KATAKLYSM - In the Arms of Devastation

By Korgüll the Destroyer - Metal for Supper - The Afternoon Edition - 02/21/2006

Months before In the Arms of Devastation was even written, Kataklysm was going around saying that this album was going to be their masterpiece, their Reign in Blood. Since amount of hype usually has a positive correlation to amount of disappointment, I was a bit concerned. Luckily, I was worrying for nothing. Kataklysm have put together another excellent piece of musical brutality. These local metalheads have further honed their craft. The songs are better written, better produced and overall, more engaging. "Let Them Burn" is one of Kataklysm's best songs to date; "Open Scars" and "Like Angels Weeping" are a few other high points, and the album as a whole is solid. Maurizio Iacono continues to be display one of the best vocal ranges in death metal, ranging from death metal growls to black metal shrieks. Like on Serenity in Fire, I didn’t even realize there was a guest vocalist on the record at first. This time around, it is Kittie vocalist Morgan Lander making the guest appearance and doing an impressive job on “It Turns to Rust”. My one complaint is the three or so minutes of weird clock noises at the end of the album, but that is minor. Reign in Blood it's not, but In the Arms of Devastation is still bound to be one of the best death metal albums of the year.

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