THY CATAFALQUE - Xii - A Gyonyoru Almok Ezutan Jonnek (Vinyl) (LP)

Tam s K tai has a vision that extends far beyond his native Hungary, but Thy Catafalque's twelfth album is
tied to the past in more ways than one.
Whereas his previous album returned to the heavier days of Thy Catafalque, XII takes K tai on a more
figurative journey. The album unfolds like a dark night of the soul, whisked away by the dreamy-yet-
haunting opener "Piros kocsi, fekete j".
"Run with me, life / Whisper the tales", Attila Bakos sings in Hungarian. His cleans soar over the airwaves,
reappearing with ease 15 years after he first joined Thy Catafalque for the project's underground breakout
R ka Hasa R di .
More old friends join K tai on this journey. A gy ny ru lmok ezut n j nnek features 20+ guest musicians,
including familiar faces from inside and outside of the Hungarian metal scene. Violins, cello and clarinet
bring the comforts of home. Still, the road can be quite harsh. "Mindenevo" is consumed with humanity's
self-destructive appetite, fueled by mechanized blast beats and distorted downpicking that recalls the fiery
black metal from which Thy Catafalque was originally forged in 1998.
Hungarian history looms behind the album's most crushing moments. The coal blackened chugger
"Vasgy r" is named after the rusted-out ironworks that once fueled the country's economy. In the video for

the album's title track and lead single, K tai runs through not only his hometown but surreal scenes from
past and present issues that lie beneath the surface of the countryside. But his flair for the avant-garde still
shines like the dawn. The synth's minor key melody glows with the faint but familiar reassurance that the
beautiful dreams are yet to come.