Customer Reviews

Serenity in Fire

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This album took me by surprise to say the least.I was expecting run of the mill death metal with insanely fast drumming,which sounded ok.As soon as I listened to Serenity In Fire,it just blew me away with its sheer diversity.There is a strong black metal influence in several songs such as "For All Our Sins" and "Under The Bleeding Sun",and there are songs like "As I Slither" and "The Night They Returned" that are very rhythm oriented,which is going to make these songs very brutal when played live.The drumming on this album is mind blowing,and it sounds like a machine gun very frequently.Even people who don't like metal,much less extreme metal have dropped their jaws at the speed of the drumming.The drum production is too clicky,but when the music is this good,production doesn't matter.Kataklysm have really stepped up on this release and shown their superior songwriting skills.Every song is memorable and never fails to keep your attention.Where as I had seen Kataklysm as extremely overrated before this album,now I have a newfound respect for them.Serenity In Fire is easily one of the best releases of the year,and is an essential purchase.I'd even go as far as saying that this would be a great introduction album to real extreme metal for those Nu metal idiots.It has great songwriting skills but still rips your face off at the same time.Get this album now!!!

This is my first Kataklysm album and it won't be my last. I usually hate death metal that has a deep monotone voice but kataklysm's is tolerable because you can still understand what he says. Plus, there is plenty of higher pitched death vocals to accompay this although it does sound like an angry affleck duck. But the standouts here are the guitar and drums.

Some of the most slick, most catchy guitar riffs i've ever heard are presented on this album. Somehow, their player plays this stuff and keeps it memorable. The riffs are not that brutal at times, adding a hint of melody to it. The drummer is great, some of the fastest double bassing i've ever heard. He adds a very very strong back bone to the music and adds to the heaviness to the songs.

The lyrics are not up to even death metal standards and some of the songs are too short. If they would flesh things out some more, they would be truly great band. All in all, top notch death metal, go buy it. the title track is one of the best death metal songs i've heard.

There are certainly more innovative and unique-sounding bands out there, but you'd be hard pressed to find one that has mastered the craft of brutal yet simultaneously melodic death metal better than Kataklysm. Their seventh studio album, 2004's "Serenity In Fire," finds the perfect equilibrium between musicianship that's nothing short of impeccable, honest-to-god catchy hooks, heavy and melodic riffs, contagious grooves, upper and lower-register vocals (a la Deicide's Glenn Benton), completely blown-out, grindcore- worthy chaos, and slow(er), fairly restrained tempos. The result is ten intense, urgent, and energetic (though never wild or out of control), super compact, and exceptionally memorable songs which are wound tighter than clocksprings, but also always manage to retain a concerted accessibility and easy-to-digest quality.

Track three, "As I Slither" (the album's lead single and video), is about as catchy a song as you'll ever hear in death metal (just try to get that spine-tingling chorus out of your brain!), and "For All Our Sins," a blistering, thrashing punch to the throat with vocal tradeoffs between Kataklysm mainman Maurizio Iacono and Hypocrisy's Peter Tagtgren, are two of the biggest highlights on hand here. Later on, "Blood On The Swans," which boasts crunching, groove-oriented guitars and an awesome, insanely fast and furiously crushing ten-second long drum solo that sounds like a jackhammer on steroids (trust me, this is one for the ages), and "Under The Bleeding Sun," which is bolstered by strong, churning riffs, black metal-lite vocals, and an unexpectedly great, blazing melodic solo, are also killer cuts. Elsewhere, set opener "The Ambassador of Pain" interlocks hooky, punching riffs with machine gun blast beats to create a very propulsive and punishing rhythm, and also includes a memorable, shout-worthy chorus; and "The Resurrected" and "10 Seconds From The End" are noteworthy for their excellent crescendos -- they repeatedly build from blinding blasts to fiery, mid-tempo thrash riffs and back again.

The main drawback to "Serenity In Fire" is its mechanical, often-borderline-robotic musicianship. Plus, as mentioned before, Kataklysm have never been the most original band out there, so most listeners will probably get the feeling that they've heard it all before. Shortcomings or not though, this is another accomplished, enjoyable, and satisfying release from these Canadian hyperblasters, thus making it a perfect fit in their discography, and a worthy addition to every metalhead's record collection.

If you liked Kataklysm's last album "In Shadows and Dust" then you are going to love this one. At first listen, this album doesn't sound quite as good as Shadows but after more listens you can hear the overall improvement in Kataklysm's music. Their drummer is still one of the fastest drummers in death metal, and the singer has gotten even better. This singer does some of the best growls, high pitched screams, and he even experiments with new kinds of singing on this one. Pretty much every song on this album is incredible, and the intensity never dies down. In the early 90's bands like Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel were the best bands you could find. However, these bands are getting older and not as good as they used to be. If you want a band who is still putting out 5 star classic death metal albums, a death metal band who is the wave of the future, not of the past, then I suggest you pick up this as well as any other Kataklysm CD. -I-

I've got Kataklysm's last 3 cd's and as much as i like them there just seemed to be something missing, like a song here or there that didn't fit that felt like filler, or something, well this cd will go down as there pinnacle, this is there Master or Puppets, or slaughter of the soul, you get where i'm going with this, I love every fricken song on this Cd, this Cd is killer, My vote for Metal Cd of 2004 and it's only march, i'm babbling now so stop reading and just go buy it.

I like death metal, sure, but this album really has little worth. The lyrics have little variation in themes (pain, killing, being better than the rest) and I can only hope they were written after and secondary to the music.

Unfortunately, there's nothing fantastic about any of the guitar work, either. Martin Maurais is the only reason I give this album any sort of credit. I saw Kataklysm open for Cannibal Corpse and Napalm Death, and Martin played flawlessly, including when he did a lengthy and faster-than-light drum solo. The man is amazing, and I can only hope Kataklysm is some sort of temporary gig until he gets to where he belongs.

If you're looking for sick guitar solos and technical playing, Kataklysm and "Serenity in Fire" probably aren't the way to go. This album might be good if you just want some constant growling in the background while you're doing other things.

Kataklysm has been for years the Death Metal Gods. Kataklysm and bands like As I Lay Dying and Mudvayne have been changing music for years. But the new Serenity in Fire CD will just blow your mind. Its highly regarded by any one who has evey rode in my car. Even people not that into metal. As soon as song one starts your body feels like it is being almost lifted and you glide with the music. Then when the CD is over you feel yourself coming back down. But Kataklysm stands alone as the number 1 in my book for now.

In my opinion, this is one of Kataklysm's most devastating albums ever. Great job guys. i heart this album. Kataklysm forever

Killer guitar riffs, chaotic drums-blast-beats, awesome vocal work, are the ingredients for a great melodic-death metal album with blackish influences. If you like the technique, the loud sound, the high speed drums and the Death Metal in general, you need to buy this album.

There is not really another band out there that I can compare Kataklysm to. Very fast, but not to the point where it doesn't sound like music. Same with the drums, very fast but not to the point that it sounds like a bunch of marbles falling on a drum. A must check out for any metal head. Best song in my opinion is "Blood on the Swans".