Thy Catafalque’s music is something particularly fascinating and rare in the music underground – it is an interesting combination of folk, jazz, metal and rock, and the symbiosis itself has become a trademark of the Hungarian project over the years and has won the affinity of many fans of even the heaviest genres during its now 24-year history.

Carrying a dreamy melancholy and traditional motifs woven into the web of different styles and compositional conceits, meticulously woven by Thy Catafalque’s leader and main performer Tamás Kátai, the works bring an atmosphere that can’t be mistaken and sets the project apart from all others with its energy. And although it started its musical presence oriented towards the black metal sound, the project seems to have risen precisely with its deviation from the strict rules and norms after 2004, giving importance to its avant-garde authentic expression embodying the aforementioned stylistic combinations and love of nature and folklore.

In their new eleventh full-length album „Alföld“, which translates from Hungarian as „lowlands“, the musician traditionally partners with thirteen other well-known musicians, who contribute to the unfolding fullness of the music of the title through their additional vocals (some of them heavy), guitars, performances on the plain flute and Persian ney, violin, viola, fretless bass, French horn… The traditional and already established classical sound of Thy Catafalque is once again enriched with new and darker colours to its sonic palette and manages to provoke new sensations, to present in a fresh and intriguing way a new musical painting  that brings back memories to the rawer side of the project.

As soon as „A csend hegyei“ starts, it becomes clear how different „Alföld“ will be from recent releases – the song erupts in the first seconds with the death metal vocals of Lambert Lédeczy (Ahriman, Mörbid Carnage) and a great death/black metal instrumental with incredible cutting riffs.
If I didn’t know the band’s earlier work and had no idea that this was a Thy Catafalque album, also if I hadn’t noticed Tamás Kátai’s subtle twists inherent to each of his tracks and serving as his signature, I probably wouldn’t have connected the dots. Thy Catafalque again displays his typical deviancy, and I like that a lot.

The next two tracks are something that definitely hold the attention  – this time the heavy vocals are by Bálint Bokodi , and in the third track of the album, „A földdel egyenlő“, the lead guitars of Breno Machado, whom we know from previous releases, can also be heard – his sound here is very organic and pleasing to listen to with its fast-paced tremolo and floyd rose twists. Samuel Chacon’s fretless bass plays no small part in the magic, without which it just wouldn’t sound as mysterious. The instrumentation is extremely atmospheric, and when added to the traditional elements of Thy Catafalque – the veiled synths and avant-garde guitar inclusions , the end result is truly intriguing.

Moving further , in the fourth track „Alföld“, Kátai combines the heaviness of the title with the gentle, playful and dreamier side of the project, incorporating the vocals of the now familiar Martina Veronika Horváth , which unlock new horizons for the title track.

From the title track onwards we can enjoy more and more unique vocal performances on traditional instruments such as flute, acoustic guitars, viola , violin and beautiful electronic synths that give the otherwise heavy record that Thy Catafalque feel of recent years.

Songs like „Csillagot görgető,“ the album’s sixth track, have some real folk magic going on – beginning smoothly in the style of a plaintive Viking croon, the vocals and synths are at times in sync and gradually build into more furious calls, surrounded by more fast-paced and cutting guitars, with her barbans and flute accenting them playfully, hooking into the rhythm in the project’s traditional manner.

The lyrics throughout the album are true poetry, touching in a compelling way on the themes of darkness and light in human existence, of things beyond what can be discovered with the naked eye, of the beauty of nature and nostalgia for the days under the vine petals, of melancholy.

With „Alföld“ time passes imperceptibly like a dream in which different scenes pass. The album transports you through different sensations such as melancholy, spirituality , burst of strength and aggression, to playfulness and contemplation of the beauty of the lowlands. The metal played by Thy Catafalque here keeps you enthusiastic throughout, shivering in anticipation for what is to come next. An unpredictable, interesting and beautiful piece of Art that once again proves the qualities of Tamás Kátai and his ability to launch his listeners into another space & time, touching at the same time their  most human thin strings.

„A hold alatt hirtelen
mindent látsz majd,
felcsap a földből tekinteted.
Elveszek majd, eltűnök majd,
nem találsz rám.
Kéz a kézben, sár a sárban
vasvilágban.„

„Alföld“ is out June 16th via the Season of Mist label, and for now you can hear a few of the tracks on it:

Oder the album here: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/TCAlfold