Always searching for that perfect Thy Catafalque release? An exquisite mix of blissful electronica highs, melancholy folk and extreme metal intensity? Preferably all audaciously combined in each and every track with a bit of lounge jazz thrown in for good measure? There’s been more than a few moments of unquestionable genius already even if the past three or four releases have veered towards one or the other of those core elements and left me convinced that the project is heading ever closer to achieving perfection. From the heavy as a heavy thing Meta, the bitter-sweet summer breeze of Geometria; or the meandering jazzy, folky charm of Naiv. Each release right from the early days has contained its own blend wonderment wrapped in Tamás Kátai’s progressive explorations that owe far more to extreme metal that might seem the case from my paltry descriptions above as I grope around in an effort to translate what this Hungarian musical maestro conjures up.
I say in pretty much every review I do of Thy Catafalque that my favourite has for a long time been Sgùrr but in reality each and every release has been a gem – like climbing a mountain to find a great view but then discovering that each and every step of the way has something beautiful to behold: captivating flora and fauna you only find at these heady altitudes, the gravity defying insects that buzz past just when you thought you we’re alone on the mountain side, the slightly nerve-wracking paths that force you to tempt death and then that sudden change in the weather as you approach the summit that leaves you wondering if you’ve taken a risk too far. If there’s nothing in each and every one of these releases that doesn’t generate a few goosebumps, then I question whether you have a pulse at all.
After a slower couple of releases, the sound on Vadak takes us back to bouncing pace of Sgùrr but with the sensitivity of Geometria and Naiv that means what we have here feels like the most balanced release yet. Not predictable by any means but a release that feels less like a departure than Naiv and bridges much of what has gone before into what sounds like one of the most complete, rounded – dare I also say the most accessible – Thy Catafalque works to date. The balance of ethereal, Hungarian vocals and verging-on-the-extreme fuzzy metal guitars with the other elements is almost perfectly aligned on Vadak as Kátai ditches many of the crazier, lurching moments you might have experienced on ‘full-spectrum’ Thy Catafalque albums like Meta and Sgùrr.
The majestic opening electronic riff is perfectly blended to ease you into the opening rush. Nicely pitched to prod you out of your slumber and is probably about as heavy as the album gets. That’s not to say that this is not a full-on metal release. Tracks like the opener Szarvas and track four Az Energiamegmaradás Törvénye provide the album with that caustic metal edge. It’s all richly emotional across a thoughtful palate that feels like a spring breeze across the face compared to the violent gusts I’m used to in metal. It also has an undeniable groove and a sublime musical thread laced through the album linking each element together. Some and all of the achievements on Vadak have been achieved before in whole or in parts on previous albums. But, at the same time, the Thy Catafalque experience has rarely felt so vibrant and alive as this.
As usual, there are moments when we shift from the sublime to the metaphysical. Numerous points in the album where the music ceases to be music and it’s replaced by a sonic sea of myriad Kátai influences. Time folds and you slide into a world of drug-fuelled electronic samples, evolving repetition, gentle guitar solos that lead you by the hand and off into this wilderness of sound. If it’s possible to have music that can entertain, enthral and impress all while giving you the sonic equivalent of a free falling adrenaline rush and a really nice hug at the same time, then Thy Catafalque seems to have discovered it. Not for the first time I find myself thinking: what a bloody nice bloke Tamás Kátai must be to produce music of such beauty and originality. Sorry to be over the top about it but, in what must have been a dark year for many, it’s music like this that’s going to help us all through. Probably his best yet and I do not say that lightly.
(9.5/10 Reverend Darkstanley)
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