Thy Catafalque – “Sirály” (audio) (premiere)

Hungarian folk/rock band Thy Catafalque issues its latest album, Meta, on September 16th via Season of Mist. Following on the heels of last year’s Sgùrr, the new record provides a heavier, more metal-driven examination of the band’s sound. Culled from Meta is the tune “Sirály”. Joining Thy Catafalque mastermind/multi-instrumentalist Tamás Kátai on this haunting, melancholy track are vocalist Ágnes Tóth (The Moon and the Nightspirit) and cellist Judit Csere.

Tóth, whose work has graced previous Thy Catafalque releases, demonstrates here why she’s been one of Kátai’s favorite collaborators. Her voice provides a touch of the old world while the darker, heavier metallic splashes root us in the present day. The sweetness of her lines adds a determined and imaginative counterpoint to the composition’s most foreboding elements. Sirály is the Hungarian word for seagull and the found sounds incorporated in the recording instantly evoke images of nature and the mysterious, foreboding sea.

“The song is more or less an allegory of life and passing,” Kátai says. “It was inspired by Scottish seaside trips with the blue North Sea and the white seagulls circling above it.”

The piece will doubtless summon comparisons to Kate Bush, Dead Can Dance at its most ecstasy-inducing, and Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares, the acclaimed Bulgarian women’s choir. All this while sacrificing none of the heaviness listeners have come to expect from Thy Catalque.

Those seeking unbridled heaviness can rejoice in Meta tracks such as “Mezolit” and “10^ (-20) Ångström” while pieces such as the epic, classically-inflected “Malmok járnak” and “Ixión Düün” further demonstrate the full reach and promise of Kátai’s unique vision.

Meta, as mentioned, will be available September 16th and may be preordered here.

TRACK LIST

01. Uránia

02. Sirály

03. 10^(-20) Ångström

04. Ixión Düün

05. Osszel otthon

06. Malmok járnak

07. Vonatút az éjszakában

08. Mezolit

09. Fehérvasárnap