Heavy metal bands originating in the Middle East have always faced opposition, a fact that Kaoteon can attest to. Originating in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, Kaoteon have been jailed, raided and faced opposition from authorities and local religious groups for making metal music. Now located in Amsterdam, Kaoteon worked with Obscura bassist Linus Klausenitzer and Marduk drummer Fredrik Widigs for their second LP, Damnatio Memoriae.
New song “Barren Lands” is a tortured slab of black metal, cold and violent at the same time it is technical and cleanly executed. The pained howls of vocalist Walid Wolflust cut through the torrent of blast beats and tremolo picking, recalling at times early Leviathan.
“‘Barren Lands’ is the first track I wrote for Damnatio Memoriae,” lead guitarist Anthony Kaoteon elaborates. “And I actually used it as bait to hunt both Linus from Obscura and Fredrik from the legendary Marduk to record the album with us. Our vocalist Walid Wolflust talks about the soulless, purposeless yellow pit that sucks the life out of everyone who gets consumed by its decadence and screams his lungs out as he wishes it would all catch fire. 100% mental, 100% metal.”
Damnatio Memoriae is out on February 23.
