Review by Saxy S for Kataklysm - Goliath (2023)

I came into a new Katakalysm record with low expectations and I'm happy to say that they were painstakingly met because Goliath is incredibly average. Katakalysm's claim to fame on this record is the down tuned guitars, which almost make it sound like it's about to transform into a deathcore style breakdown at any second. And while it does provide the new album with an interesting sound; one that I find to becoming less common in the more straightforward death metal scene, but somehow does not translate well here. There are plenty of moments where the production sounds rushed and sloppy, which might have been forgivable if the record was closer to conventional death or even deathgrind, but this is melodic death and it just sounds like a giant blob. Toss on top of that some very poor mixing and performance execution and Goliath feels more like a time waster than anything of value in modern death metal.

Best Songs: Die as a King, The Redeemer, From the Land of the Living to the Land of the Dead