Meditations Over North America 2019 – KATAKLYSM, EXHORDER, KRISIUN, HATCHET

“Meditations Over North America 2019”:  KATAKLYSM, EXHORDER, KRISIUN, HATCHET – Come And Take It – September 17, 2019, Austin, Texas, USA

The kings of the “Northern Hyperblast,” KATAKLYSM arrived at Come And Take It in a bus with two of the other bands on the “Meditations Over North America Tour”—EXHORDER and KRISIUN. The tour was comprised of part death metal and part thrash metal bands. Brazilian death metal veterans, KRISIUN comprised the second half of the death metal faction. EXHORDER and HATCHET were there for the thrashers. Local openers VESPERIAN SORROW dropped off the event. Being held on a Tuesday resulted in a modest crowd that seemed a bit lethargic from the seemingly endless, Southern Texas heatwave.

HATCHET were the youngest band on the tour. While fellow thrash act, EXHORDER emerged in the mid-eighties, HATCHET were a product of the new wave of thrash metal that occurred in the mid to late 2000s. Many people I talked to hadn’t heard HATCHET and did not know what to expect. What they got was an energetic showing of modernized Bay Area thrash, which certainly led to a new crop of fans. Lead guitarist, Clayton was particularly energized, even though the early time slot of around 7:15 lured in few fans. The ones who were there banged their heads and voiced their approval to the handful of songs culled mostly from their last three albums.

KRISIUN took the stage with a tribal-music intro. The band launched right into a barrage of riffs and blast beats. With being only a three-piece, singer Alex Camargo’s bass cut loudly through the mix. He played notes that were both complex and catchy. The three involved in KRISIUN aren’t just a band of musicians, they are literally a band of brothers, which when coupled with nearly 30 years of releases, last year’s “Scourge of the Enthroned” being their latest, resulted in a tight performance. Overseas acts are not the norm in America, but KRISIUN have made their presence known here. It was good to catch the Brazilians again. The last time I recall catching their act was in 2000 when they also played with KATAKLSYM opening for DISMEMBER.

Forming in 1985, EXHORDER is not only responsible for influencing one of the truly greatest scenes in America, New Orleans, but also fathering the groove metal sound that rose to prominence in the ‘90s. The band came to Austin with CDs of “Mourn the Southern Skies” at their merch table for fans who have eagerly awaited the follow up to their 1992 classic “The Law.” They played material from their full-length debut “Slaughter in the Vatican,” killing the crowd with tracks such as “Homicide” and “Desecrator.” “(Cadence of) The Dirge” was a welcome song with undeniable heavy and catchy grooves. It’s one of the songs someone could point to for comparison to PANTERA. Speaking of PANTERA, ex-Philip H. Anselmo And The Illegals guitarist Marzi Montazeri appeared comfortable in his new groove.

New track, “My Time” contains an attitude that everyone in the crowd who worked a shitty job could relate to. Kyle Thomas devoted “Hallowed Sound” to the great music scene, not just metal but also jazz and punk, in his town. EXHORDER totally crushed with their blend of aggressive speed, concrete groove and even rumbling down- tempos. “Mourn the Southern Skies” will be available to those who couldn’t make it out for the tour on September 20, 2019.

Speed and groove were definite characteristics of the night, which KATAKLSYM didn’t put a stop to. Just like KRISIUN before them, KATAKLSYM also has nearly 30 years of material to choose from. They are one of the oldest bands to call Nuclear Blast home, also the current label of EXHORDER. Even though they have material dating back to the early 90s to choose from, the band overlooked their earlier, more brutal material in lieu of the modern, melodic death metal direction.

They opened with some groove. There were moments of extreme blasting, and their riffs could have been created in Gothenburg, Sweden. Their more recent sound is interesting, but it would be nice to hear something from the first album “Sorcery,” but the band seemed to have shelved that material long ago. “In Shadows & Dusk” is a catchy, familiar number. “As I Slither” was another killer tune.

“Meditations Over North America 2019” included a good package of atypical bands. KRISIUN and KATAKLSYM were familiar faces in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, but not so much now, so it was good to see their return. EXHORDER was on point and it was a glorious moment for metal to see them put out a third record after so long. HATCHET continues to prove they are one of the best bands from the new school of thrash. The crowd size was decent for a Tuesday night. Even though I saw a few KATAKLYSM shirts, I felt like this Texas crowd was more pumped for EXHORDER. I hope EXHORDER makes the rounds again, but as a headliner, so the crowd can experience a full set like the one I caught on their mini-tour in 2011.