While reviewing CATARACT's previous full-length offering, I said that my feelings about that album were strong and the words were nothing more but few and weak. I was so amazed that I couldn't even describe it. The band kept surprising me with its improvement in every album it released and I was impatiently waiting for its new release, since I thought that I would have one more great musical diamond. After Cataract fell into my hands and I listened to it several times, the only thing that was obvious was my disappointment.

The band celebrates its ten years of existence - since it was formed in 1998 - with its brand new full-length album, which is their self titled one. I thought that the band would try to preserve the status it has achieved to have. The only thing that has changed is the line up, since guitarist Fullemann and bassist Henggeler left the band and got replaced by Schlapfer and Kuzmic (also in DISPARAGED). I hoped this change wouldn't affect the band's music, but it seems that I was wrong.

The passion, the power, the lust for quality brutal music is lost. There is no sign of the band's incredible musical past, since the album has nothing to do with what I came across in Great Days Of Vengeance (2003), With Triumph Comes Loss (2004) and Kingdom (2006). What I found in Cataract was some of the most boring music the Swiss metallers have ever composed. CATARACT continue with their classic mix of bands like CALIBAN, HATEBREED and SLAYER, creating some Thrash meets Hardcore tunes. The most of the album is fast and relentless, where the band pays more attention to its Thrash Metal influences, but there are also many mid tempo breaks that remind us why this band has managed to create its distinctive sound.

To tell you the truth, this could be a pretty good debut album for a band, but CATARACT have shown that they will not compromise for anything... even though they just did! This is probably the first time I say negative things about this band and I hope that this is just an unfortunate moment and nothing more. Their next album will probably show the reason why they achieved to have all this fame as one of the best Thrashcore acts, but until then...