Well, this is the third Kat’s album I review for OMM, so it’s impossible not to compare this release with the previous I’ve heard. Although this release is older than the others and that I’m an old school metalhead, I liked the newer ones much more. I’m not saying that “Bastard” is a bad album, not at all! This is a good release indeed, but something in their mid-90’s releases got me much more than this one. Let me explain my impressions.

As I said, “Bastard” is far from being a crappy release, but there is a feature that may sound as a detail for some people, but which is primordial to my ears: originality. So, in this record, albeit they bring a very well executed thrash metal, the general result is more traditional, making Kat sound as more common band. Considering the year of its release – 1992 – it seems that they were too much taken by that Pantera-esque thrash/groove metal and hadn’t developed their personal approach on the genre we can hear in the next releases. In “Bastard”, the songs are long, just as in the other albums I reviewed, but I missed the singular use of some unusual instruments and all those mood oscillations that made me open my ears to their music.

However, of course that they still show that total dedication to metal which is usual for someone involved with the scene since 1979. There are great moments, such as the title track – 100% thrash metal! – technical excellence all over the album, since all members master their instruments at their best and I also loved their Polish singing, which makes the music sound really different and unique in comparison to many English-sung albums. Nevertheless, despite all these positive features, when I got to the end of the listening experience, I had the sensation that they could present something else with more personality. Maybe at the time of it release this album could have been praised by the press, but after 25 years it doesn’t sound so essential, gaining much more importance to understand the history of Kat than to the metal scene. A good release with nothing really special.

Cristiano Passos