You know what sucks more than Hatebreed? Try a Hatebreed tribute band, like Switzerland’s Cataract. Formed in 1998, this trendy group has rightfully earned their membership at Metal Blade Records by slamming and chugging straight to the top, proving they are the closest thing to Hatebreed beside Hatebreed themselves!Unfortunately, that’s not a nice formula to use, and throughout Cataract’s self-titled offering, we are constantly rushed by problematic situations ranging from generic pampering to boring structures composed of one-dimensional fibers anyone could poop out with minimal effort. Nothing can be worse than a squad asexually reproducing an album appearing identical to their choice of trends, and I’ll be the first to tell you it is like having your eyeball clouded. Get it?
Mild tinges of death metal, groove, and metalcore make up the fifth notch in Cataract’s full-length belt, often times resembling a love for Hatebreed’s annoying entwinement of the mentioned alleles more than anything else. Needless to say, we are constantly smothered in tedious riffs that have an unparalleled love for effortless technicality, drumming featuring typical textures while omitting fills, and semi-frequent periods in which breakdowns molest all forms of happiness until you become another floor-punching retard. If there’s any chance you’ll actually find this thing enjoyable, you’d better adapt properly to Cataract’s simple design, because it drives, works, and runs every minute of every song; truly a parasitical relationship between band and musical equation.
But still, everything simply nosedives right into an abysmal field of boredom due to many factors that could have been easily dodged. When discussing formulations, Cataract is completely dependent on the idea, using identical tempo changes and instrumental alterations at predictable intervals; now picture that done ten times, and there’s your record. Also, Federico Carminitana horribly desecrates what little dignity is left with his dreadful growling/screaming combination, which frankly disguises itself as pure garbage (surprise!) and has no charm flowing within its deceased veins. However, I must give the band credit for inventing a Vio-lence riff (no joke) during “Snake Skin,” but doing so doesn’t eliminate the remaining duration of head-slapping redundancy.
I personally loathe bands that worship Hatebreed, and since Cataract does so, you can feel my pain when hunting for substance, right? Needless to say, this self-titled plop wasn’t very entertaining, albeit a few instances of stunning madness, but nothing decent on an overall basis; spunk is certainly present, yet definitely missing throughout key intervals requiring some extra power. As for the whole death metal/metalcore hybrid, you can expect Cataract to pickpocket both sounds while unsuccessfully avoiding the terminal hatred that usually enters during a similar heist, which sucks if you’re expecting real material, but I guess those negative feelings came intentionally. Trends are trends, and these guys can be found worshipping them regardless of time period. Ditch it. Or better yet, buy it, regret it, and ditch it later.