Review: Katagory V - A New Breed of Rebellion | |||||||
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A New Breed of Rebellion | |||||||
Label: MetalAges Records Year released: 2004 Duration: 51:05 Tracks: 9 Genre: Progressive Metal Rating: Review online: December 3, 2004 Reviewed by: Sargon the Terrible |
Readers' Rating How do you rate this release? Rated 3.8/5 (76%) (10 Votes)
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Review | |||||||
I think this is a debut, as I cannot really find anything about this band. Katagory V (or 5) are an ambitious US band in the vein of later Fates Warning. I could tell this was an American outfit without even looking, as they have that signature US-Prog-Metal sound that might as well be patented. They seem to be from Utah – at least that's where they recorded, and I can think of no good reason why any sentient life form would be in Utah unless they lived there. This is very much in the spirit of Fates Warning's "No Exit" album. You get mostly pretty long songs with that cleanly crunchy guitar tone, and a vocalist who bears more than a passing resemblance to Ray Alder. The arrangements are sprawling and the guitarwork is very good. The trouble is that only once in a while do these guys manage to conjure up anything very compelling. The songs are all well-played and the album is professionally produced, but it's mostly disconnected riffing and vocal lines that are not that catchy. What momentum the songs have is often garroted by those obnoxious stop-time arrangements that prog is so addicted to. The title track manages to be pretty memorable, and "Your Dreams" is a genuinely involving song. But it is just too hard to pay attention to this disc all the way through. It remains intellectually, rather than viscerally or emotionally interesting. So while Katagory V are a good band who can really play, their songwriting needs work if it is going to measure up to their idols in FW. Bluntly: they either need to write more direct and catchy songs to appeal to the Power fans, or get waaaay more elaborate if they want to make waves in prog circles. Being me, I hope they opt for the former. They apparently have a new disc coming soon, so we can all hope this band lives up to the potential that is so obvious here. A band to keep an eye on. |
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