KAOTEON - Veni Vedi Vomui [Review]
Genre: Black/Death Metal
Label: Osmose Productions
Released: February 21st, 2011
Reviewer: Spiritcrusher
If you thought Tom Araya and Dave Mustaine are pissed off, wait till you check out Kaoteon from Lebanon. Kaoteon probably describe themselves better than anyone else in the last paragraph of their intro track:
“But till then, till the local peace has been achieved; we will be known as men who will show no mercy, we will feast upon your entrails, and whenever you dare touch a piece of our land, we will bury the bullets in our flesh if we must, carve the cedars in your skin, rape your souls, and I will not waste on your women's stomachs, a drop of my semen. “
This enraged trio has been around since 1999, but only recently released their first full-length, Veni Vedi Vomui (which is Latin for "I came, I saw, I vomited”.) The band went through some issues when they started recording it a few years ago, hence the delay. The album was ultimately released under Osmose Productions this year. However, they’ve also released a few demos since 2004. The band consists of founder Anthony “Kaos” Assaker (guitars/bass), Walid “Wolflust” Shoughary (vocals), and Ziad “Blaster” Alam (drums). Silly aliases aside, these guys mean serious business.
Sound:
Not being a fan of many modern developments in metal, when I heard about Kaoteon a couple of years ago, I knew I was going to enjoy them. I hear influences from Morbid Angel, Death, Immortal, and Gorgoroth.
After the intro track (which should not be skipped) is “Jihannam wa bi’sal maser”. Ziad lives up to his alias with incredible blastbeats, Anthony’s tremolo picking is faster than lightening, and Walid is an absolute monster. This is the usual formula for a Kaoteon song, but it seems to be working for me.
Walid is one of the most versatile metal vocalists of the Middle East. While he doesn’t sing in any of the tracks, he pulls off black metal screams, death metal growls and grunts, and old Tom Araya-esque screams of anger; he is simply not human. I think a track that really shows the versatility would be One by One (Dogs Heed the Call). The blastbeats by Ziad on this track are also impeccable.
We can’t forget about Anthony Assaker, who I believe is the main songwriter for Kaoteon. Though I found the formula of his riff building somewhat too similar, there are some hidden musical gems in his writing that I hope will be more illustrious in their next release.
The combination of swiftly strummed black metal chords and chugged death metal riffs is prominent in all Kaoteon songs. It’s definitely something he did right, and makes Kaoteon unique in that way. One by One has a very unique tune that doesn’t get out of my head, and To Purge One’s Self shows huge progress in Kaoteon’s song writing. Anthony uses a clean guitar tone and plays some pretty menacing tunes, as well as a beautifully phrased solo in a clean interlude. Some of these tracks have been recorded a while back and were featured on older demos. I wonder if we’ll see a bit more of this in their newer material. It definitely made this track very unique, though it would not be great if they included this on all their tracks. Then again, who am I to tell the future?
The only thing I may question from their sound is whether the inclusion of many older songs that have been written years before some of these newer ones give a poor reflection on the sound that Kaoteon strives to create now. Regardless of that though, it’s heavy…really heavy. This isn’t something you Bullet For My Valentine fans who are upset about not finding their favorite skinny jeans at Hot Topic.
Lyrics:
Kaoteon writes very politically themed lyrics. They are outraged at the politicians of Lebanon, the rest of the Middle East, and the world. So many bands from the Middle East write about politicians and wars, but these guys do something that is a lot more symbolic. It’s not just “people dying, soldiers killing, women crying…etc” – I’ll let this excerpt from One By One (Dogs Heed the Call) do the talking:
In “Anthem of the Dead”, one of Kaoteon’s older tracks and one of their most popular ones, they use words from Tunisian poet Aboul-Qacem Echebbi’s most famous poem: “If The People Choose To Live One Day”. This poem has also been chanted amongst protesters in the various revolutions taking place in the Middle East. I also thought it was really cool how they used the poem in Arabic, as opposed to a translated version in English. The rest of the lyrics of this song are in Arabic too. I thought it was a pretty awesome effort.
All in all, Kaoteon have some pretty awesome music for those who like black metal, death metal, or both. I don’t know how many progressive fans will like this, but if you happen to be pissed at your local authorities, look no further than Veni Vedi Vomui, by Kaoteon. There is lots of potential for this newly signed band on Osmose Productions. They have already shared the stage with Melecesh in Dubai’s Sandstorm Festival a couple of years ago, and will hopefully be performing more often.
Don’t walk alone in a dark alley listening to this, kids!
I give Veni Vedi Vomui a 7.5/10.
