Catafalque/We Will Always Suffer/Trepanation Recordings/Cursed Monk Records/2020 Double Album Review

  United  Kingdom's  Catafalque  have  returned  with  a new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  experimental,  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "We  Will  Always  Suffer"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Trepanation  Recordings  and  Cursed  Monk  Records.

  Bell  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  introducing  some  field  recordings,  harsh noises  and  power  electronics  onto  the  recording.  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  drums  also  speed  up  at  times  and  also  add  in  some  brutal sounding  blast  beats.

  Programmed  beats  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  the  music  also  captures  an  improv  atmosphere  at  times.  When  screams  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  the  songs  they  are  presented  on  along  with  seem  songs  also  showing  the  music  going  into  more  of  an  experimental  and  avant  garde  direction.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  instrumentals  along  with  the  guitars  also  adding  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  when  they  are  utilized.  Drones  are  also  added  into  a  lot  of  the  songs  as  well  as  every track  also  sounding  very  different  from  each  other,  as  the  album  progresses  synths  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  a  couple  of  songs  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  Gregorian  chants  and  spoken  word  parts  also  start  getting  utilized  more  often.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from Catafalque  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  harsh  noise,  experimental,  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  double  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Enjoy  The  Violence"  "No  One  Will  Miss  You  When  You're  Gone"  "They  All  Had  Such  Tiny  Hands"  and  "His  Torment  Will  Never  End".  8  out  of  10.

https://catafalque.bandcamp.com/album/we-will-always-suffer

  

   

Catafalque/Corpses/Trepanation Recordings/2020 CD Review

  United  Kingdom's  Catafalque  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  experimental,  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Corpses"  which  will  be  released  in  2020  by  Trepanation  Recordings.

  Harsh  noises  and  power  electronics  start  off  the  album  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Bass  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  and  also  bring  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  some  atmospheric  sounding  drones.

  Most  of  the  songs  also  stick  to  an  instrumental  direction  while  the  music  also  gets  very  avant  garde  and  experimental  sounding  at  times.  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  more  diverse  as  well  as  all  of  the  tracks  also  sounding  very  different  from  each  other  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  children  singing  samples,  spoken  words  and  percussion  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  all  of  the  music  also  sticks  to  a  slow  direction  and  the  remix  tracks  also  adds  in  some  touches  of  industrial,  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  the  closing  track.

  On  this  recording  Catafalque  remains  true  to  the  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  experimental,  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal  that  they  established  on  the  previous  releases  as  well  showing  some  progress  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Catafalque  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  harsh  noise,  experimental,  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Corpses"  "Shallow  Graves"  and  "Outer  heaven".  8  out  of  10.

https://catafalque.bandcamp.com/album/corpses  

Clawing/Catafalque/Memento Mori/Trepanation Recordings/2019 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  U.S.A's  Clawing  and  United  Kingdom's  Catafalque  called  "Memento  Mori"  which  was  released  by  Trepanation  Recordings  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with Clawing  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture of  dark  ambient,  drone  and  noise.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  dark  soundscapes  and  spoken  word  parts  while  programmed  beats  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background.  Ambient  style  synths  can also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  one  track  also  adding  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  after  awhile  harsh  noises  start  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  music.

  Power  electronics  also  mix  in  with  the  other  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.  Atmospheric  sounding  drones  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording along  with  all  of  the  songs  also  sounding  very  different  from  each  other  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  Clawing  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  dark  ambient,  drone  and  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Concrete  Heat"and  "Subway  Rats".

  Next  up  is  Catafalque  a  duo  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  harsh  noise, drone  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts out  with  some  drones,  field   recordings  and  dark  soundscapes  along  with  some  clean  playing.  Most  of  their  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  all  of  the  songs  also  sounding  very  different  from  each  other  and  synths  are  also  added  some  parts  of  the  music.

  Harsh  noises  and  power  electronics  are  also  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  their  second  track  also  adding  in  some  heavy  guitar  in  with  the  experimental  elements,  spoken  word  samples  are  also  added  on  the  closing  song  before  going  into  more  of  a  slower  and  heavier  drone  direction  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Catafalque  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  harsh  noise,  drone  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Signs  of  Stigmata".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  harsh  noise,  drone,  dark  ambient  and  doom  metal.  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/pAiWCVDKfCA

Catafalque Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?



Thomas: Non-stop song writing! After we finished ‘Catafalque’ we originally planned to take a break from writing/recording, but the inspiration kept coming so we kept going!



Dan: Yep, we’re already planning a couple of splits and that tricky second album. We’re also trying to set up a few live performances before 2019 is out.



2.Recently you have released your first album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?



Thomas: Catafalque began as a collab between my Harsh Noise Project; The Dead Yesterdays, and Dan’s Drone Doom Project; Mostly Hair and Bones. We liked the result so much we decided to form a permanent band, but we’ve still maintained that collaborative approach. This is what I’ve always liked the most about Catafalque, the fact it is so natural and organic. There’s never been any strong urge to confirm to any particular musical style or genre, it’s more about responding to what the other person has recorded.



Dan: As Thomas said, we weren’t really trying to set out to make an album in a specific style. We each have a lot of different influences and it was great being able to reference whichever we liked. There were no rules at all. If we like it, we used it. We did however consciously try to fill the space in our recordings where appropriate and also leave spaces for the tracks to breathe.



3.Most of the music was instrumental while vocals where brought in at times, are you planning on expanding the vocals on future releases?



Thomas: For sure, vocals will definitely become more of a prominent feature on future releases and live shows.



