Thy Catafalque - Vadak (2021)

For those of us that like weird music that pushes the boundaries while keeping Metal elements in the mix, Thy Catafalque has been delivering highly innovative releases over the years. Tamás Kátai returns after one year since the band’s last release with “Vadak”, featuring over 62 minutes of captivating and yet difficult to digest music. If you like the band’s brand of weirdness, you know that this release will demand your full attention for more than a few dozen spins to be fully digested and appreciated.

After setting a weird and futuristic sounding mood with the first few minutes of “Szarvas”, the jazzy weirdness instantly takes center stage as the track is quite intricate and yet delicate. As you can imagine, elements are mixed from all kinds of genres, and the resulting amalgamation mixes harsh BM screams with jazzy/proggy influences. Completely flipping the script, “Köszöntsd a hajnalt” has a nice Eluveitie folky vibe, while “Gömböc” mixes heavier Death Metal-esque elements with funky instrumental passages.

Showcasing extra heaviness, both “Az energiamegmaradás törvénye'” and “Móló” are as heavy as one can expect, but adorned with lush atmospheric elements with both diverging into funkier and more experimental ramblings towards the end. We particularly enjoy the modern Ulver-esque vibe from “Móló”. Going completely off the reservation, “Kiscsikó (Irénke dala)” has a nice Ska-esque vibe, while “Piros-sárga” is just weird, but in a good way with its clean vocals and retro atmospherics.

Many people truly do not have the patience for bands like Thy Catafalque, and we can see why, however, they are clearly missing out on a very unique and visionary take on Metal, and music in general. With “Vadak”, the band has a cohesive and very engaging method to their madness, as all tracks nicely flow from each other and the countless guest musicians are just single pieces on a much more complex and intricate puzzle. Listen if you have the patient to be both weirded out and wowed at the same time.

Label: Season of Mist

Release: June 25th, 2021

Genre: Avant-garde Metal

Country: Hungary