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THY CATAFALQUE “XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek”
THY CATAFALQUE “XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek”
By Dr. Abner Mality
There’s a creative fire burning in Tamas Katai that never goes out. It is an accepted fact that his chameleonic project THY CATAFALQUE will have a new record out every year. At least. But what form that album takes depends entirely on Katai’s restless mind. His last album “Alfold” was one of simple and uncomplicated heaviness. So I was pretty sure his followup would be nothing of the kind.
2024’s edition is the 12th THY CATAFALQUE album and I will not bother repeating the entire Hungarian language name, which basically means “Beautiful Dreams Come Next”. Will this be the “mellow” album, then, relying on smooth electronica or Hungarian folk? Thankfully, no, “XII” is Katai at his most eclectic and progressive and there’s plenty of metal here. On tracks like “Mindenevo”, “Vasyagar” and the second half of “Kodkiraly”, it might just be the heaviest T.C. of all.
There’s always a catchiness and smoothness to Katai’s music that makes almost every track easy to get into. That manifests itself in compact, snappy numbers like “Piros Kocsi, Fekele Ej”, “Alähulläs” and the title track. The folkish “Lydiahoz” is taken from a famous Hungarian song and in fact, “XII” is one of the most “Hungarian” sounding of all THY CATAFALQUE’s efforts. Even if the lyrics weren’t all in Hungarian, there is still something uniquely East European about the sound here.
This time around, Katai has the help of a virtual army of musicians, most playing orchestral and folk instruments. Classical and Hungarian folk themes weave themselves in and out of every song. The middle part of the album starts to get a bit soft and flabby...from “Lydiahoz” and “Vakond” through the first half of “Kodkiraly”. Just when I was starting to think he had lost his grip, an enormously heavy doom riff kicks in on the second of “Kodkiraly” to show that metal is still a big part of the equation. As for vocals, male and female both are present here, ranging from crystalline melody to black metal shrieks. You have to be on your toes listening to a THY CATAFALQUE album, as you never know quite what is coming at you next.
I label THY CATAFALQUE a progressive rock project in the truest sense of the word. The sounds of a restless mind exploring limitless territory. It may not all be territory we’re comfortable with, but the journey is always an interesting one.
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