Angry Metal Guy<p><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/katagory-v-awaken-a-new-age-of-chaos-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Katagory V – Awaken a New Age of Chaos Review</a></p><p><i>By Dolphin Whisperer</i></p><p><strong>Katagory V</strong>, not to be confused with any band called <strong>Category 5</strong> or <strong>Five</strong> or any variation thereof, has been rollicking with power chord and falsetto vocal abandon for the better part of a quarter-century. Not continuously, though, as founding bass-slinger Dustin Mitchell put the riff-train on pause from 2014 to 2023 after struggling to fund the release of 2015’s <em>Resurrect the Insurgence</em>. With roots in a progressive and riff-heavy attitude that mirrored the doom-weighted Swedish power metal sound of (then) contemporaries <strong>Memory Garden</strong> and <strong>Tad Morose</strong> but with a stronger foot in early USPM <em>prog</em>enitors like <strong>Fates Warning</strong> and <strong>Queensrÿche</strong>, <strong>Katagory V</strong> carved a niche within a niche in the American underground. And now with a reunited vigor for overdriven and melodramatic riffcraft, <em>Awaken a New Age of Chaos</em> hopes to stir in wanting loins the tingle of amplified bravado.</p><p><em>Awaken a New Age</em> sees only a couple of line-up shifts from the <strong>Katagory V</strong> early days, with <em>Resurrect</em> vocalist Albert Rybka (<strong>Acracy</strong>, <strong>Empyrean Sanctum</strong>) returning to the mic—his more “modern” prog/power croon had previously shifted the sound towards a big chorus focus. As a band with minds set to reverence for a faded style, <strong>Katagory V</strong>’s emergence in the early ’00s put them beyond the tail end of their target audience, so a little change went a long way. Wielding classic tones, playful rhythms, and meaty guitar drives, the working man, angsty escapades of 2001’s <em>Present Day</em> or 2007’s <em>Hymns of Dissension</em> could have sat comfortably alongside the <strong>Sanctuary</strong> and <strong>Morgana Lefay</strong> CDs in a 12-disc changer with a slot to spare. But with Rypka at the vocal helm, a great world of vocal possibilities held the potential to unfold across <strong>Katagory V</strong>’s earnest and downtrodden societal observations.</p><p>For whatever reason, though, Rypka has chosen the path of the Ripper<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/katagory-v-awaken-a-new-age-of-chaos-review/#fn-216553-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a>, often relying on a shaky, low-power talk-sing that bursts into glass-shattering falsetto to imbue this new outing with extra metal force. While the shrill technique has earned a place in the hallowed halls of heavy metal, Rypka’s particular tendency on <em>Awaken </em>to jump from hobbling refrain to cloud-crashing wail derails the midtempo riff-groove of far too many tracks, “Legacy in Blood,” “Night Wing,” and “I Miss You” being the most screechy offenders. The kind of steady-drive prog/power in which <strong>Katagory V</strong> exists depends on a song navigating swiftly through its narrative dips and dives. And though Rypka can pull off plenty of smoother mic-twisting contortions against thrashy accelerations (“Empire of Ignorance,” “Prophet of Sorrow”) and moody, progressive growers (“Through Fate’s Eyes”), his theatrical and treble-abusing antics make continuous enjoyment difficult.</p><p></p><p><strong>Katagory V</strong>, however, glues enough runtime together with a tight rhythmic chemistry, which keeps <em>Awaken</em> from succumbing to its more grating qualities. From the classic piano-to-drum tumble of “Absolution Divide” to the <strong>Iced Earth</strong>-galloping “Blood Siphon” to the <strong>Death</strong>-worshipping bridge of “Prophet of Sorrow,” <strong>Katagory V</strong> can carry a mighty thump and rumble. At their most epic and progressive on “Through Fate’s Eyes” and “Escape to Beyond,” they even approximate the kind of sweeping heavy metal of a power-to-prog transitioning <strong>Fates Warning</strong> in a way few bands attemp in this modern age. Though <em>Awaken</em> doesn’t wear this level of success at every step, the brief walk along this road that reclaims the glory of <strong>Katagory V</strong>’s youth shows that the fire for metal remains.</p><p>As an act like <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/inner-strength-daydreaming-in-moonlight-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Inner Strength</strong></a> has shown, the sounds of the past can live anew in hands dedicated to iteration, refinement, and exploration. With <em>Awaken a New Age of Chaos</em>, the idea of growth within this aged style of heavy, progressive metal from a pre-<strong>Meshuggah</strong> world,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/katagory-v-awaken-a-new-age-of-chaos-review/#fn-216553-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> leans far closer to a thoughtfully executed jam session of remembered riffs than it does towards finding its own brand of melancholy. <strong>Katagory V</strong> never, unfortunately, got the chance to make much of a mark in the annals of the developing prog frontier. And while a grander level of success is normal in the dreams of hopeful musicians—and in light of <em>Awaken a New Age of Chaos</em> not being likely to accelerate their ascension—<strong>Katagory V</strong> can still stand proud with their dusty contributions to the history of the Utah underground.</p><p></p> <p><strong>Rating</strong>: 2.0/5.0<em><br></em><strong>DR</strong>: 7 | <strong>Format Reviewed</strong>: 320 kbps mp3<br><strong>Labels</strong>: Metallic Blue Records (USA) | High Roller Records (EU)<br><strong>Websites</strong>: <a href="https://katagoryv.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">katagoryv.bandcamp.com</a><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/katagory-v-awaken-a-new-age-of-chaos-review/#fn-216553-3" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KatagoryV/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/KatagoryV</a><br><strong>Releases Worldwide</strong>: May 16th, 2025</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/20/" target="_blank">#20</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/awaken-a-new-age-of-chaos/" target="_blank">#AwakenANewAgeOfChaos</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fates-warning/" target="_blank">#FatesWarning</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/heavy-metal/" target="_blank">#HeavyMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/high-roller-records/" target="_blank">#HighRollerRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/iced-earth/" target="_blank">#IcedEarth</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/inner-strength/" target="_blank">#InnerStrength</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/katagory-v/" target="_blank">#KatagoryV</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/may25/" target="_blank">#May25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/memory-garden/" target="_blank">#MemoryGarden</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/metallic-blue-records/" target="_blank">#MetallicBlueRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/morgana-lefay/" target="_blank">#MorganaLefay</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/power-metal/" target="_blank">#PowerMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progpower/" target="_blank">#ProgPower</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/progressive-metal/" target="_blank">#ProgressiveMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/queensryche/" target="_blank">#Queensryche</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sanctuary/" target="_blank">#Sanctuary</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/tad-morose/" target="_blank">#TadMorose</a></p>