Formed in 2000 by former Obituary guitarist Trever Peres, Catastrophic signed with Metal Blade that same year and released their debut, The Cleansing, in March of 2001. Joining Peres here are Keith DeVito on vocals, drummer Rob Maresca, co-guitarist Chris Basile, and bassist Brian Hobbie. With Peres' highly respected death metal reputation and his bandmates hardcore intensity, Catastrophic not so surprisingly created a synthesis of extreme American music that was unique and powerful. Though understandably labeled death metal, the grinding vocals and thick guitar work mine a vein of metal more individually definitive than many of the genre's practitioners. The guitars demonstrate considerable heft throughout The Cleansing's 12 tracks, and cuts like "Hate Trade" and "Lab Rats" also feature some nice drumming and an overall rich musicality. Towards the end, some of DeVito's vocal work begins to sound repetitive as the group's material sputters a little. Overall, however, The Cleansing is a more than adequate debut that suggests a promising future for Peres and company. ~ Vincent Jeffries