Remember the first time you heard Fates Warning's Awaken the Guardian or No Exit? Did chills run up and down your spine when John Arch or Ray Alder ripped into their high pitched wails? Did your head automatically start to bang and your fist instantly rise to the heavens to all the intricate and crushing guitar riffage? Well, be prepared for similar reactions once you pop on the brand new release from Salt Lake City's Katagory V, titled Hymns of Dissension. This is their fourth release (on Nightmare Records) and might just be their best. Lead singer Lynn Allers just reels you in from the start of this juggernaut, the first two tracks "Listen to You, Listen to Me" and "Workforce" just killer examples of dark, metallic fury, complete with crushing, intricate riffery, catchy melodies, and Allers' soaring vocal delivery. If these two songs don't get your blood pumping, it might be time to make a doctor's appointment and get yourself checked out!
From there, things keep moving along nicely. "Do Feelings Remain" sees guitarists Curtis Morrell & Marc Hanson churn out riff after delicious riff, while "Lies and Illusions" is just a nasty slice of 80's styled thrash/power metal, featuring tasty guitar lines and some angry vocals from Allers. It's also worth mentioning the tricky, almost fusiony rhythms of bassist Dustin Mitchell and drummer Matt Suiter on this one-the duo work overtime here underneath the crushing riffs from their bandmates, giving the song a very unique flavor. Hints of early Iron Maiden can be heard on the melodic "Apologetic Heart", right down to the splendid dual harmony guitar work and Allers' histrionic & catchy vocals. You get an almost Nevermore meets Fates Warning vibe on the darker "Kings of the Valley", a song that has some great atmosphere and shredding guitar solos. The band jumps right back to grinding, technical metal on "Forlorn Child", featuring some guest growls from Gregg Bock, and haunting, acoustic beauty on "Can You Hear Them", the latter possibly the most chilling and moving piece on the CD. The regular part of the album ends with the bone-crunching "No Matter What", a song that contains some of the CD's heaviest riffs and a snarling vocal performance from Allers.
Hymns of Dissension contains two bonus tracks, the melodic "Enemy", a very melodic Enchant/Fates Warning styled prog rocker with instantly memorable vocal & guitar lines. If the band has tunes like this laying around as bonus tracks, you know you are listening to something special. The other bonus track is "Sands of Time", a real trash metal belter with Allers reaching for the heavens and plenty of wicked guitar work. From top to bottom, Hymns of Dissension is just quality stuff, and this little band from Utah deserves to be heard by classic metal fans of all ages.
Track Listing
1 Listen to You, Listen to Me
2 Workforce
3 Do Feelings Remain
4 Lies and Illusions
5 Apologetic Heart
6 Kings of the Valley
7 Forlorn Child
8 Can You Hear Them
9 No Matter What
10 Enemy [Bonus track]
11 Sands of Time [Bonus Track - 2007 Re-recording]
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