Thy Catafalque – “Reneteg” [Album Review]

Reneteg is the latest album from Hungarian metal band Thy Catafalque and while extremely experimental in nature, this is definitely solid metal at its core. The guitar-driven songs have numerous ambient, ethereal breaks running through them and more than the occasional electronica vibe as well. Even more interesting is the fact that the whole album is sung in Hungarian; which though it might turn some people off, really doesn’t take away from the album’s enjoyability.

While the whole record has an overall rawness that is very similar to many black metal releases, Reneteg is very different from most everything else currently on the scene; at times it’s bone-crushingly heavy and at others strings, keyboards and a melancholy female voice are layered in a hauntingly mournful dirge resulting in a powerfully emotional vibe.

The contrasting layers really intrigued me. One moment I felt as if I were listening to a serene operatic production and not a minute later I found myself being pummeled by a wall distorted guitars and death metal growls. At the end of the day I think Reneteg is well worth the listen! Yeah it is a bit different and outside the box, but give this one a shot you just might dig it.

Track Listing:

01. Fekete mezok
02. Keleti szel
03. Trilobita
04. Ko koppan
05. Vashegyek
06. Holdkomp
07. Kek ingem lobogo
08. Az eso, az eso, az eso
09. Tar gallyak vegul
10. Minden test fu

Run Time: 60:14
Release Date: January 10, 2012

Check out the album preview