FROM THE CRYPTS - CELEBRATING PAST ALBUM RELEASES in the HISTORY of HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL…
This Brutal Death Metal album celebrated its 19 anniversary last yesterday.
On October 31, 2003, Kataplexia released their second full-length album Morgue’s Reality via Severe Music.
Background:
In February of 2003, Rodrigo Fatality (Kabak (ESA)/ Deep Red (FIN)) had the opportunity to record his ideas and choose a suitable name for the project. He recorded instrument by instrument on his own, at The Course Studios with the enthusiastic support of underground Death Metal engineer Jani Loikas, who also contributed to the recording with some brutal guitar solos for three tracks. After the final mix by Jani Loikas and Rodrigo, the project was baptized Kataplexia. Four months later Severe Music Finland released Morgue’s Reality.
Morgue’s Reality was produced by Severe Music and Rodrigo Fatality. The album was released on CD and includes 8 tracks of pure aggressive Death Metal, with plenty of smashing blast beats, contagious and slow grinding riffs, and of course traditional low growls from Rodrigo Fatality's guttural vocals. The music itself is reminiscent of classic American Death Metal acts such as Pyrexia, Internal Bleeding, Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse, Dying fetus and the likes.
A few months down the line, despites Rodrigo's skepticism about the material, the underground Metal community embraced the album with open arms. The response was so good Rodrigo decided to create a full band and play Kataplexia's material live and produce some merchandise for the fans.
Critical Reception:
In a review for metal-rules.com, Luxi Lahtinen wrote;
“Brutality knows no fucking boundaries…” could be a somewhat perfect quote for Kataplexia, a solo project of Rodrigo “Fatality” that assumable is more known for his spot as an infamous growler of the Finnish grindy deathsters Deep Red. Actually I was kinda surprised to find out that Rodrigo does all the instruments from drums to guitars to growls in Kataplexia. One-man Death Metal solo project ain´t one of those most ´usual´ things in the Death Metal scene nowadays; it certainly isn´t any trend thing (yet), so Rodrigo is pretty much conquering the throne for one-man´s Death Metal bands by himself all alone. If there are some other one-man Death Metal projects around in the extreme metal bands, too the lemme know, will ya?
Kataplexia, however, isn´t that different musically at all compared to Rodrigo´s main band, Deep Red. Maybe just a bit slower and having a bit heavier approach than Deep Red, but not that drastically different really, tho. The band (or more accurately Rodrigo!) terrorizes your organs of hearing by a graveyard-size of chunky and heavy Death Metal riffs, a kiloton of blast beat attacks, some incredibly low and deep guttural growls from Rodrigo´s definitely fucked-up throat that are from ´not-this-world´ and basically everything that you kind of automatically throws you into the most extreme pit of today´s Death Metal realm. The most extreme of the extremeticus, sort of…
I´m, however, a bit unfortunate to say that I´m not that huge fan of this extreme stuff at all. I can even openly admit that I´m a ´wimp´ and ´poser´ when Metal music reaches this type of level of extremity, savagery and brutality. From time to time I especially felt like Rodrigo´s vocals were too much for me to handle for me. I can handle little doses of ´vomiting guts and blood´ at a time, but not like a little less a half hour in a row.
On the other hand, I also like to raise a toast of a well-gained victory to Rodrigo for being that devoted and dedicated to his ´side project (!)´. It surely demands lots of courage and motivation from anyone to sit down and start figuring out how to get all the instruments played properly for one album. That thing surely isn´t for everybody…
Nevertheless, for the Death Metal noise hunters of Pyrexia, Visceral Bleeding, Suffocation, Internal Bleeding and bands alike, Kataplexia´s debut will surely offer a good run for their money.”
Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells
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