METHEDRAS – Katarsis

“When it storms, it destroys”. The Katarsis album is based on this same sentence, when it storms, it hits, destroys, even kills – but not all the time.

Katarsis is the third release by the Italian based Thrash / Death Metal band, Methedras. Also this release is the band’s debut on their new label, 18 Punishment Records. Katarsis is what you would call rather more Brutal Thrash Metal than Thrash / Death, although there are elements within the music that will slide you towards modern Heavy Metal. Generally, the band’s music, and the album itself for that matter, are influenced by mid 90s Testament like Low and The Gathering. In Addition, there are spits from Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer. With all these mentioned influences, there are modern elements that hold touches derived from modern groovy hardcore tunes. The mix between Thrash and Death / Hardcore (or Deathcore) makes this band’s music angry, aggressive without a shred of mercy – in order to “Slave Your Mind”.

Even if Hardcore is not your cup of tea, you can still enjoy the band’s great music that greets with heavy crushing riffs of gloomy distorted, mayhemic guitars that create havoc as well as well-controlled tempos from hands / feet of an excellent drummer and an undying bass.

What is amazing, regarding Methedras’ music, is that when they turn towards the solo sections, everything changes. The melodies of the solos sound as if the band that composed them is not Methedras yet rather Slayer or another Heavy Metal group. There is even a solo on one of the songs that has hints of an Iron Maiden / Judas Priest-like feeling of the 80s. Under that note, it’s clear that Methedras chose the right way of composing, regarding their solos. Heavy Metal solos have the best edge in comparison to other sub-genres in Metal, they are energetic and even bluesy sometimes.

The remaining role is the vocal line, which was forged by Claudio Facheris. His voice is strong, violent and brutal and he demonstrates low tone growls with conviction – something between Metalcore and Death Metal. In addition, he can stretch his vocal line farther to higher notes with raspy, monstrous tones. However, you might notice that his greatest moments are when he sings in high notes like on: “Mass Control” and on “On My Knees”. These two songs, and other similar parts in others, show that if he had sang this way through the whole album, it would have been better for it.

Katarsis is not the amazing outcome by this experienced band that everything had hoped for. The music is great and the vocals are equal to the task, yet there are occasions where the harmony between them is just unbearable like in :”Mass Control” , which has great brutal music , yet the vocals , in most parts , sound as if they are a gargled bark and it eats up the music. Sadly, this track is not alone in this department.

Highlights from Katarsis: “Mass Control” , “Slave Your Mind” – which took part in W.Y.A.T, “Nightmares” – totally not a Thrash or Death Metal song , more like a Gothic or modern Metal track. It was performed with the help of Lady Godyva from the Gothic Metal band under the same name.