Klaïton - Behind The Ritual

Klaïton is one of those sleeping beasts that has slowly been biding its time before exploding on the scene with a bit of a splash of their debut EP for 2024. Formed in 2013 from the Netherlands, this five piece brews a Death Metal sound that sounds like a less fuzzy Bloodbath meets Morbid Angel. There is a ton of groove brought from the dual guitar approach from both Erwin Wesdorp and Stefan Verdoon as they chug along and play off each other; many of the tracks on the EP “Behind the Ritual” have that rather mid paced approach, easy to sink into vibe that is similar to what Morbid Angel brought on “Domination.” It isn’t frilly, but certainly not lackluster either. The big draw here is the guitars and vocals, as the guttural bellow from Gratien Versijpt is ferocious but discernible and right in front, somewhat burying the bass from Steven Vrieswijk but his rumble is enough to keep up when considering a track like the title track. And who could forget the constant pound of the drums from Ronald Camonier, which presents not quite the bombastic percussive thunder but certainly enough ruckuss it doesn’t sound like machine gun fire or a drum machine with enough rhythmic variation.

‘Scavenger’ sets the tone for the EP with a bit of a spoken intro before charging in with those driving rhythms. Alongside the vocals they pretty much set up the basic Death Metal formula that doesn’t bring anything new, but works as well as anyone who loves the big names and sounds like Deicide’s pre 2018 work. The solos are melodic enough but as said before, the big draw will be the vocals and the riffs. Sometimes they get thrashy like on ‘Testament to Greed’ which presents a faster frenzy, but still a core of the more beloved early 2000s Death Metal. It pounds, but sounds crisp without the unneeded ‘old school fuzz’ or overdramatic keyboards. For those who want just a straightforward Hate Eternal sounding driven piece that’s only purpose is start mosh pits, ‘Fear the Other’ is a driving piece to enjoy compared to ‘Behind’s….’  headbanging groove. Overall, while just a preview, Klaïton shows loud promise and while not the most varied release brings the best of some of the bigger names out there for a stomping good Death Metal time.

3 / 5 STARS