe that only true Horror fans can appreciate, and with their characteristic sound, we also have a perfect soundtrack for it.

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