Kataklysm

Biography

Kataklysm was formed in 1991. At the beginning of their career they were mostly known for being one of the fastest, most chaotic metal bands. However, their music changed after Sylvain Houde left the band, and bassist/backing vocalist Maurizio Iacono took over Houde's vocal duties, and full-time bassist Stephane Barbe was recruited.

In 1998, the band released Victims of this Fallen World, an album which was noted as being a change in musical style from previous albums. The following album The Prophecy (Stigmata of the Immaculate), however, saw the band return to its previous style, though less chaotic and with a touch of thrash metal. Following The Prophecy (Stigmata of the Immaculate), Kataklysm's current vocalist, Maurizio Iacono, had vocal lessons for death metal after complaining of losing his voice during or after concerts.

In 2001, Kataklysm released Epic: The Poetry of War, which showed a more melodic approach to death metal. The album never sparked too many sales or was really paid attention to, though it still got relatively positive reviews from those who did pay attention.

In the following year, Kataklysm released Shadows & Dust. The album is seen by Kataklysm members to be one of their most successful albums due to the positive attention it received and the sales it gathered. The album combines melodic elements and the "brutality" of death metal within the same album.

Two years after Shadows & Dust is released, Serenity in Fire is released. Max Duhamel, Kataklysm's drummer, is not present during this album, and is temporarily replaced by Martin Maurais. Martin Maurais still maintains the hyperblast aspect of Kataklysm in Serenity in Fire whilst adding his own touch to it. Serenity in Fire is one of Kataklysm's more drum-intensive albums, where Martin Maurais's skill in "hyperblasting" and the double kick pedal is shown.

Drummer Max Duhamel is said to have been forced out of the band because of injuries. Eventually, Duhamel recovered from his injuries and participated on Kataklysm's eighth album released in 2006, In the Arms of Devastation.

Apart from drummers, Kataklysm's line-up has remained relatively stable compared to many other bands within the metal genre. The band only has one missing original member, Sylvain Houde.

The band released their eleventh studio album Waiting for the End to Come on October 29th, 2013, and their twelfth album Of Ghosts & Gods was released on July 31, 2015.

Music

Kataklysm is well known for their incorporation of movie-quote samples in their music, as well for incorporating some melodic elements into their music, courtesy of guitarist Jean-Francois Dagenais. The band is ranked 7th on AOL Radio's list of the 10 best death metal bands.

Kataklysm is also known for a frequently used drum pattern known as "Northern Hyperblast". The pattern often contains fast sixteenth beats on the snare drum, which are combined with a slow beat on the kick drum. The following example shows an excerpt from The Road to Devastation:

 MIDI example 

Members

Timeline

Discography