Review: “Catalyst II” by Catalyst

After 2019 singles “Sustainable Dignity” and “Fear Well” made for an impressive continuation of the sound that Belgian Progressive Melodic Death Metallers Catalyst had created with their 2018 self titled debut EP the hand break seemed to have been firmly put on by the departure of drummer Jannes Lemaitre (ex-Titan, Patroness) and the outbreak of a great plague. However while guitarists Philip Pedraza (ex-Sadistic Embrace, ex-Gitaron) and Aaron Onghena (ex-Gitaron) and bassist Benjamin Onghena (ex-Zonder Zorgen, ex-Kidney Punch) continued to build song structures from riffs they managed to find Sam Bogaert (ex-Dead end Path, ex-Oceans Burning) to complete their line up once more with Monomad vocalist Jeroen Van Ranst. So four years on, we have a physical EP that comprises their debut with those two 2019 cuts with one fresh one from 2021 as the band said to be working on new material and looking to get back to the stage…

Lyrically very much in keeping with their mission statement “We are Catalyst and we bring you Progressive Melodic Death Metal with songs inspired by the many political, economical and ecological fears and failures of today’s society. Come and be part of a new movement that seeks to inspire towards action and change!” this collection of six tracks builds where the band left off the last time as if nothing has changed and that continuity is refreshing, there is no distinct marker between the old and new material. What was great about that debut release is that those lyrics rather than pushing the bands thoughts and feelings on you, simply gave you something to think about the headbanging was done, the Belgian quintet managing to find the perfect balance between being a band with a aesthetic and being one who push an agenda and they have once again achieved that here with the trio of new cuts. The suspicion, although not confirmed is that the drums on the first five cuts are the work of original man Lemaitre with new man Bogaert playing on the finale alone but either way the kit work is particularly good throughout with in particular the galloping drums of “Concrete” driving the lyrical nails into the coffin of the naysayers. It  has some intriguing clean vocal sections that has Jeroen Van Ranst sounding like Dead Kennedys Jello Biafra while the finale pick slide is one of those classic moments, the equivalent of a cherry on the cake of an obvious single. If you’re a fan of the new Amorphis album “Halo” then there are some obvious comparisons in terms of style, with “Debt To The World” in particular having an epic quality and some sublime riffs that border on the virtuoso without crossing the line into doing it for the sake of it. Then you’ve got the social media weary “Sustainable Dignity” that has some early Avenged Sevenfold esq riffs, a surprise Metalcore anthem that works really well while being distinctly for the here and now. It’s a left field move but introduces the Melodic Death Metal breakdowns and leads of “Fear Well” nicely, aiding the flow of the record while showcasing the range in their musicianship but its the death growls Jeroen Van Ranst brings to “Rights Of Passage” that wins the day because despite the qualities elsewhere the finale is the moment of alchemy that finds the band at their finest  [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. Delirium Nostrum
2. Concrete
3. Debt To The World
4. Sustainable Dignity
5. Fear Well
6. Rights Of Passage

“Catalyst II” by Catalyst is out 20th February 2022