Thy Catafalque — Geometria
While the band is billed as 'experimental black metal', large portions of the album are closer in sound to ethereal art rock and gothic new wave. As with many original players in the Scandinavian metal scene, they have kept the haunted dark melodicism of black metal but otherwise tended towards more dynamic flavors of music. There is a strong folk flavor in this consistently tuneful album. The band's musicianship and harmonic understanding is solid.
In the first three pieces we find three completely different musical styles, starting with the jazz inflected, moody art rock of "Hajnali Csillag", sounding much like the lighter sections of Opeth's "Blackwater Park" and "Damnation" albums with watery, luminous clean guitar tones. In "Szamojéd freskó", Thy Catafalque live up to their metal classification with a technical, chugging behemoth of a track, brutal and powerful. Having safely proved they could do it, most of the album proceeds to sink comfortably beneath this dynamic level into a loungey headspace that provides ample room for sweet strings, as well as saxophone and fretless bass solos.
The 3rd piece is "Töltés", the first stripped back electro/synth wave style song, which the band handles without excessive cheese. The arpeggiated synths have a luminous brightness and intelligent scalar movement. In terms of rhythm and compexity, tracks like this are monkey-simple compared with the band's instrumental playing, comprised only of a single synth, basic drum machine pattern and voice. I'm glad they don't dominate the album, but the band does have an excellent grasp of synthesizer tone.
The guitar playing is tasteful and ear pleasing, with a fuzz drenched tube tone. The riffing is minimalist, yet complete, informed but not overtly technical. Flowing and expressive, never indulgent, emotion is at the fore of the band's music. The somber, subtle beauty of tracks like "Lágyrész" channels vintage German LPs and mid period Katatonia.
The lead female vocalist has a pure, bold voice which works well with the circular folkish patterns she typically employs, self-harmonizing rounds with piercing alpine tonality. Male vocals appear at times, as well, masked with distortion and other processing in "Szamojéd freskó", and providing repetitive hooks in the more danceable "Hajó" and "Tenger, tenger". The lyrics being in Hungarian, I can't understand them, which is likely good, since most music of this kind has excessively cheesy subject matter. The vocals function mostly as another melodic voice in the great shimmering textural weave, not particularly demanding attention or taking center stage.
If you enjoyed the movement of Scandinavian dark metal bands which transitioned from heavy music into moody alternative rock, such as Katatonia, Anathema or Ulver, this album should satisfy you. This band has kept a more progressive, complex and varied feel than many who made this transition, yet sounds completely natural in every realm they explore. The lush production and harmony, varied dynamic levels and feeling of adventure through many open ended realms make this album an absolute winner.