CoC : Kataklysm - Victims of This Fallen World : Review

Kataklysm - _Victims of This Fallen World_
(Hypnotic, 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (6.5 out of 10)

I am really stuck with how to rate this release. I actually like it more than other Kataklysm releases I have checked out, but in many cases for the wrong reasons. An older release like _The Mystical Gate of Reincarnation_ is an expression of hyper-brutal and fast death-grind which I just happen not to be into. _VoTFW_, however, actually has quite a number of riffs, sections and even whole songs which I like. The problem is that when I analyze carefully what it is I like about these songs, it is their similarity to certain other artists which I find appealing, and not their own individual sound. This applies to "As the World Burns" and "Imminent Downfall", which are -very- Extreme Noise Terror (a la _Damage 381_); "(God)Head", "Embracing Europa" and "I Remember", all of which contain sections which bare -more- than a passing resemblance to (mostly old) At the Gates; "Courage Through Hope" which could -be- on Hypocrisy's _The Fourth Dimension_; and other bits and bobs throughout the album's 52 minutes. The twist which Kataklysm seem to have newly introduced is a groove-metal / Biohazard-type attitude with riffs and lyrics to boot. "Feared Resistance" and "Caged In" suffer most from this invasion of what is oft referred to as bro-metal within the CoC camp. These stylings lead the lyric "ain't nobody gonna save your ass" to appear on "Caged In" and, as a result, their presence is quite inexcusable, though sometimes providing amusement. Overall patchy and certainly not for the _TMGoR_ fans.

Contact: Hypnotic Records, 86 Main Street Suite 401, Town Centre Plaza

(article published 1/10/1998)

ALBUMS
11/10/2013	A El Naby	4	Kataklysm - Waiting For the End to Come
1/25/2004	J Smit	5	Kataklysm - Serenity in Fire
3/16/2003	X Hoose	9	Kataklysm - Shadows & Dust
8/12/1996	A Bromley	9	Kataklysm - Temple Of Knowledge (Kataklysm Part III)

GIGS
5/7/2004	J Smit	Cannibal Corpse / Kataklysm / Gorerotted	All Murder, All Guts, All Fun
9/1/1998	P Schwarz	Brutal Truth / Kataklysm / Solus / The Swarm	True Brutality Under Extreme Conditions