Kataklysm is no stranger to Copenhagen. Even though we haven’t seen them here since 2010, they make regular visits, and only earlier this very year they dropped by in their alter ego state called Ex Deo.
What made this visit a bit more special, was that they came rolling in as a co-headliner tour together with Hypocrisy, on the Nuclear Blast created Death...Is Just The Beginning tour.

“Copenhagen, you sick motherfuckers! We wanna turn this Monday into a Saturday, but we’re gonna need some booze, so keep drinking!”
- Maurizio Iacono (vocals)

On this night, Kataklysm had the final spot of the evening, and while a large amount of energy had undoubtedly been burnt off while Hypocrisy played, the hall was still filled and ready for more when the Canadian death troup took the stage.
This they did to Narcissist off their latest album, Meditations, and with it they lay the style for the remainder of the evening - it was hard and heavy. What it also was, was rather monotonous. Musically, I admit I at times had a hard time telling one song from another. This is one of the reasons I’ve never spent much time with this particular band.
One thing I will give them though, is that they did a good job delivering their material. In fact this may just have been one of the best Kataklysm gigs I’ve ever seen, going by performance. They were active, moving and headbanging the whole way through, and Iacono showed a powerful persona, and had a good grip on the audience. He managed to avoid sounding rehearsed in his comments, and seemed to actually see the crowd he had in front of him. I was also quite impressed by Stéphane Barbe, who likewise had a good connection going with the crowd, and in general looked cool.

“You know this fucking song! You know what we fucking need from you!”
- Iacono (vocals)

I had imagined that Kataklysm would win the popular vote this evening, if for nothing else than the fact that they been a lot more active in this region than Hypocrisy has. As they came on, it was to a packed, sold out in fact, hall, which further strengthened this belief. The action began immediately in time with the music as well, and sweat was quickly breaking out after the short breather between bands. People were alternatively moshing, running in a circlepit, and even crowd surfing to some degree (it’s never been a common thing here in Copenhagen).
However, as time wore on, the floor opened up increasingly. Apparently, some weren’t interested in sticking around till the end. Of course, there can be a million reasons for leaving early, but the fact that so many chose to do so was remarkable. It gave me a sense of having judged the outcome of the evening wrong, and that perhaps Hypocrisy was the most popular band on the billing after all.
It should be said though, that those who did stick it out, gave what they of energy to Kataklysm, and I can only imagine that the band was pleased with the response they got.

Once again however, it was proven that kataklysm just isn’t something that really gets me going, even when they put on as good a show as this was.
For those who do enjoy them, not to worry, I’m sure they’ll be back soon again.

Setlist:

Narcissist
The Black Sheep
Fire
Thy Serpents Tongue
10 Seconds From The End
Guillotine
As I Slither
Crippled & Broken
Outsider
Manipulator Of Souls
In Shadows & Blood
...And Then I Saw Blood
Blood In Heaven
At The Edge Of The World