Release Date: October 13th 2023. Record Label: Code 666 / Aural Music. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Dybbuk - Tracklisting
1.Manifestation
2.Infestation
3.Oppression
4.Possession
Members
Dan Dolby (bass)
Michael Shepherd (drums)
Thomas Ott (guitar and noise)
Frenchie (vocals and noise)
Tanya Byrne (vocals and synths)
Review:
Catafalque are something of a supergroup from the UK Doom/Sludge Metal Scene featuring members of bands such as Mastiff, Gnarl and Bismuth. Throw in an ex-member of Hundred Year Old Man and you have the ingredients for a punishing Industrial/Drone/Doom Metal Band. The band is a new entity for me and that’s quite surprising since they're about to release their third album Dybbuk.
Dybbuk is full of harsh and nightmarish industrial Doom/Drone based sounds across four tracks that runs for around thirty eight minutes in length. Catafalque do add a world-weary Distorted Noise creative aesthetic to the album which allows the slightly demonic vocals to run havoc with the trippy Electronic sounds that appear on the album. Experimentation is key for Catafalque throughout the album with even Author & Punisher and Godflesh inspired moments of demonic noises appearing within the harsh tones of the opening track of Manifestation.
Catafalque set the scene early on with an album that embraces Old School Doom soundscapes with the more menacing style of Blackened Industrial Metal and long drawn out Droned Out textures that can be quite punishing to listen to at times but also brutally uplifting at the same time especially on the epic second track of Infestation.
Dybbuk does take elements of Heavy Doom from bands such as CONAN, THOU and Electric Wizard but it’s that nihilistic Droned Vision that allows Catafalque to move into more extreme levels of Sonic and Noise Rock experimentation. The vocals are a mixture of pitch-black growls and ethereal chants that left me with quite a numb feeling when paired with the harsh Sludgy guitars that have a sense of BORIS and SUNN 0))) running through its veins.
The final two tracks of Oppression and Possession takes the music even further into brutal levels of Industrial Metal and Drone Metal which feels like the band are conjuring the devil himself to unleash HELL ON EARTH. However, Catafalque start to play a more standard style of music that includes some intense extended guitar solos that feels it’s powered by a fucking chainsaw mostly heard within Oppresion. Catafalque still have a wild and reckless creative attitude with their music that airs cautiously on the more extreme side of Metal with a frantic based Ambient undercurrent allowing these two tracks to be the most outstanding aspect of the album.
Dybbuk is quite frankly a deeply disturbing, violent and extremely challenging album to fully listen to. However, the record is also beautifully played and put together from everyone involved. The production values are off the scale that allows Catafalque to portray themselves as one the most EXTREME bands to come from the UK Doom Metal scene in quite some time and I loved every single second of this fucked up release. This is a jaw-dropping release. Just be prepared that you may be in therapy for a long time to come after listening to Dybbuk.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to C Squared Music and Catafalque for the promo.
Dybbuk will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Code 666 / Aural Music from October 13th 2023.
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