Throne of Katarsis – “Ved Graven”

This is Black Metal. While that’s not going to be the extent of my review, it could be if I wanted it to. You see, Throne of Katarsis are the quintessential Black Metal band. There are no gimmicks and no prog rock interludes on this album. There’s nothing to take away from the overall ‘black-metalness’ of the whole thing.

While many bands take on other elements in an effort to inject life into their sound, Throne of Katarsis do not. Nor do I think they care what other bands do or do not decide to do. While the method of fusing different styles together does work for other bands; Throne of Katarsis have taken a different approach. Instead on relying on musical evolution or changing styles completely, Throne of Katarsis have focussed all of their energy on Black Metal once again. They’ve worked on their sound and refined it. The music that flows from this album sounds like a well-oiled evil machine that was formed in the depths of Hell by Satan, while he/she was in a particularly bad mood. And, really, you can’t say fairer than that.

The album opens with “Profetens Siste Vandring” – a ferocious track that tears the soul out of the listener via any orifice that’s available. It’s not here to make friends. Perhaps it’s due to the riff, or maybe it’s due to some other reason entirely, but “Helvete Kaller” has an incredibly addictive quality to it. Throne of Katarsis are clearly not content with just creating decent Black Metal; they want to create decent Black Metal that will make you want to listen to it again and again. Also, the chanted vocals (they pop up briefly – listen out for ‘em) when combined with the slow methodical pace in this track bring something very unearthly to the proceedings. You really do get the feeling that you’re an unwitting participant to a dark ritual.

If the previous track was the ritual, “Av Dypets Kulde” is the beast that was summoned by that ritual. Weighing in at over 9 minutes, it’s a collossal monster of a track and the music contained within more than lives up to its monstrous dimensions. The track builds up slowly, teasing the listener and almost making you beg for it to kick in. The first half of the track is full of evil seduction that eventually builds up into an unholy climax.

“The Holy Remains The Weak” is a blasphemous slice of metal. Yes, it’s a typical Black Metal track, but when it’s this good you don’t care. Like I said before, there’s no gimmicks – only a form of Black Metal that’s been crafted into its optimum shape. “Mesterens Tilbakekomst” (no, I have no idea what that title means) comes at you like machine gun fire, complete with an insane warcry. If this was played on the battlefield, it would strike fear into your opponent.

Throne of Katarsis drag you further into their world with “Åpne Alle Sår”. Its creepy intro draws you in and, before you know it, you’re trapped. Darkness looms around you and you await the predator’s strike. As with “Av Dypets Kulde”, “Åpne Alle Sår” teases the listener. I found that I was itching for the guitars, drums and vocals to really kick in, but – at the same time – I was enjoying the game. The suspense. The hunt. And then, finally, in “The Ultimate Shrine” the hypnotic spell is lifted and you come face to face with evil itself. Or something like that. Either way, it’s bloody good.

If you like old school Black Metal, you should enjoy this little beauty. Well worth your hard-earned pennies. Go on, treat yourself!

Rating: 98%

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