It’s one thing to be creative and another to able to express the creativity in a way that intrigues and captivates listeners. Tamás Kátai as Thy Catafalque has been doing both for 25 years. Each of the eleven albums so far has been unusual and remarkable. Captured as “avant-garde”, the music could be described as black metal, Hungarian-based folk, epic, symphonic and frankly wherever the artist’s mind takes him. At times it’s like a journey through the cosmos. Supported by 27 guest musicians, which itself gives an idea of the enormity and breadth of the project, “XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek” (The Beautiful Dreams Are Yet to Come) promises a fiery heavy metal album with traditional acoustic and classical movements and sounds, mixing extremity with room to dream and even dance. Kátai’s own take on this lies in his statement: “I think of this album as an introspective journey through the night”.

One thing which is apparent from previous albums is that whatever you experience in the music, it’s not going to stay the same. The coherence is in the artistic imagination. The album starts with a recognisable hard rock rhythm, but as “Piros Kocsi, Fekete Éj” (Red Car, Black Night) gets going, the lofty vocal delivery comes from another place – Hungary being this other place. The metal-folk style will be familiar to anyone who’s heard “Rengeteg” (2011) or anything else by Thy Catafalque. In any language these are sophisticated, rich songs with epic qualities. “Piros Kocsi, Fekete Éj” goes from being folksy to heavy, and returns to the main song with more choral and epic twists. “Mindenevö” (Omnivore) then makes the atmosphere darker and heavier. It’s clever and exciting. On the face of it the song is about overindulgence and the ominous consequences of disease and decay. I guess we can take this message beyond eating. Musically it’s explosive theatrical type black metal with a dramatic Therion style chorus. The clarinet comes in to engender a spooky, fearful atmosphere. Finally there is a mix of trip-hop classical melancholy. It’s a great example of how to mix styles and come out with something grandiose and magnificent.

After a spoken introduction full of gravitas and sounding like a text book about the composition of steel, Vasgyár (Iron Works) is a fast and furious piece of extreme death metal. The familiar Thy Catafalque fast melodic pomp-heavy rhythm is in there. This song is as mobile as it is extreme. A break leads to an instrumental passage where the keyboards provide the vibrancy. The song overwhelms us with its richness. And as they say (translated lyrics): “from iron and steel a nation unfolds … the ironworks roar, the ironworks pound … the road leads on”. Maintaining the upbeat tempo, “Világnak Világa” (Light of the World) is a melodic black metal song. Above all it is full of life, drama and energy. “Nyárfa, Nyírfa” (Aspen and Birch) is another deep but absorbing song, which lyrically is devoted to the woods and nature. A feature to note about these songs the breadth of vocals. The ten different vocalists add quality. In there I heard the vocal depth of old Finnish Goth bands like Charon and Poisonblack, but that’s just one element as each vocalist matches the mood of the song in question. “Lydiához” (To Lydia) is, I understand, based on a piece by Horace, the Roman poet. Utterly compelling with a Central / Eastern European flavour, it’s a light folk traditional-sounding acoustic song with pure male and female vocals. It’s like being taken to a different world. The synthesizer then starts a breezy, whistling tune, and together with the bright drum beat takes us on a romp. The sound is at one point retro. The bouzouki and trumpet make an appearance. This mobile, pan-musical piece of cosmic jollity is “Vakond” (Mole).

The synthesizer once again leads off, but now striking darkly. There’s an element of Jean-Michel Jarre or Depeche Mode about this. But Ködkiraly (King of Fog) develops in all directions. The haunting female voice is so soft and pure that it’s devastating. The sound of the French horn enhances this emotive and melancholic piece, adding majesty. Yet the softness exudes strength. To reinforce the point, the soundscape expands and the music becomes metallically heavy and sludgy. It’s a strange, quite sinister and always intriguing experience as we fly through the clouds. As a storm is whipped up with chunky and djenty chords, growls are followed by a dark and lofty chorus. This monster of a song finishes with the sound of wind, rain and an echoing a capella chant. The weather is relevant as the song is about autumn, the wind fog and heavy rain. Structurally this is the most stunningly atmospheric song and is one of many testimonies to a remarkable and magnificent album. Follow that. Well the answer is in the dark “Aláhullás” (Falling Down). Now we hear old school rock, supplemented by an airy synth rhythm and echoing darkness along the lines of Wumpscut. Amidst this unusual mix, at least by the standards of others, are power, punch and structure. The song itself is about the frailty of human power in the face of nature.

The title track brings the album to a close. It’s an upbeat piece of rousing toe-tapping anthemic rock. I felt a sense of triumph about it and just wanted to sing along – a tough one unless you know Hungarian, which lends itself well to this strong march. It’s worth noting here that the fact that the lyrics are in Hungarian enhances the album and brings us closer to the cultural centre which Kátai shares with us through his global and unfettered musical perspective. English translations of the lyrics were provided, which were a great help in providing context. After the march of “A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek”, there is a bonus track in the form of a cover of the song “Babylon” by the Hungarian rock band Omega. Given the balance of this album, I wasn’t surprised that this cover was in keeping. Following on nicely from “A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek” its drum melody has the same magnetic quality. Heavy and slightly quirky – quirky is a byword for Thy Catafalque’s music – it’s a vivacious song. For comparison I listened to the original rendition. Its drum melody is more directly pop-rock in style by comparison, but Thy Catafalque respect the original and strengthen it as good musicians do when making covers of songs.

What a joy this album is to listen to. Its musical styles are disparate, and so in a sense it becomes a series of passages and moments. Kátai never fails to make these moments interesting and impactful. And here lies the strength. “XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek” is a melting pot of quality, culture, ideas and innovation. There are no set rules, just clarity of thought and imagination. This album is delightful and intelligent.

(9.5/10 Andrew Doherty)

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