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Artist description
Brutal Death/Grind insanity from Aachen - Germany |
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Music Style
Death/Grind Metal |
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Musical Influences
KATAKLYSM, CRYPTOPSY, CANNIBAL CORPSE, ... |
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Artist History
The German Band KADATH was founded in early Summer 1992. At that time it was called CATALEPSY and the members were: Holger (v), Kai (g), Robert (g), Tanya (b) and Robin (dr). Due to serious psychic problems, the drummer had to leave the band after only 9 months of existence and some songs were written in that short period. Only a rehearsal-tape was recorded and no gig was played.
After the departure of Robin nothing happened and only 3 quarters of a year later, in October 1993, the band found a new drummer. His name is Rolf. Now they were able to restart under the new moniker KADATH, that Holger found on the third album of German BLOOD. The change of name was due to the fact that several other bands ran under CATALEPSY. And in November of the same year, Marc replaced Tanya on bass, so that the line-up was complete again: Holger (v), Kai (g), Robert (g), Marc (b) and Rolf (dr).
Now began the first interesting phase of the band. In only 5 months of rehearsing, they were able to create a program of 8 songs that were recorded on their first demo “Face your Death”. This first strike came out in April 1994 and sold/traded over 400 times. This tape was recorded on 4 tracks and got good responses in the underground-scene. The band qualified their music as Death Metal with Thrash and Grind influences. In February KADATH performed their first gig in Aachen with ZSK-5, a local German-punk band and friends of them. More gigs followed in ‘94 with ASMODINA, INQUISITOR, GUTWRENCH, DAWN and Argentina’s VIBRION. The 2 gigs with VIBRION were possible because RISING NATION’s bassplayer wounded himself and gave KADATH the opportunity to play for them.
One year after “Face your Death”, in April 1995, the second attack “Into the eternal depths of sorrow and desolation” saw the light of day. It was a 16-track recording in an improvised studio and the sound was quite okay. This demo contained 4 new songs of more brutal and faster Death Metal with more Grind influences than before, but also with new melodic parts. 900 copies reached the Metal-freaks through selling/trading and sending it out to labels and mags. WILD RAGS from the USA did another 600 due to a licensing deal. Both tapes got good responses from the worldwide underground and made it possible to appear on diverse CD- and tape-compis, such as the 3-CD Compilation from SHIVER Records that featured 51 bands!
Immediately after the recordings of “Into ...”, the guitarplayer Robert was kicked out of the band, cause of massive differences between him and the band. He is an incredible lyer, so it was not possible to work with him any longer!
Only 3 months later, a replacement was found in the person of Marcus “Mockel”. A crazy and cool guy! And in November ‘95 the drummer left the band due to personal differences. He left the band from one day to another without talking with his bandmates. The situation culminated into accusations and legal proceedings - he stole equipment of the band and refused to give it back. He never answered on phone-callings and letters and didn’t want to speak with the other guys when they visited him. For about 5 months, KADATH didn’t find any new drummer and was condemned to stop rehearsing and playing. Very frustrating, cause they had to cancel some interesting gigs. Luckily they knew vagely a guy, Erling, from Belgium who was playing drums and they contacted and asked him if he wants to play in the band. After some testings, he agreed and now he still is the mad grinding drummer of KADATH.
So in April 1996 the line-up looked like: Holger (v), Kai (g), Mockel (g), Marc (b) and Erling (dr).
In ‘95 more gigs were performed with bands such as FLESHLESS (our czech brothers!), DERANGED and SKULL CRUSHER on the Underground Competition in Ludwigshafen, NYCTOPHOBIC, ORTH, DISFIGURED CORPSE and more. The mini-tour with Fleshless & Disfigured Corpse was a catastrophe, because the first gig was broken after half an hour, the second gig was canceled and there remained only the gig in Hamburg on the “Rehperbann”.
In the turbulent period after the second demo only 4 new songs were written and finally recorded in September/October ‘96 in a much more professional studio in Aachen. The recordings first came out as a promo-tape in the hope to find a label interested in signing the band. But, unfortunately all efforts were vain. 250 copies were send all over the world, responses were positive, but nothing happened with the promo, except that Kai left the band shortly after the recordings. The lack of interest was the cause for his decision. Since than, KADATH is playing as a quartet. Cause the band didn’t want to loose the songs on the promo-tape, they decided to release them as a mini-CD. This became the “Twisted tales of gruesome fates”-MCD that was released by their own in November 1997. More than 1000 copies of the CD were made and they are sold out by now. Before the CD two split-singles were released by Stuhlgang Records (with IMMURED) and Paranoia Syndromes (with EVOKE), containing 3 of the 4 songs from the MCD. Both singles (500 & 700 copies) are as well sold out by now. In addition to the EP’s, they produced a T-shirt with the cover of the first single. Only 80 of them have been made and were quickly sold out.
