Review by Adam M on June 20, 2018.

Kataklysm have a firm grasp of the death metal genre by now.  While Meditations is one of my first exposures to the band, the impact they have is undeniable.  The music is technical enough, but held back by the melody the band incorporates.  The band really has a well-rounded sound and many aspects to appreciate.  Though the music is punishing enough, the melodic portions of the disc really take hold and make this the album it is.  The music is nicely memorable and has the right amount of catchy guitar riffs too. 

This all adds up to an album that is undeniably forceful, but able to mix in melody for proper effect.  The music here is comparable to The Haunted mix along with Hour of Penance, but only takes certain aspects of those bands and makes an interesting concoction.  The music has some traits of melodic death metal, but also the straightforward death metal approach.  This is music of a band that is having fun performing its music along with putting the necessary musicianship portions to use.  The guitars are biting, yet harmonious and form the backbone of the band.  The drumming is pretty strong, but it’s really the guitars that made this album for me.  Vocally, things are shouted, but meld nicely with the guitars underneath.  The overall sum of the musicianship is that it’s tight and focused.  The band still seems to be pretty comfortable perfoming their songs and there isn’t anything really innovative present.  Still, the quality of the music means that you’ll be addicted even though their aren’t many new ideas here. 

This is absolutely one of the stronger death metal albums from this year and comes highly recommended to fans of the genre.  The well-rounded nature of the music makes it accessible, yet gives it enough depth for repeated spins. 

Rating: 7.8 out of 10