Throne of Katarsis — The Three Transcendental Keys
The first key is one of those tracks that is so fast that it feels slow, a time mangling effect that is strange and enjoyable. The vocals are in a long verbed out wash, a series of long inhuman growls that almost seem pitched down but most likely are not. At times the vocals are reminiscent of Tibetan chant, bringing to mind Attila. The drums and guitars seem to act autonomously yet go together perfectly. The guitars have an awesome dark sound and towards the end of the track begin to feel like a train being derailed and destroying everything in its path, powerful stuff!
The second key begins with a long drawn out intro that eventually breaks into heaping waves of guitar and vocals, the guitars moving fast and the vocals moving slowly creating some really interesting dynamics with disjointed solos and odd timing changes. The vocals have so much reverb at times that they feel icy and glass-like, blending in and out of the strange bleeding textures of the guitar. The track becomes frantic towards the middle then dissolves into painful sounding singing before reintroducing the intro. From here we enter a section with sparse drums and vocals that burst back into the full power then fall apart into guitar feedback and stomping rhythms. The outro which is mellower than the rest of the track is also a highlight.
The third key comes in with a somewhat typical but still cool beginning. This twenty minute epic utilizes hypnotic repetition to much effect. The guitars then carry the washed out tune with intermixed smatterings of bass, then it turns into a wall of force, and then back again, this pattern repeating itself for a while. The track feels like its the hangover to the drunken franticness of the first two songs, and although this track is less interesting than the others it ends powerfully with some really twisted guitar lines.
Highly recommended for fans of black metal, a truly great record and an intense listen, and this music is tough like it should be!