In the meantime gigs were played with IMMURED, AGATHOCLES, MALEDICTIVE PIGS, D.A.B., MASTIC SCUM, SUPPOSITORY, INHUME, PLEURISY, CRYPTIC CARNAGE, etc.
After the departure of Kai, one can say that the second and most successful chapter of KADATH began. New songs were written, and the influence of Mockel’s guitar-playing came to the light. His melodic touch, a bit in the vein of KATAKLYSM, gives the new songs an entirely new component. In the same time with the high-speed drumming of Erling the songs get much more brutal and faster, so that the music nowadays is called “Grind Metal”!The band worked a lot and created 8 new songs that have been recorded and produced by Andy Classen (ex-HOLY MOSES) in November‘98 and appeared on their first full-length CD called “Cruel!”. The "CRUEL!"-CD appeared in February 1999 and was released by TEUTONIC EXISTENCE in Netherlands. 2000 copies have been done and there are only a few dozens left.
In 1997 and 1998 they were also very active on stage and played with BLOCKHEADS, HARMONY DIES, PURGATORY, DEAD INFECTION, KRISIUN, SUFFICIDE, VADER, LAST DAYS OF HUMANITY ... The highlights of their previous career were the participation on the 1. “Fuck The Commerce”-Festival in Mai’97 with bands like INCANTATION, DEEDS OF FLESH, AVULSED, OBSCENITY, HAEMORRHAGE and many more, the 2 gigs in Slovakia in November’97 and the gig with HEMDALE/EXHUMED in Rotterdam in December’97.
In Slovakia, some fucking idiots stole the guitars, bass and equipment of the band and a dark period of unmotivation followed.
More gigs with HARMONY DIES, MANGLED, FLESHCRAWL, AGATHOCLES, DYING FETUS, FLESHLESS were performed during 1998 and unfortunately the gig as opener for MORTICIAN that was planned for September 1998 has been canceled, because the complete tour fell into the water.
The year 1999 was a very difficult one for KADATH. There were a lot of personal problems shacking the band. Only 2 new songs were written and a few gigs were performed.
Now we write the year 2000 and hope that everything will run far better then last year. In this year's live performance, the most interesting one was the gig in London (UK) with THRONE OF NAILS and more. In Summer, Gezus from MENTAL ABERRATION joined the band and shortly later, Mockel left the band. With much more motivation than in the last months, we definitely want to do a follow-up CD of our 1999 "CRUEL".
2001: The work on the songs for the new CD continues and hopefully we can torture people with it at the end of the year.
2002: We have signed a deal with German CUDGEL AGENCY. In late spring this year they will bring out our new CD "Chasing the Devil".
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Group Members
Marc Leclerc - bass
Stefan "Gesuz" Wilk - guitar
Holger Friedenberger - vocals
Erling Agebbo - drums
Markus "Mockel" Mouhlen - guitar |
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Albums
Twisted Tales of Gruesome Fates / Cruel! / Chasing the Devil |
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Press Reviews
Behind the Veil Webzine (Reviewed by Christine Juli 2002)
Brutal Death metal reaching grind in some parts. Very brutal, extreme vocals. Sickness, Atrocity! Atrocity that is obvious in their music but also in their lyrics. A gore, repulsive extreme serial killer is what attracted their interest. A serial killer's life is the whole concept of this release. Gore stories following the way paved by CANNIBAL CORPSE. Their sound is close to VADER, CANNIBAL CORPSE and DEICIDE. I found their work original. Lyrics that grab and bind you. Listen to them! That's all I can say. Only one thing for the end... The concept story is based on real facts. On a real character. On his life...
