ALFÖLD

I have said this many times before, but metal this year has been really good. I mean, the albums that I have considered to be masterpieces, or close to being as such, have been mostly metal. Us metalheads are eating well, and our feast doesn't quite end, especially when there is so much more to explore, and through our exploration we find ourselves in black metal territory with Thy Catafalque's 2023 release of Alföld.

Aside from Sigh and Ved Buens Ende, Thy Catafalque are one of the only groups I coin as prog black metal. Their music is rich with avant garde qualities similar to that of groups like Kayo Dot and Maudlin Of The Well, with elements of their native Hungarian folk music intertwined within, creating a sonically rich environment that they have been exploring since their third album of Tűnő idő tárlat, and since have been excelling in their own unique ways, reaching some notable popularity with their albums of Rengeteg, Meta, and Vadak, which are all quite great records if I do say so myself. So what does Alföld give in respect to the band's sound?

For the most part, I believe Alföld is a good trip through the band's ever evolving sound. I think the best thing about this album is the more pastoral elements that are showcased throughout the music. While Thy Catafalque are no stranger in the more folk aspects of their music, I believe Alföld does proffer that side of the band a lot more, and I find it to be some of the best folk the band has ever produced, with Hungarian melodies and pastoral beauties.

Not to say this album isn't also a hard hitting wonder, as the band still shows off their eccentric proggy black metal in spades, with tracks like the title track and A felkelő hold országa, which are both really excellent tracks that show off the band's usually unusual sound. They also showcase some of the album's best moments I believe, especially with A felkelő hold országa's keyboards. I don't think I will ever get tired of Thy Catafalque's metal, it is so unique, so innovative, that the fact they aren't more popular feels like a crime.

But this album also kinda has some things I am not a huge fan of. Namely it is the fact this album kinda has some songs and moments that feel a bit straightforward in the black metal camp. While I do enjoy black metal, I feel like Thy Catafalque works best when they aren't going fully into that territory. For me, the best Thy Catafalque songs at least have a bit more in them, and while this album does have songs that do give me a lot more to work with, some songs here either do a bit too little, or just feel like your average black metal stuff.

I also feel like the track listing here isn't quite that good if I am being perfectly honest, and it mostly stems from the final track of Néma vermek. While Thy Catafalque are not quite known for their ending tracks on their albums, they at least try to have some kind of an outro to really cap things off. However, this album doesn't really have an ending, since Néma vermek basically just ends things on an abrupt note, one that I am kinda not all that into. I say to fix the track listing, they should've swap Néma vermek and Szíriusz around, just for a better ending, and maybe also swap A csend hegyei with Testen túl, just for a better intro to what the album has in store.

Whilst I cannot in good conscience say that this is the best Thy Catafalque record, nor the best metal record of this year, I do believe it still contains a good experience within, and I would actually say that this album is a good introduction to what this fabulous band has to offer. Certainly an album worth checking out, especially if you like groups such as Sigh or Maudlin Of The Well.