After a long cold winter, spring of 2014 is shaping up to have a killer line of metal shows on the horizon. One of the most exciting tours thus far is the French Canadian metal outfit Kataklysm teaming up with Aborted for a month long excursion across North America. It has been sometime since Kataklysm has toured North America after the disappointment of the cancellation of their 2013 tour with Sepultura. Now with their October 2013 album Waiting for the End to Come completely engraved in the minds of their fans, this tour is super charged and ready to go. On Thursday April 3rd, the ‘Kill The Elite Tour’ kicked off at St Vitus in Brooklyn, NY with special guests Winter Nights and Pyrexia.
Playing on their own home turf, Brooklyn based Winter Nights has been making noise around the New York metal scene. Finding themselves opening for Morbid Angel, Dark Tranquility, and now Kataklysm are impressive feats for a bright young band. They took the stage with force, playing their melodic death metal to a decent showing early on at St Vitus. These guys are full of exciting metal music that more people are finding out about with each big act they open for. Playing one new song off their forthcoming album added some extra juice to the set, and it will be exciting to see the band open another big show in a few weeks for Nile at Stage 48 in NYC.
Next up were Long Island, NY death metal act Pyrexia. Together now since 1990, this band is veteran to the scene, building a strong loyal following over the years. Currently, the band consists of Erick Shute (vocals), Chris Basile (guitars), Shaun Kennedy (bass), and Doug Bohn “Bones” (drums). Fresh off the release of their newest album Feast of Iniquity in 2013, this band was ready to show Brooklyn what they are made off.
Playing an intense sent of fierce death metal, they had many starting to mosh on the floor. Their set was a showcase of tracks off their new album and mixed in some older ones for their faithful fans. Shute added to the intensity of the music, jumping into the mosh pit toward the end of their set, screaming into his microphone at an elevated level. It is no wonder after experiencing a showcase like this many are calling Pyrexia the best kept secret in the New York metal scene.
Raising the ante, up next were Beligum based death metal titans Aborted. Together now nearly two decades, the band has released seven full-length albums and become one of the most well-respected acts in the underground death metal scene. Now set to release their eighth album, The Necrotic Manifesto, April 20th via Century Media, Aborted are looking to devastate once again.
Like a wave of chaotic noise, the band rampaged onto the stage. Vocalist Sven “Svencho” de Caluwé’s thick death growls shook the ground and had the mosh pit in a frenzy. Playing songs off Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done (2003), Global Flatline (2012), among others filled the set up with a variety of fan favorite Aborted thrashings. Giving fans a preview of The Necrotic Manifesto, many of the new songs sounded like some of the band’s most pulverizing to date.
Adding to the fun, the guys in the band showed a great sense of humor joking around in between songs and interacting with the crowd any chance they had. Some fans even stood directly in front of Svencho as if they were asking to be exorcised, and the singer gladly did so in playful yet dramatic fashion. This was a dramatic performance full of excitment. There was even a point where the band pointed out Suffocation guitarist Terrance Hobbs was among those in attendance, which provoked an exciting crowd reaction. As the forty plus minute set came to a close Aborted satisfied each and every metalhead in the room.
After physically draining performances by all bands prior, the time was coming for a shot of adrenaline with Québécois Kataklysm. Having over two decades worth of experience under their belt, this band is known for their “Northern Hyperblast” style and have earned respect as an elite metal force. Consisting of long-time members Maurizio Iacono (vocals), Jean-François Dagenais (guitars), and Stéphane Barbe (bass), the band recently added new drummer Olivier Beaudoin to the mix. Giving the crowd a chance to recoup their energy, by the time the band hit the stage St Vitus was packed to the gills with metalheads ready to erupt.
Kataklysm took the stage with a metal assault of songs like “Prevail”, “Push the Venom”, and the melodic “Like Angels Weeping (The Dark). With this battery, the mosh pit was at a massive size ready to swallow up anyone which got in its way. Iacono’s voice sounded thick and strong, as Dagenais’ crunching guitars resonated through the room loud and clear. There was no let up as the band moved on with songs from their entire catalog including “Like Animals”, new song “Kill The Elite”, and “Fire”.
As the hour plus performance concluded, there was relentless pit moving until the very last note. It was great to hear the band perform such a wide range of music recollecting all the metal damage they have done over the years. With the tour in full swing now, it is safe to say Kataklysm is making up for lost time here in North America with a vengeance.
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