I only paid any attention to the news that there’s a new band called Kataan, coming with a self-titled debut EP only because of their connection to Astronoid. Kataan is a duo comprised of Brett Boland (Astronoid vocalist and rhythm guitarist) and Nicholas Thornbury (former vocalist and guitarist for Vattnet). Having a lot of love for Astronoid I decided to plop Kataan on my radar and am I glad I did. I mean sure the first single, “Abyss”, lured me right in and I was practically sold on the entire deal.
The apocalyptic/dystopic imagery and themes are rife throughout the record, initially surfacing through the cover art and being fully fleshed out by the lyrics and the adjacent tunes. Dark, harrowing, and bleak as the entire package may be, there’s something different and highly alluring about the delivery. There’s something pensive and weirdly nostalgic about the explored moods and atmospheres. I guess that my fascination with this feeling of nostalgia for things that never happened is a good part of why I’m so inextricably drawn to the whole affair.
A part of this allure and that nostalgic feeling is owed to what I’m feeling through the second minute of “Abyss”. The cavernous howling and shrieking standing against massive catchy percussive grooves, the distant soaring clean vocals belting above all and receding back into the nether from where they arose. That whole mood is something I desperately crave in music of this kind and I ravenously devour it whenever it comes across my path.
The almost noisy, wall-of-sound styled layering that’s strongly reminiscent of post metal is seamlessly blended with the stripped-down approach to a blackened death metal foundation and it works wonders. The simplistic approach to building individual layers, which are loose and gritty and carefully overlapping them for maximum impact is splendid.
There aren’t any fireworks, or wild things going on. It’s practically all expanding on what I described so far. The mood and atmosphere though are highly consistent and as compelling and authentic as it gets. It’s addictive and I owe that to the nigh meditative character of the delivery. There’s something almost metronomic about the flow of the record, which makes for a truly enthralling experience.
While the EP is rather brief, clocking in at a modest twenty-one minutes, split into just four tracks, it is densely packed and hits hard. There’s not even a split second during which I’d wish anything was happening differently. I think I played this on repeat at least a couple of dozens of times without feeling any sense of fatigue or boredom.
I am very psyched to see where Kataan goes next and how their first full length album will look like. I am quite certain it will have to be at least as good as this EP and it will surely provide us with unforgettable moments which will warrant many repeats. I wholeheartedly recommend this record for everyone out there looking for gritty, dark, and uncompromising metal.
