666

This is the first full-length release for Katharsis after 6 years of existence and a series of demos and 2 splits. This is a remarkable release that will surely bring to mind the first years of the second wave of black metal and specifically the three legendary releases of Darkthrone.

From the very first moment the listener feels like traveling back in time to the soulless and cold landscapes of the North, or better, the dark forests of eastern Germany in this case. This release is incredibly raw with riffs that cut like razors like, for example, the closing riff of “Thy Horror”. The vocals are exactly the same as those of Nocturno Cult while the drums offer a nice variation of neat fillings and poundings. The production is the ideal for albums of this genre and makes the atmosphere grim and eerie. The only negative aspect is that at times I heard the drums a little louder, so I could not clearly listen to the guitar parts.

Regarding the lyrics, they cope with Satanism as a religion, I suppose. The interesting fact though is the lack of cliché invocations and blunt blasphemous curses. On the contrary, they try to give a slightly poetic tone which, combined with the undeniable dynamics of the tracks, creates an absolutely breathtaking result.

I have often thought that timing can really be unfair for some releases. If “666” had been released in the early '90s, it would be remembered as a cornerstone in the history of black metal, but this did not happen, so I will settle with saying that this is an excellent homage to the basics of black metal. Highly recommended.


Originally written for: The Lair of Storfeth

The earlier reviewers have claimed that this LP sounds like Darkthrone's "Under A Funeral Moon"... I've listened to this album about a thousand times and I have never met the similarity of these two albums. Katharsis plays raging, fast, aggressive, brutal, blaspheming black metal at it's finest. And yes, so does Darkthrone, but... It just doesn't sound like the same at all.

Though this LP was limited to very low quantities (no-one seems to know for sure how many copies were made, 100-666 copies, I presume), this act of purest black metal-art will be re-released later on in this year 2004, most likely on CD-format. For all BLACK METAL-fanatics. Including me. This review is written by listening the mp3-rip of the original LP. I feel sorry for doing that (with many other albums), but I can't really support a band who has sold out all their material before I got the money to buy it.

Tto the music... Every 6 tracks of this satanic, infernal output are pure mayhem. Well yes, the guitar riffs might sound a bit of UAFM, but that's about all the similarity you can get with Darkthrone.

Katharsis hasn't evolved technically a bit from their demo era, the overall sound is now just more clear, and I can actually listen to this album thorough, unlike the demos. Their guitars remind me like Ulver's "Nattens Madrigal", which sounded like a high-buzzing beehive. Do not misunderstand me, it's a good thing. The drums are blasting almost all the time, several hits are missed, but who cares, when the overall music sounds so delightful.

As with most of bm-bands, I couldn't figure out many words that the vocalist is screaming, but as I read the lyrics, it all made sense. Screams of agony. Nothing new under the (black) sun, though. Mediocre mid-pitched screams, with some insane stretches.

Bass isn't too audible (at least on my cheap speakers & headphones), so no comments about that.

Song structures... No variations here. Just pure fast blaspheming war and chaos. Some of the riffs are brilliant, and after you listen to this album, you definitely want to go out and kill people at random. This is violent.

This is death. This is 666. This is... KATHARSIS.

After being let-down by their 2 previous demos, the first KATHARSIS full-length really exceeded my expectations. But there’s one thing about this album that people will either love or hate, and that’s the fact that it sounds so much like “Under A Funeral Moon”!! Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) about this release is “UAFM”-ish: The production, guitar sound, vocals, and style of music!!! In fact, someone could’ve dubbed this for me claiming it was “lost tracks from the ‘UAFM’ sessions” and I would’ve had absolutely no problem believing them!!! Luckily, this album succeeds in being in the DARK THRONE vein, unlike so many who fail. I guess this could also be comparable to “De Totem” by LUGUBRUM (minus the banjo). Since this was limited to 200 copies only, it’s HIGHLY unlikely you’ll ever find an original. Although, there’s already a poor-quality cdr bootleg of this being circulated (then again, it seems few releases of labels like Sombre or Drakkar have NOT been bootlegged)…

(Originally appeared on LARM, © 2003)