Label: Osmose Productions
Released: February 21st, 2011
Reviewer: Spiritcrusher
If you thought Tom Araya and Dave Mustaine are pissed off, wait till you check out Kaoteon from Lebanon. Kaoteon probably describe themselves better than anyone else in the last paragraph of their intro track:
“But till then, till the local peace has been achieved; we will be known as men who will show no mercy, we will feast upon your entrails, and whenever you dare touch a piece of our land, we will bury the bullets in our flesh if we must, carve the cedars in your skin, rape your souls, and I will not waste on your women's stomachs, a drop of my semen. “
This enraged trio has been around since 1999, but only recently released their first full-length, Veni Vedi Vomui (which is Latin for "I came, I saw, I vomited”.) The band went through some issues when they started recording it a few years ago, hence the delay. The album was ultimately released under Osmose Productions this year. However, they’ve also released a few demos since 2004. The band consists of founder Anthony “Kaos” Assaker (guitars/bass), Walid “Wolflust” Shoughary (vocals), and Ziad “Blaster” Alam (drums). Silly aliases aside, these guys mean serious business.
Sound:
Not being a fan of many modern developments in metal, when I heard about Kaoteon a couple of years ago, I knew I was going to enjoy them. I hear influences from Morbid Angel, Death, Immortal, and Gorgoroth.
After the intro track (which should not be skipped) is “Jihannam wa bi’sal maser”. Ziad lives up to his alias with incredible blastbeats, Anthony’s tremolo picking is faster than lightening, and Walid is an absolute monster. This is the usual formula for a Kaoteon song, but it seems to be working for me.
Walid is one of the most versatile metal vocalists of the Middle East. While he doesn’t sing in any of the tracks, he pulls off black metal screams, death metal growls and grunts, and old Tom Araya-esque screams of anger; he is simply not human. I think a track that really shows the versatility would be One by One (Dogs Heed the Call). The blastbeats by Ziad on this track are also impeccable.
We can’t forget about Anthony Assaker, who I believe is the main songwriter for Kaoteon. Though I found the formula of his riff building somewhat too similar, there are some hidden musical gems in his writing that I hope will be more illustrious in their next release.
The combination of swiftly strummed black metal chords and chugged death metal riffs is prominent in all Kaoteon songs. It’s definitely something he did right, and makes Kaoteon unique in that way. One by One has a very unique tune that doesn’t get out of my head, and To Purge One’s Self shows huge progress in Kaoteon’s song writing. Anthony uses a clean guitar tone and plays some pretty menacing tunes, as well as a beautifully phrased solo in a clean interlude. Some of these tracks have been recorded a while back and were featured on older demos. I wonder if we’ll see a bit more of this in their newer material. It definitely made this track very unique, though it would not be great if they included this on all their tracks. Then again, who am I to tell the future?
The only thing I may question from their sound is whether the inclusion of many older songs that have been written years before some of these newer ones give a poor reflection on the sound that Kaoteon strives to create now. Regardless of that though, it’s heavy…really heavy. This isn’t something you Bullet For My Valentine fans who are upset about not finding their favorite skinny jeans at Hot Topic.
Lyrics:
Kaoteon writes very politically themed lyrics. They are outraged at the politicians of Lebanon, the rest of the Middle East, and the world. So many bands from the Middle East write about politicians and wars, but these guys do something that is a lot more symbolic. It’s not just “people dying, soldiers killing, women crying…etc” – I’ll let this excerpt from One By One (Dogs Heed the Call) do the talking:
“The Chaotic order has to be terminated
The rule of the fuck-head, down the shitter
Dim-wits, morons, shit-heads, retards
Fill the streets, dictating a future.
Fuck them all, one by one
The righteous are six feet under”
In “Anthem of the Dead”, one of Kaoteon’s older tracks and one of their most popular ones, they use words from Tunisian poet Aboul-Qacem Echebbi’s most famous poem: “If The People Choose To Live One Day”. This poem has also been chanted amongst protesters in the various revolutions taking place in the Middle East. I also thought it was really cool how they used the poem in Arabic, as opposed to a translated version in English. The rest of the lyrics of this song are in Arabic too. I thought it was a pretty awesome effort.
All in all, Kaoteon have some pretty awesome music for those who like black metal, death metal, or both. I don’t know how many progressive fans will like this, but if you happen to be pissed at your local authorities, look no further than Veni Vedi Vomui, by Kaoteon. There is lots of potential for this newly signed band on Osmose Productions. They have already shared the stage with Melecesh in Dubai’s Sandstorm Festival a couple of years ago, and will hopefully be performing more often.
Don’t walk alone in a dark alley listening to this, kids!
I give Veni Vedi Vomui a 7.5/10.
Kaoteon delivers the best live performances and has one hell of an amazing demo followed by an intense over the top album. This band is amazing.
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