Catalyst is back in force.
Formed in 2016 in eastern France, the band led by Jules Kicka (vocals/guitar, Névrose, Nihilism), Florian Iochem (guitar, Sangdragon), Jefferson Brand (bass, Crystal Throne) and Stephane Petit (drums, Exorbited) signed to Non Serviam Records in 2022 before announcing the release of their sophomore album, A Different Painting For A New World.
Gathering Of New Forces opens the album with soft melodies reinforced by a few hits, then orchestrations before letting To Unleash Thy Heinous Fate crush us with a massive sound and frantic riffs. Piercing leads perfectly fit into this aggressive basis topped with massive guttural screams, creating a contrast with the melodic breaks and clean vocals which quickly drive us into the next violent part. Catchy moshparts are also present, just like on To Unleash Thy Heinous Fate and its raw aggression completed by virulent technicality. Clean vocals come to temper rage which is permanently expressed in these jerky and lively riffs, then Worms And Locusts comes to revive this unbridled violence full of technical elements. The rhythmic only slows down to let natural groove speak and create a very efficient sound before offering us a slight moment of respite with Arise Of The Anathema and its soft but disturbing introduction. It will quickly give way to saturation and heavy riffs, but also to impressive screamed choirs and unexpected Prog elements which perfectly fit the mystical atmosphere before a heavy but groovy final. The album continues with Paragon Of Devastation, an energetic and jerky composition which perfectly combines a certain devastating simplicity with technicalities, especially on bass, then Behold Thy Purification takes over with an equally contrasted sound. Once again, different voices are skillfully mixed over a wild rhythmic, letting musicians sometimes offer worked instrumental parts to punctuate this long track, while Peripeteia allows us to breathe in the company of epic and soothing sounds that lead us to The Catalyst’s End and its worrying Old School tonalities. Quietness meets rage in an epic clash, letting the track’s length assign a playground to each atmosphere before they influence each other again, letting us close the album on A Different Paiting For A New World, the eponymous track. Unsurprisingly, the song deploys inventiveness, mastery and rage to mix all the influences of the band while remaining extremely aggressive and coherent.
The previous Catalyst album is only a few years old, but the band has already come a long way. Why? Because A Different Painting For A New World is rich, inspired and worked, testifying of hard work from the musicians.
85/100