Friday, January 23, 2015

CD review: CATACOMBS OF DOOM Patibulum MMXIV (Independent) by Frank Garcia

Patibulum MMXIV
Independent
Catacombs of Doom is a band from Greece. Members consist of Bill Kibizis-synths, drone, fx. Dimitris Kalyvas-synths, Bass. Donn (Teutoburg Forest) UK - guitars, drums. IDVex : vocals. Genre is described as Drone-Ritual-Horror-Dark Ambient.
The album Patibulum MMXIV was released in August 2014 under Black Death Industry. Good production. A well balanced recording. Vocals are very good and easy to comprehend all the lyrics. Lots of synth work and samples. The opening track is haunting and eerie. It gives the listener a good perspective on the ambiance of the compositions. Not a typical album, I often felt I was watching some kind of epic horror film.
Listening to this album was interesting by the fact that it was not your standard type of material and was more focused on atmosphere and deep dark passages. I enjoyed each and every track but some of the more stand out songs would have to be Peregrinatio, the cryptic bass lines in this song really stuck in my mind as i listened and the overall vocals send chills down my bones. The song Bucolic ecstatic ritual, probably one of the more haunting pieces of the whole album. Enchanting and captivating fields of sonic vibes. There is also a variety of samples that are all well placed and defined. A Celtic Frost cover Fainted Eyes is another worth mentioning. This would be the doom version of the song which is fine by me cause they took the time to make it with their own. In conclusion, all the different instruments and atmosphere keep the listener engaged from track to track. The band lives up to the genre description to the line. -Frank Garcia