Catapult the Dead – “A Universal Emptiness” [Album Review]

Catapult the Dead’s latest is a meaty offering of quality atmospheric doom. Although it only contains four tracks, each one is huge and sprawling in scope. It’s dark, thunderous and rather unique.

A Universal Emptiness is not as haunting as other doom I’ve heard, but it has other things going for it. Across its four mighty tracks, you’ll hear plenty of synth, keyboards, roars and wails. Ben Hiteman handles the vocals here, and although I wish there were a little more in terms of depth and emotion to his roars (it can be a touch dull at times), it does work well for the production and adds to the crushing wall of sound that is ever-present in the record.

“Last Breath” is the strongest (and longest, weighing in at an impressive 11:24) track on the album. It’s a swirling epic, full of atmospheric use of the keyboard and layered use of the guitar and bass that all builds into a dark, foreboding mood in the song’s last few minutes. It’s a fantastic track and one of the best doom pieces I’ve heard this year. It builds superbly into the album closer, too. “Burning Womb” is as atmospheric as it is crushingly heavy. The percussion and bass here is phenomenal and will fill your walls with a thump that other metal acts may not.

Catapult the Dead’s latest offers quality doom that’s not as haunting as the band’s peers but just as atmospheric. In tracks such as “Last Breath” and “Burning Womb” there is an excellent use of “the wall of sound” that creates a foreboding bump and crushing heaviness that other doom acts would love to emulate. The vocal delivery can be dull at times, but other than that, A Universal Emptiness comes highly recommended.

A Universal Emptiness Track Listing:

01. Till it Goes Away
02. Anti-Aether
03. Last Breath
04. Burning Womb

Run Time: 38:39
Release Date: November 15, 2017

Get wild and stream A Universal Emptiness in its entirety.