Thy Catafalque – XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek
Season of Mist Records
10,0/10,0
Brief:
Tamás Kátai has a vision that extends beyond borders and boundaries. Even during its infancy, Thy Catafalque had already outgrown the rather rigid guidelines of black metal. Though only intended for the studio, over the past 20 years, his recording project has evolved into a lively collaboration. With each album, Thy Catafalque has pushed the envelope of extreme metal a step further, bringing the world’s most vile art form into conversation with the avant-garde.
Thy Catafalque’s twelfth album is even more expansive, but XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek ties both to its mastermind’s past and the history of his native Hungary. “For this album, I felt it was time to move in a different direction, whatever that direction might be”, Kátai says, “but XII still possesses the dreaminess that I’ve always associated with Thy Catafalque”.
Of course, Kátai hasn’t been mulling over this album for too long. Keeping in line with his prolific pace, XII arrives just one year after his previous album. Named after the stretch of land where the producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist was born in southeast Hungary, Alföld returned to the heaviness from which Thy Catafalque took root during the late ’90s. Once again, Kátai set out to make a straightforward metal record, but while there’s plenty of cause for chest-pounding, A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek ended up taking him on another surreal headtrip.
Thy Catafalque started as a duo with János Juhász. A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek features the biggest guest list in the project’s long discography. More than 20 guest musicians appear on this album, including old friends from inside and outside the Hungarian metal scene. Martina Veronika Horváth — whose band The Answer Lies in the Black Void toured Europe with Thy Catafalque earlier in 2024 — duets with the tender brooding Gábor Dudás for a faithful rendition of “Lydiához”, a 1980 Sebő ensemble classic that sowed the seeds for Hungary’s roots revival.
The heaviest moments are often grounded in Hungary’s history. While colored by nostalgia, XII is also shadowed by the ticking hands of time, a theme that ripples back to 2021’s Vadak. Blackened chugger “Vasgyár” shares a namesake with the rusted-out ironworks that once fueled the country’s economy. It’s not a political statement, but the song does reflect how the landscape has changed to the eye of the now 48-year-old Kátai.
Ultimately, the progressive flair that has come to define Thy Catafalque shines through the darkness on album twelve. Only this time around, in order to reach the light at the end of the tunnel, Kátai needed some guidance. “I felt like the production had largely been the same since Geometria”, he admits. XII marks the first time in the project’s history that he worked with an outside producer. Granted, Gábor Vári is no stranger to how his mind works. When he’s not holed away in the studio with other prominent Hungarian metal bands, Gábor could be seen hammering away at his guitar on stage with Thy Catafalque on the live album Mezolit. “He was the perfect person to help give this album a somewhat different sound that is still familiar”.
Thy Catafalque’s twelfth album looks back longingly at the past, Tamás Kátai isn’t stopping to smell the roses. With A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek, he shows that the beautiful dreams are yet to come. This album still has plenty of metal.
Tracklist:
- Piros Kocsi, Fekete Éj (4:12)
- Mindenevö (6:35)
- Vasgyár (6:18)
- Világnak Világa (6:28)
- Nyárfa, Nyírfa (2:53)
- Lydiához (3:05)
- Vakond (4:29)
- Ködkiraly (7:58)
- Aláhullás (3:48)
- A Gyönyörü Álmok Ezután Jönnek (3:14)
- Babylon (Bonus Track – Omega Cover) (3:42)
Main Focus Tracks:
- Piros Kocsi, Fekete Éj (4:12)
- Mindenevö (6:35)
- Vakond (4:29)
- Aláhullás (3:48)
Other Recommended Tracks:
- Vasgyár (6:18)
- Világnak Világa (6:28)
- A Gyönyörü Álmok Ezután Jönnek (3:14)
Line-Up:
Tamás Kátai – guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards, programming
Guest musicians:
Martina Veronika Horváth – vocals on Track 1, 6
Ivett Dudás – vocals on Track 8
Helga Kreiter – vocals on Track 4, 10
Gábor Dudás – vocals on Track 2, 5, 6, 10
Bálint Bokodi – vocals on Track 2, 4, 9
Gábor Veres – vocals on Track 3, 8
Attila Bakos – vocals on Track 1
Zoltán Kónya – vocals on Track 3
András Vörös – vocals on Track 4
Breno Machado – lead guitar on Track 2
Zoltán Vigh – lead guitar on Track 3
Krisztián Varga – lead guitar on Track 4
Daniele Belli – acoustic guitar on Track 2
Miguel Velasquez Matija – fretless bass on Track 2, 6
Edu Giró – oud, bouzouki, baglama on Track 2,7
Grigoris Mitropoulos – bouzouki, mpaglamas on Track 7
Sanja Smileska – violin on Track 3
Jo Quail – electric cello on Track 8
Issar Shulman – contrabass on Track 2
Cal Rustad – French horn on Track 2, 8
Manuel Domenech – cor anglais on Track 8
Khachatrian Lernik – clarinet on Track 2
Gergő Bille – flugelhorn, trumpet on Track 7
Joakim Toftgaard – trombone, trumpet on Track 7
Fabian Hernandez – saxophone on Track 5
Viktória Varga – narration on Track 3
Annamari Sánta – narration on Track 7, 8
Comments:
XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek is more than just a good album; it’s a bold statement in the post-black metal genre that defies expectations. Kátai’s innovative approach continues to set Thy Catafalque apart from its contemporaries, as he seamlessly blends heavy and melodic elements into a cohesive whole. With this release, Kátai proves once again that he is not merely a musician, but a visionary artist capable of crafting profound sonic experiences.
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Selected Discography:
Sublunary Tragedies – 1999
Microcosmos – 2001
Tűnő idő tárlat – 2004
Róka hasa rádió – 2009
Rengeteg – 2011
Sgùrr – 2015
Meta – 2016
Geometria – 2018
Naiv – 2020
Vadak – 2021
Alföld – 2023
XII: A gyönyörü álmok ezután jönnek – 2024
Photo Credit: Orsolya Karancz