4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Catafalque'?



Dan: A catafalque is a framework that supports a coffin during a funeral or whilst a person of importance is lying in state. I’ve always liked the word and I suppose it has a fairly macabre meaning to it. I suggested it to Thomas as I felt it fit the music we’d recorded up to that point pretty well. Luckily he liked it as much as I did!



5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?



Dan: Absolutely. Again it’s fairly macabre and is an image of an old African (I believe) stringed musical instrument made out of a human skull, antelope horns, skin, gut and hair. I came across it a while back and it stuck with me. As soon as we started recording and I heard the resulting sounds I knew we had to use it. I included the still from The Exorcist 3 inside the CD cover as it’s a fucking awesome film!



6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding your line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?



Thomas: I definitely wouldn’t be adverse to expanding our line up if the right opportunity presented itself, though given the density of our sound already I’m not sure there’s enough room left in the mix for another member!



Dan: I think for recording it works so well with just the 2 of us but I also wouldn’t be averse to guest musicians! I think live is where we’d probably benefit most from more pairs of hands!



7.The album was released on 'Trepanation Recordings', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?



Dan: Well Trepanation Recordings was started by me immediately prior to us recording ‘Catafalque’. I have run a noise Netlabel (Throne of Bael Records) for a few years and wanted to start a label focussing on the extreme and experimental side of metal which also produced limited edition runs of professionally made physical components. I thought that the album was a perfect first release so I could get a better handle on the process involved. Trepanation Recordings already has a number of other releases planned for late 2019/early 2020 and the roster is expanding. There are so many great artists and bands out there that deserve to be heard. I want to do my part in making sure they are.



8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of drone, harsh noise, and doom metal?



Thomas: I think there’s always a danger when you create something that touches on multiple genres without fitting into a neat pigeon hole that it’ll end up being unpalatable for everyone, but that really doesn’t seem to have been the case with Catafalque and I’ve been pretty humbled by the reception we’ve had so far. Particularly in Metal circles we seem to create a certain amount of consternation – folk aren’t necessarily sure what to make of us - but at the same time we still manage to pull them into our hypnotically horrible vision!



Dan: It’s been remarkably positive! I’m still shocked to be honest!



9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?



Thomas: My noise project The Dead Yesterdays as been sorely neglected while I’ve been focusing on Catafalque, but this means I’ve only been putting out a couple of releases a month! My next album ‘Adrift in the Dark’ will be released on Void Singularity Recordings on the 28th of July. It’s an hour long harsh noise wall exploring themes of alienation and isolation.



Dan: I play bass in a band called Mastiff and we released our latest album ‘Plague’ through APF Records on 1st February. We’re still playing whatever shows we can supporting this as well as beginning work on the follow up. We have a number of shows throughout the UK in 2019. Come check us out!



10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?



Thomas: Denser and heavier atmospheres! I really want to see how far we can take this sound of ours.

Dan: I want to create the most unsettlingly hypnotic album the world has ever know.





11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?



Thomas: To answer all those questions in one I think there have been some absolutely amazing music released over the last 12 months and it’s those bands who are pushing the envelope on what ‘heavy music’ means and moving in new directions which inspire me the most. I couldn’t not mention SUNN O))), and Life Metal has been in my frequent rotation since it dropped. That a band who did so much to define a genre and have such a recognisable sound can then drop an album like this which completely reinvigorates it while keeping reference points is really exciting. Other notable mentions for me would be ‘Magus’ by Thou, which I’m still not bored of, and ‘Weeping Choir’ by Full of Hell, I would definitely see ‘Weeping Choir’ as the benchmark in terms of heaviness I’d want to achieve with future releases!



Dan: As far as influences go with Catafalque, I’d have to say Sunn O))), Godflesh, ‘Psalm 69’ era Ministry, Gnaw Their Tongues and of course The Body. I’ve been listening to a lot of the early Earache bands such as Fudge Tunnel and OLD recently. I’ve also been on a massive Khanate binge and been totally digging Author & Punisher, Crowhurst and Lingua Ignota.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?



Thomas: There are things not related to music?! Seriously though I live in a small rural town on the east coast of Scotland and love hitting the trails and beaches for a good run.



Dan: I don’t have time for non-music related things! Hahaha! Seriously though, I just tend to spend quality time with my wife and son when I’m not doing music. I am a big darts fan too (although not much of a player).



13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?



Dan: Just thanks for taking the time to interview us and expect to see much more of Catafalque in the future.

https://www.facebook.com/Catafalque-589705908178358/

Catafalque/Self Titled/Trepanation Records/2019 CD Review

  Catafalque  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture of  harsh  noise,  experimental,  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2019  album  which  was  released  by  Trepanation  Records.

  Dark  soundcapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  a  few  seconds  later.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  bring  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  drum  beats  are  also  introduced  into  the  music  on  the  second  track.

  Harsh  noises  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  music  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  being  used  on  o  couple  of the  tracks  that  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.  Drones  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  also  gets  more  experimental  and  avant  garde  sounding  and  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard  briefly,  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  saxophones  can  be  heard  and  all  of  the music  sticks  to  a  slower  direction  as  well  as  most  of  the  tracks  being  instrumentals.

  Catafalque  plays  a  musical  style  that takes harsh noise,  experimental,  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  as  well  as  adding  in  an  improv  atmosphere  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  Catafalque  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  experimental,  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Gnarled  Limbs"  "Trepanning" and  "Prison  Of  Flesh".  8  out  of  10.

https://trepanationrecordings.bandcamp.com/releases