Album Review: Katalepsy - Terra Mortuus Est
Reviewed by Tim Finch
Russian is a country that has always had an insatiable appetite for heavy, brutal music. For years bands rarely toured the country, despite the demands for them to do so, and thus a local scene thrived. One of the leading lights of Russian extreme music are Katalepsy, a death metal band hailing from Moscow.
The band are not new to the scene, having released three full length albums prior to today, alongside a split release and an E.P. of their own. It’s their stature and appeal in the western provinces of Europe that is rising quickly. Now thirteen years into their burgeoning career, new album ‘Terra Mortuus Est’ promises to send them on a trajectory to the stars.
Noise builds from the background, slowly rising as a haunting voice echos through the listeners ears before the assault begins. This is how Katalepsy introduce themselves on the new album. ‘Closer Than Flesh’ slowly building before wave after wave of riffs and blast beats rain down. The Russian attack does not let up as we are swiftly led into ‘Night of Eden’, Igor Filimontsev’s guttural vocals ringing in the listeners ears as the battering of the senses continues. The album does not let up for a second during the eleven song offering. Anton and Dimitry’s throughput of aggressive riff’s keep the pace high and the anger to the forefront of the music.
The only switch in style and delivery comes in ‘No Rest No Peace’ a full forty minutes into this opus. The song mixes thrash elements and even a hint of hardcore into the bands usual brutal death metal sound. The switch up makes the song jump out from the album, after being pummelled for so long, it is a welcome change in direction, giving the listener time to breathe a little before the assault continues at full force.
If you like your death metal brutal to the extreme, with guttural howls and a myriad of blast beats, then this album is for you. With ‘Terra Mortuus Est’ Katalepsy have delivered a wake up call to the western world. They are here to stake their claim as kings of brutal music.
