Cool cover art aside, I'm having a real hard time fighting the 'been there, done that' doldrums I'm getting while listening to Canadian hyperblast kings Kataklysm's latest release Heaven's Venom. 2008's Prevail was a solid, if unspectacular release, especially seeing as In the Arms of Devastation and Serenity in Fire, the two albums preceding it, were high quality death metal from the Montreal horde. Here on Heaven's Venom, that feeling that the band is just going through the motions is starting to creep back in. Sure, tracks like "Determined (Vows of Vengeance)", "Faith Made of Shrapnel", and "As the Wall Collapses" are pretty exciting, kick ass death metal tracks that hold up pretty well to some of the bands classic material, but there's just too much generic sounding material here, like "Soulless God", "Hail the Renegade", and "Push the Venom", that quite frankly don't differentiate themselves from the countless faceless deathcore acts on the scene. For an established, well respected band like Kataklysm, that's not a good sign.
Lots of raging riffs, jackhammer blast beats, tasty solos, and growling vocals abound throughout Heaven's Venom, which is what you'd expect from these guys, but too many of these songs are just unmemorable and uninspiring. Again, not terrible, just nothing to write home about. Chances are rabid fans will love this regardless, but if you've been following their career over the years and waiting for that next big home run from Kataklysm, this certainly isn't it.
Track Listing
01. Soulless God
02. Determined (Vows Of Vengeance)
03. Faith Made Of Shrapnel
04. Push The Venom
05. Hail The Renegade
06. As The Walls Collapse
07. Numb And Intoxicated
08. At The Edge Of The World
09. Suicide River
10. Blind Savior
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