CATARACT’S SELF-TITLED ALBUM: COMPETENTLY GENERIC

Last week I was talking about the difference between metal bands that are competently generic as opposed to just being boring generic; Cataract are a fine example of the former category. This Swiss quintet certainly knows how to construct a catchy, totally listenable metalcore song, and, surely, there’s a certain amount of skill in that ability – we hear bands try and fail at this seemingly simple task all the time. So there’s something to be said for the slithering guitars on “Choke Down” or the monstrous breakdowns on “The Separation of Life and Time” – even if you feel like you’ve pretty much heard them before.

But even if Cataract can write riffs and melodies that are completely inoffensive and totally hummable, they fail to write any that are truly memorable. It’s a fine line, to be sure, but one that separates the good bands from the great ones, and Cataract, alas, are not a great band.

(two and half out of five horns)

-AR