KATAKLYSM Vocalist MAURIZIO IACONO Talks Creation of “Unconquered” Upcoming Album: ‘It’s More About Challenging Ourselves Now and Doing Better and Better”

Death metal band Kataklysm will be releasing their fourteenth studio album “Unconquered” on September 25th, following two years after their prior album “Meditations.” With the band’s 30th anniversary just around the corner in 2021, “Unconquered” brings a greater sense of aggression than the band’s prior work while maintaining their unmistakable signatures. Still retaining two of the band’s original members, both vocalist Maurizio Iacono and guitarist JF Dagenais, Kataklysm’s sound remains consistent and stylistically comparable to earlier work while still leaning into a more modern production. Despite having gone through a number of drummers throughout their discography, Kataklysm has kept drummer Oli Beaudoin across the last four albums, the longest tenure for a drummer in the band’s history.

While the spirit of Kataklysm’s prior work persists strongly in “Unconquered,” the band has also begun to evolve their sound by changing to a seven-string guitar and a five-string bass. As a result, the sound of “Unconquered” branches into new sonic territory for Kataklysm while still pushing ever-harder on the heaviness and aggression fans have come to expect. The album’s release was delayed for over two months due to the pandemic, but the band had already completed the album as well as filming a music video for the first single “The Killshot.” A punchy showcase of the more aggressive edges of “Unconquered,” “The Killshot” is a small snapshot of what awaits fans in the complete album, one which Iacono says is more cohesive than their prior release.

“Unconquered” Album Artwork

Iacono spoke with Sonic Perspectives contributor Samantha Buckman on the making of “Unconquered” as well as the band’s upcoming 30th anniversary. Along with promising new music from his side act Ex Deo and discussing the beginnings of an upcoming solo project, Iacono describes the songwriting process which led to “Unconquered” and the direction the band is hoping to pursue musically in the future.

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