So I thought I would do a full review of one of my favourite black metal albums of all time, Enjoy.
Beginning with some frightening de-tuned old piano, you know Katabasis is headed to a dark, foreboding place, grip your chair tightly and keep your lights on.
Tortorum really capture fear inducing tones and rhythm and flay it out on the slab for your ears to devour, this style of black metal for me is really enthralling. The sounds of fear and darkness combined with skilled musicianship can really make your mind paint fearful imagery and from the first note you are on the back foot trying to settle in to an unsettling world, it's really a thing to behold.
This isn't just a horror show however, this album, Katabasis is a real contender for one of the best black metal releases of all time. It's so heavy and well written, the guitars speed pick these melodic riffs that just flow through the music like blood through a crack in the floor. The drums almost feel like the largest part of the album, so many insane rolls and blast beats that aren't just to keep time they; in some parts, become the focal point with all the instruments working around them it's masterful playing.
The drumming in track 5, As the Light Falls to Slaughter really take hold of the track and give so much variation, but it doesn't seem forced, it feels organic. Track six, Into the Sixth Coil is a huge song, the track rolls along demolishing everything in it's path, the vocals screaming down buildings with a clean vocal harmony soaring over the top surveying the wanton destruction. The final track on the album (Beyond the Earth and Air and Sun) really puts the whole album in perspective, you know from listening to the other tracks on the album that this is the only place that this album could end. Every track on this album is black metal, that's a given, but they each give the listener something more, something different. Katabasis is like a journey through life and death with the ups and downs and the changes of direction but it always knows where it's headed, the grave.
Pros:
- It can create some fearful imagery in your mind.
- The flow and depth of the tracks is masterful.
- The drumming really holds everything together and in some songs stands out above everything.
Cons:
- Sometimes the changes in direction are quite drastic.
- I would have liked to hear more vocal harmonies.
Overall Impression:
Katabasis is a really well thought out album, you know where it's headed from the start but when you get to the end you are just amazed that the way it ended was not with foreboding treachery but an out pouring of emotion. It was truly a pleasure to have listened to this album.
Track List:
1.Descensus
2.The Great Appetence
3.In Nameless NonBeing
4.Severance and Perseverance
5.As The Light Falls to Slaughter
6.Into the Sixth Coil
7.Open Wide the Gates of Chaos
8.Attributions to the Dead
9.Beyond the Earth and Air and Sun
Line-up:
The Barghest - vocals, bass
Specter - guitars
Skyggen - guitars
Erik – Session Drums on Katabasis
Genre: Black Metal
Label: W.T.C Productions
Links:
www.tortorum.com
www.facebook.com/Tortorum
Release Date: 8 March 2014