Thy Catafalque – XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek
Release Date: 15th November 2024
Label: Season of Mist
Bandcamp
Genre: Avant-Garde Metal, Progressive Metal.
FFO: Sigh, Arcturus, Ihsahn, Dødheimsgard, Fleshvessel, Bekor Qilish, Aetheria Conscientia.
Review By: Eric Wilt
Thy Catafalque is one of the most unique bands I’ve ever stumbled upon. Originally a black metal band started by sole permanent member Tamás Kátai, Thy Catafalque has moved to a more Avant-garde style of metal. And when I say Avant-garde, I’m talking more Avant-garde than you are probably imagining. Thy Catafalque’s music is all over the place in the best possible way. Incorporating numerous instruments from guitar and organs to bouzouki, oud, and baglama as well as numerous singers, Kátai writes songs without rules, or, if he follows any rules, they’re not the ones most bands follow.
The first thing you will notice when you listen to Thy Catafalque’s latest record, XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek, is all of the Hungarian influences that Kátai brings to his music. The lyrics are written in Hungarian, the album is named after the place that Kátai was born, and they even cover a Hungarian folk song from 1980.
Musically, Thy Catafalque uses black metal as the block that most of the songs are built on, but XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek is not your typical black metal record. Songs like Mindenevo and Vasgyar feature typical sounding black metal sections and vocals, but even these songs bring so much more to the table. Mindenevo, for instance, uses a clarinet to introduce a new riff before the distorted guitars pick it up, it features a tech-death section, an 8-bit sounding keyboard section, and ends with a violin or cello solo. While Vasgyar sees Kátai using the black metal guitar tone over a more conventional rock beat (something Kátai does a handful of times throughout the album), features a keyboard lead, and a section where the violin is played like a lead guitar.
Throughout the album, Kátai layers the instruments, especially the guitars and organ, in a way that sounds like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra playing black metal. He utilizes numerous singers, both female and male, clean vocals and growled, to realize his vision. A vision that includes, folk metal, upbeat keys, melodic metal, house music, jazz, 1980s horror movie scores, chanting, driving drum beats, hand claps, and dance music. Speaking of dance music, A Gyonyoru Almok Ezutan Jonnek would be a perfect song for a cybergoth dance party.
A couple songs veer away from the metal side of things completely. Nyarfa, Nyira is a gothic sounding song with a sax solo that works really well, and Lydiahoz is a Hungarian folk song from 1980 in which the male and female voices trade verses. As songs five and six on a ten song album, these two tracks give the listener a moment to rest before Kátai weirds things up again on the latter half of the album.
XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek by Thy Catafalque is an extremely pleasant surprise. Tamás Kátai is a musical mad scientist, and you never know where his muse will lead him next. If you are interested in progressive metal/death metal, black metal, or anything that expands your mind, you will likely find something on XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek to enjoy.
(4.5 / 5)
