Kataklysm at the Rickshaw Theatre

Despite our mammoth size, we’ve got nothing on Norway. Or Sweden. Or Finland. And it’s not like we don’t share plenty in common: cold-ass winters, a love of hockey, and the kind of national inferiority complex that comes from living next to powerhouses that are actually known for something more than cold-ass winters, a love of hockey, and massive inferiority complexes. But for some reason the countries of Scandinavia have long trumped us when it comes to producing metal. They’ve given us a nonstop parade of acts who not only top the charts and get mad critical respect, but also go the extra distance by burning down churches and surgically transforming themselves into human gnomes. So big devil horns go to Montreal’s Kataklysm for keeping the faith. The Quebec headbangers first came together when Kurt Cobain was getting set to drive a stake into the heart of metal. Despite that, they’ve not only survived the alt-rock revolution but carved out a respectable career, making contacts across the globe. (Kataklysm’s Canadian tour—stopping at the Rickshaw on Monday (August 20)—has it teamed up with openers Fleshgod Apocalypse from Italy and America’s Rose Funeral.) There have, of course, been changes over the years, the biggest one being a transition from old-fashioned death metal (think Cookie Monster being chewed up in a garburator) to melodic death metal (think Cookie Monster being chewed up in a garburator, but melodically). Take that, Sweden. And Finland. And Norway.