*8.5/10
Vampire Magazine (Reviewed by Maarten on 02/07/2002)
KADATH (founded in 1992 under the name CATALEPSY) are a German death/grind outfit who finally assault the world again after their 1999 album 'Cruel'. Their latest output 'Chasing the Devil' is a concept album around a serial killer from Russia who made at least 53 victims. The 'Devil' from the CD title is Andrej Chikatilo, also known as the 'Rostov Ripper' or the 'Devil of Rostov'. I wasn't exactly full of great expectations when I put this CD in my player for the first time, because, really, I don't like most grinding death metal. Actually, I think most of those bands singing about dead foetuses and bloody phlegm should just quit it instead of pasting riffs together and roaring their guts out. The thing has been done over and over and OVER again.
But then again, I adore death metal which is artfully constructed, which does not mindlessly offer a jumble of riffs and grunts and screams and blastbeats. KADATH are prime death/grind material. Tight as hell, with a crisp and clear production (near digital perfection) and great, audible bass, this band plays death metal akin to, say, fellow countrymen OBSCENITY (more brutal however and songs packed with blastbeats, mid-tempo crunches and all in between). Sometimes employing a loose melodic riff, sometimes by sequences of blastbeat separated by (groovy!) breaks, always wildly rushed on by the trademark unintelligible and -brutal- vocals (grunt/shriek) the music rages on, firmly rooted within the conventions of the genre but energetically executed.
What sets this band slightly apart from most fellow undertakers is the average song length: a KADATH song isn't a short burst of violent energy but a torturous 5 or 6 minute-assault. Because of this, the CD needs to sink in because there are so many ideas contained in one composition. An impressive job nonetheless and an excellent soundtrack to the lyrical material. Anyone with a penchant for brutality will probably love it...
As an extra, this CD contains video footage (the quality is quite allright) of 4 KADATH songs performed in Berlin, 2001.
Dark Wave News Letter 126 (June 2002)
KADATH : Chasing The Devil (Cudgel Agency, 30'57', 7 tracks, brutal deathmetal) : If you are searching for one of the most brutal bands from Europe, buy this CD ! Kadath is a legendary band from Germany and it is a pleasure to see they got a good deal with the German Cudgel Agency. 3 years after their debut CD, the band proposes a good come back with this new hyper brutal deathmetal album ! Between Cannibal Corpse, Deeds Of Flesh and Deranged, the 7 compositions are really more powerful than the previous compositions and with a better sound. To resume, it is a good brutal death-metal album, for those who like Cannibal Corpse / Deranged and don't forget, Kadath is one of the cult bands from the European underground, so, with this album, the success will be here ! (8,5/10)
Voices From The Darkside (Reviewed by Hacker)
This is fucking intense. Hell-yeah, it is. "Chasing The Devil" hits you with the power of a ten-ton hammer. KADATH finally managed to put out their second full-length and it's really a strong one with a great production. This CD sounds absolutely clear and brutal like hell. But that's only one among many positive aspects of this album. The next is the amazing cover artwork (done by Torsten Gebhardt who is totally unknown to me) and the design / layout of this CD, booklet and backcover. Then we have a truly brilliant lyrical concept about one of the most fiendish serial killers ever: The "Red Devil" Andrej Chikatilo who killed more than fifty victims in the former Soviet Union. Sure that's not the most original stuff but this is quite different compared to MACABRE's "Dahmer" concept. KADATH delivers a way more serious, informative and in depth story. "Chasing The Devil" is more like a true crime book than a gore movie. If you wanna find out more about the "Devil Of Rostov" Andreij Chikatilo you have to check out the brilliant movie "Citizen X". You'll also find many related links on the bands own homepage: www.kadathdeath.de Okay enough said about production, design and lyrics. Let's talk about the most important thing of an album: the music. "Chasing The Devil" is for sure KADATH's most matured and varied album. I really enjoyed the "Cruel" album. But hey, the new album is much better and another step forward. Every single song on "Chasing The Devil" demonstrates unrelenting brutality in its purest form. Although KADATH is a raw and brutish band (especially Holger's vocals sound rough and hateful) they always compose wide-ranging songs with many different parts and some nice melodies. This is the first recording with Gesuz (Ex-MENTAL ABERRATION) on guitar and of course he sets his marks with his awesome riffing. But he did not change the KADATH sound very much. Maybe they sound more US styled compared to the older stuff. But it's still the unique KADATH style we know from the "Cruel" album. After the recordings former guitar player Mockel joined the band again and KADATH is now ready to strike back with two guitars. This CD comes in a limited edition with four CD ROM video tracks. Nothing more to add, only this: BUY NOW!!! |
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Additional Info
New shirts available , see our homepage for more infos |
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Location
AACHEN, NRW - Germany |
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