Release Date: March 12th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD.
MARTYDROM - Tracklisting
1.A Pale Stine 07:31
2.Powerful Dark Objects (Mind Bender) 06:03
3.Insanity Has Thin Walls 05:48
4.Noon Creeper 03:15
5.The Word Made Flesh 04:40
6.Black Sails On Wine-Dark Seas 07:18
Review
Instrumental Doom/Stoner Metallers Catapult The Sun return with another cautionary tale of gloomy heaviness with their latest album MARTYRDOM. The band have evolved from their previous EP’s with a sudden shift into Atmospheric Sludge and Post-Metal heaviness with echoes of PELICAN appearing very early on. Catapult The Sun bring a foreshadowing style of Post-Rock, Prog Metal and Ambient Metal into their overall sound whilst remaining slightly apprehensive when bringing a heavier dynamic to their creative outlook for the album.
The album does feel slow paced at times but this allows the band to bring some creepy elements into their music but adding a cautious Sludge Metal appetite which you can feel and fully appreciate within the excellent opening track A Pale Stine. The song does take time to fully find its footing but once that happens there’s no stopping Catapult The Sun evolving into more OCCULT and GOTHIC based sound.
Though fans of Clouds Taste Satanic will find much to enjoy here. I would even mention BONGRIPPER as well with Catapult The Sun moving into quite bleak sonic based territory on the majority of the tracks especially Powerful Dark Objects (Mind Bender), Insanity Has Thin Walls and Black Sails On Wine-Dark Seas.
MARTYRDOM can be too ethereal and sometimes out there but that’s one of the best things about the album with Catapult The Sun never playing it safe. The record can be quite fantastical and methodical at the same time with the band experimenting with different psychedelic sound effects and cosmic atmospherics which perhaps impresses the most on Powerful Objects (Mind Bender).
Every song is superbly structured with a great balance of “LOUD vs QUIET” dynamics which allows a certain Post-Stoner energy to fully appear and immerse with the dominant Instrumental Doom/Stoner Metal sound that is the band’s main weapon of choice to impress listeners with.
There’s a lot going on with this record and I recommend you give this album a few listens to fully understand and digest with Catapult The Sun exploring many different levels and areas of the whole Instrumental Metal world. The album is quite moody and action-packed as it draws closer to it’s natural conclusion that’s set against a wave of emotionally charged musical performances from the entire band.
MARTYRDOM is a richly engaging and deeply powerful album that delves into the heart of instrumental music and allows Catapult The Sun to create their own signature style of music to impress the underground scene with.
Words by Steve Howe
Links
