Thy Catafalque — Meta
Opener Uránia begins with the tolling of a bell, before ultra-distorted, almost thrash metal-esque riffs kicks the song underway. They are soon followed by distorted black metal style vocals and some progressive keyboard lines. As the song progresses the progressive side takes control, and even the vocals switch to a more melodic and clean sound. Before a final flourish takes us back into black metal territory.
Next track Sirály begins with a much more relaxed, melodic opening featuring strings and some beautiful folky female vocals. The song begins to build with more and more distorted guitar before dropping back to the gentler folk rock just in time for the return of the female vocals. We are again treated to more of the majestic progressive keyboard playing that is evident on the opener whilst the ensuing guitar solo sounds measured and assured. This is obviously a man who is comfortable within his playing style.
Third track 10^(-20) Ångström kicks off with more tolling bells before ripping into a full on black metal assault that lasts up until the mid-section of the track, at which point they take us back into more progressive and experimental territory. One can’t help but be reminded at times of metal legends Sigh, purely because of the diverse nature of the music.
Ixión Düün is up next and begins with a very orchestral, almost soundtracky intro before making way for faster, more technical black metal before heading in a much more avant garde direction midway through the track, only to return back to black metal again before finishing on a more progressive, acoustic note.
The instrumental Osszel otthon is up next and stays with that laid back melodic style. Whilst the guitars do join in by the midpoint it never descends into full on heavy metal preferring a much more chilled guitar workout.
The album’s centre-point is up next, at over 21 minutes Malmok járnak starts out as a perfect slice of melodic black metal before the first of many changes take effect. The song has many layers that unravel as we experience the journey it takes us on, through beautiful ambient textures and almost dancelike electronic vibes, before returning to a more typical heavy metal sound. This is all about the journey.
Vonatút az éjszakában starts life as a more traditional sounding hard rock track that draws influence from traditional folk sources that add their own little inflection to the proceedings. The epic sounding doom/death of Mezolit follows next. Slow and heavy the track moves into more melodic territory halfway through giving it a strong post-metal vibe. Final track Fehérvasárnap is just a short 2 minute traditional sounding folk piece with some spoken word dialogue over the top that finishes the album off nicely.
Overall this is a fascinating album that takes the listener on a journey through a variety of different musical realms. One can’t help but be tempted to compare Thy Catafalque with Japanese legends Sigh, due largely to the diverse and astonishing twists and turns the album takes us on. This is a remarkable release, that has crashed into my list of favourite albums of 2016 from a band I knew little about before. Meta is highly recommended, an exciting and original album running at over an hour long, that never outstays its welcome. I really can’t say enough good things about this remarkable record, if you like your metal to test the bounds of what metal really is, then this is definitely the album for you.