Thy Catafalque : "Meta"

Tamas Katai is back handling things on this own once again. There is more of a conventional metal groove to the opener and less black metal, though the end result is a good song so what genre he is delving into here doesn't really matter much to me.  Katai does get some help by the second song "Siraly" as female vocals coast over the slightly slower than mid-tempo waltz of distorted guitar. Things get a more experimental with bells ringing out before the thrashing attack of "10 20 angstrom" which at this point in the album proves to be the most metal moment. The double bass gives the song a powerful drive.  Eventually things get darker as monks start to chant by the midway point.

"Ixion Duun" is more of a death metal song. It is more powerful by merit of it's more calculated attack. The atmosphere  comes on thick for the prog interlude  "Osszel otthon". Distorted comes in at the final two minutes, but overall the feeling is laid back. There is some skilled guitar work in play, but something I would rather hear in context of a proper song. There is a more powerful pace to "Malmok jarnak". It's like a more new age version of Rotting Christ to me. It's well balanced with melody and heavy in an almost Moonsorrow manner when they lock into the chug. At fifteen minutes the song is a pretty ambitious piece of work. The first song minutes finds it riding the massive guitar sound until it breaks down into more of a folk interlude with layers of female vocals. the song takes a very weird turn into electronica that I was not expecting. The metal returns at the seven and a half minute mark. It's a pretty bold move that I am sure you will not hear on many other metal albums this year.

There is a stoner rock shuffle to the darker tone of "Vonatut..."  The vocals are more crooned hear dissipating any links to black metal that might have been hiding in the shadow.  It sounds more like an upbeat version of My Dying Bride. The last song is  more of an outro than and actual song. This album does take more chances than most metal releases and is not tied hard and fast into a genre it feels the need to play it safe and conform to, so I'll give it an 8.