Fedi: Vocals
Greg: Guitar
Tom: Guitar
Ricky: Drums
Nico: Bass
Quality always prevails. When Swiss men work with metal, the result is either a high-quality watch or an equally worthy band: CATARACT. The band was formed in 1998 in a part of the hardcore scene more prone to metal. The Zürich-based band dedicated itself to metal from the very beginning with such power and dedication that their demo CD, released a year later, already became a big seller. No wonder their debut album ‘Golem’ (2000) was picked up by American hardcore label Ferret Music.
Beware when the perfectionists from the Alps are let loose. In the year 2001 singer Fedi joined the band, which started getting more and more professional. What started as a mountain torrent turned into a rapid river which flooded the stages of Europe and the American East Coast.
And there was no dam in sight. After one EP and countless live shows, the album ‘Great Days Of Vengeance’ followed on Lifeforce Records. The record earned the Zurich torrent much respect, and Metal Blade didn’t have to think twice. The legendary metal label signed the band from the land of the Swiss knife, the first from this country to join its roster. The band’s renewed aggression was channelled into the album ‘With Triumph Comes Loss’ (2004), a merciless tide of thrash which was met with nothing but praise and approval.
CATARACT toured permanently, receiving more show offers than there are weekends in the year, also raging on tours with Maroon (Europe and UK, 2004) and the No Mercy Festivals (with Six Feet Under, Nile, Dying Fetus and Dark Funeral, 2005) all over Europe. The 2006 release ‘Kingdom’ confirmed the quality of its predecessor, once more opening the floodgates for the raging waters to cover Europe with uncompromising shows, this time with Amon Amarth and as part of the Hell on Earth package alongside Heaven Shall Burn and God Forbid, among others.
By now the fans knew what to expect from CATARACT: hardcore-influenced thrash and a band uncorrupted by success that always held on to their ideals. The resulting lyrics pissed in the face of a power-hungry, greedy and irresponsible society.
In 2007 CATARACT crashed against a cliff for the first time. Guitarist/songwriter Simon Füllemann left the band, followed by the bass player shortly after. Regardless of this setback the band levelled a packed 5,000 capacity tent at the Greenfield festival, which led to a polite invitation to return.
Replacement for Füllemann was quickly found in Tom Kuzmic, who also delivered as a songwriter. The self-titled ‘Cataract’, which saw the band broaden their sound with speed, death and grind influences, had to be recorded at Antfarm Studios without a steady bassist. Only after a 6-month break the band found the right person to handle the four strings in Nico Schläpfer.
The new line-up worked out perfectly. Granted, the precision machine that is CATARACT never sputtered, but with Kuzmic and Schläpfer the already tight songs got an additional kick, and the band was able to further bond on the road. The impressive list of acts that CATARACT have shared the stage with kept growing. To this point, the band had played with Biohazard, Caliban, Born From Pain, Entombed, Hatebreed, Machine Head, Napalm Death, Pro-Pain, Sick Of It All, Slayer, S.O.D., Unearth and Dark Funeral, and now they were able to add Sepultura, Soulfly and Killswitch Engage to the list.
The following 9 months were spent working on new songs, and now CATARACT present ‘Killing The Eternal’, the biggest cascade ever to roll down the Swiss Alps. Produced again by Tue Madsen at the infamous Antfarm studios in Aarhus, Denmark!
