Friday, July 27, 2007

HACAVITZ EXPLODES + IMPLODES, REBUILDS AND RE-REIGNS IN BLOOD

Not long after releasing one of 2005's mightiest, most malevolent death metal records in Venganza, Mexico's HACAVITZ had its lineup decimated by half. Bloodied by unbowed, remaining warlords Oscar Garcia (drums) and Antimo Buonnano (vocals, guitar, bass) regrouped as a duo to record an even uglier, nastier, and more malevolently memorable masterpiece in the recently released Katun. Summoning eldritch energies from their native Mayan lands, HACAVITZ reap a whirlwind like no other, infusing death metal with a dangerousness too long missing from the ancient artform. And the Press has paid its respects:

“Primal rage, blinding speed and methodological malevolence, a vile blackened death metal attack” – Metal Maniacs
“Have spawned an incurable disease” – Blabbermouth
"Two better benchmarks [BEHERIT and ANGELCORPSE] for Hacavitz’s sound just don’t exist. This new album literally sounds like 1987, and in only the best way possible…chaotic and mercurial. That at times Katun sounds like some glorious junkyard jam is only a testament to the racket two men can make. To some it will sound like a mess, but there’s a complexity lurking behind every drum breakdown, every tortured moan and every decaying guitar thump that will eventually separate the flock” – Decibel [8/10 rating]
“Bestial black death metal…that most closely recalls ANGELCORPSE and bands like CONQUEROR, REVENGE, NOX and even some MORBOSIDAD…the riffs are sick and evil, militant and barbarous and the drums a full-on destruction ritual” – Maximum Rock ‘n’ Roll
“On Katun, these true believers have taken the swirling chaos, compositional depth, and crushing heaviness of Venganza, complete with bits of superbly incorporated non-traditional instrumentation, and raised its game considerably...A frightening album that speaks to its listeners from deep within the abyss, Katun refuses to be ignored” – Pit
“This primordial echo builds upon the fury of the band’s previous Venganza, churning out pristine facets of death/black metal reminiscent of MORBID ANGEL coupled with the ancient sounds of the Maya, Aztec, and other native peoples of Central America…much darker...Katun is pure chignon, so you best check it out” – Explicitly Intense
“The ominous and evil sounding vocals add an extra layer of darkness to an album that's already extreme” – About.com
“Will assault the aural senses even more with its brand of death metal laced with traces of black metal. The result is one album that will leave an impression on the listener that will last for a long time…Katun was essentially made with only two people; now imagine how the band would perform if it had a couple more members in the fold” – LivingForMetal.com [9.5/10 rating]

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