Title: All Is Sorrow
Date of Release: 4/20/14
Record Label: Independantly via bandcamp
Album Review Format: Digital Download
Genre: Doom/sludge/gothic
Website: Catapult The Dead
Reviewed by: Geoff McGraw
Track listings: 1. Nothing Comes From The Well 2. The Rising 3. Valencia 4. Sacrament 5. Retrospect 6. Servitude
Turn down the lights, draw the curtains, pour a glass of thick red wine and light a candle as Catapult The Dead brings a flavor of gothic cathedrals, complete with shadows of tortured figures upon the wall as winged gargoyles pass judgement upon the souls within.
That maybe a tad on the theatrical side as far as descriptions go, however the arrow cast by the metaphorical bow strikes the mark as surely as anything could.
CTD mix heavily downtuned guitars, piano, keyboard and drums into a misanthropic, convoluted soundscape which would play it's part well in any Hammer Horror movie. Essentially one 36 minute 56 second song the band says the album should be listened to as one experience and not divided up into it's respective parts.....and they are right. From the 1st strains of the "pipe organ" to it's "orchestral" finish it is a compelling single piece.
Don't expect any 4/20 day chill out and smoke a bowl good time doom/sludge from this album. Instead prepare yourself for a pain of existence sonic tribulation... and damn is it painfully good in a "Oh yes hurt me like that way"! Vocally the experience has much in common with atmospheric black metal or death metal stretched out on the best of mid-evil torture racks, and complements the musical arrangements perfectly.
Aficionados of the Doom genre will do themselves a great disservice by passing over Catapult The Dead. The immense level of physical and compositional talent contained on this album is stunning, truly the best Doom band you've never heard of.......YET!
9 out of 10 horns
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