Coronation

Katechon is a Norwegian black/death metal act hailing from the prolific region of Trondheim. The band’s sophomore album, Coronation, was released in June of 2015 by Nuclear War Now! Productions on CD and vinyl. Sporting nearly thirty-five minutes over eight tracks, Coronation is suffocating yet engaging, chaotic yet flowing. Several members of Katechon have spent time in infamous Norwegian acts like Hellstorm, Wallachia and Thorns, but, with their latest album, it seems the band is intent on carving its on history.

Employing a writhing style of songwriting, the tracks seamlessly move from miasmic trem riffing and blasts into swaggering moments of crushing, jagged death metal. Despite the often frenetic change of pace and tempo, the guitars showcase a freely flowing style of play that encapsulates both high speed soirees of fiery yet melodic trem riffing, raucous, heavy handed chords and ethereal moments of sordid wandering without missing a beat. The rhythm section is, surprisingly, able to stand toe to toe with the guitars, as the bass moves through the music like a shade through the fog and the drums constantly switch from rollicking double to blasts, all while showcasing lightning fast fills. The vocals sound like throat scraping, venomous growls of rasped anger, which is quite fitting with the hostile, unsettling sound of the music.

Coronation shows Katechon employing freehand structuring, allowing the flowing trem patterns and rollicking drums to dare the listener to follow the patterns. Despite the abject heaviness of the music, subtle melodies abound in the chaotic swirling, enticing yet malformed. Disjointed leads are worked in, giving a slight glimpse of light from the murk, but are quickly swallowed and enveloped by the rest of the music. The songs are structured quite well, allowing the band’s intricate songwriting to continue for the entire run time without slowing down or collapsing under its weight.

Katechon’s sophomore album is a difficult release to traverse and can take several listens to fully sink it, but the reward for patience is exceptional. This is an extremely heavy and dense album, but the band’s swirling patterns of dissonance and frenetic melodies are superb. While the typical sunglasses and bullet belts style of black/death has its place, Katechon brings something that begins to transcend the genre; something that offers more than just primal aggression.

Written for The Metal Observer.