Unholy Holocaustwinds

I believe my copy of this Throne Of Kartasis demo, "Unholy Holocaustwinds," is a re-release from the label, Paradigms. I don't know anything about this band other than all vocals and instrumentation, except drums, are handled by Grimnesse. Basically, this is a one-man black metal band and so deserves respect for being the result of the singular vision of Grimnesse. Something about a one-man outfit has always seemed more true to me. Reinforcing the sense of bleak isolation and melancholia that is a consistent theme in most black metal recordings.

The demo begins with a churchly organ and a brief sample of what sounds like a latin benediction. Whether this type of intro feels classic or cliche to you might color your impression of the rest of the demo. To me, it's a classic opener and so sets the blasphemous mood right off.

The guitar tone is a highlight of this release, achieving the standard level of grim coldness without resorting to tired tricks like poor production or nonexistent bass levels. Surprisingly, a paganish-sounding acoustic guitar periodically surfaces in the mix, adding a real sense of ancientness to what are already strong melodies. Melodies in the appropriately depressive vein, that is. The effect is somewhat reminiscent of early Satyricon. But, instead of alternating between blizzard electric distortion and purely acoustic parts as they usually preferred, ToK weaves the acoustic in with the electric guitars, creating a complex and somewhat original sound.

The vocals are effective, but somewhat unremarkable. Grimnesse seems to vary between a low, tuneless moan and a mid-register growl. He sounds evil enough and, while I didn't feel they were anything special, the vocals are solid and certainly don't distract or take away from the overall experience.

The 3rd and final track consists solely of moody keyboards over the sound of footsteps in a frozen forest and low unintelligible mutterings. While I wouldn't call this an "experimental" piece, it is certainly not a "joke," as one other reviewer judged it. I would describe it as a fitting end to what is a very successful, if short, demo.

This is my review for the ToK demo. I bought it a couple of weeks ago on the re-released 10" demo, #224/666. It is a great piece of work, and a must-have for any true fan of black metal. It is also important to remember that, this is a demo! Since this is a short release, the review will be pretty short.

Funeral Moonlight is the longest track on the vinyl, at about 11:30. It features a couple of fades (in and out), and is original from beginning to end. It also features a great acoustic guitar that greatly adds to the music, giving it a Norwegian organic feel. The drums are perfect, and balanced/mixed so perfect. The vocals display a wide range, and add to the music through out the whole song. The riffs are compelling and very black metal. But they are also original and are not too distorted. The keyboards are used seldomly, but appropriately.

Overall, this is a must-have demo. I highly suggest picking up the vinyl. It is a warfront prod. vinyl, so it is heavy, and the cover is top-notch. The only problem (and the reason I rated it 93 and not 99), is that the last track is a joke. It is not a real track, it is ambient and experimental, essentially, this is a 2-track release.

Throne of Katarsis knows how to play decent Black Metal. Grimnisse is a very talented man, taking the "burden" to play everything besides drums in a skillful way. Vardalv's drumwork is great. Not the boring drumwork without variation, at all. The result of these two talents is a very strong debut demo. Actually, one of the best Demo albums I've ever heard. This Demo is a three lengthy composition of evident self-confidence.

The sound is very appropriate and clear for a demo, and the vocals aren't the average Black Metal vocals. They're full of sorrow and hatred. Something most Black Metal artists want to produce, but most of them only achieve this goal partly. Excellent, quite technical guitarwork, with catchy riffs that add to the general atmosphere. As noticed earlier, great drumwork with a lot of variation. Not the best drummer that can be found, but he plays pretty fast nevertheless.

The one thing that is quite special about Throne of Katarsis, is that accoustic guitar has been added to the Black Metal mix. This is something not many Black Metal bands do, but it adds to the general atmosphere of this demo. As weird as it might sound, the accoustic guitar creates a somewhat horrific atmosphere, and of course, the link to paganism can easily be heard.

This demo starts with church music, followed by a stream of hateful Black Metal. There's a lot of variation in the speed. Pretty high speed with a hateful atmosphere in the first song, with some mid-tempo parts. The second song is mid-tempo most of the time, with some slower parts as well. On faster parts accoustic guitar can be heard. Great how the fast drumwork and the accoustic guitar melt together so well. I didn't even know accoustic guitar would sound good with fast Black Metal, till I heard Throne of Katarsis. After this wave of hate and sorrow, a depressive song can be heard, with a lonely feeling. Footsteps in the snow and some sorrowful vocals and moanings.

This Demo is among the best I've ever heard, and it's a very promising offering from a very interesting band. A very strong debut! Hopefully we will hear more of Throne of Katarsis in the near future.