Album
Type:
Full Length
Date
Released:
20/04/2014
Label: Self Release
“All is
Sorrow” DD/Vinyl/Cassette track list:
1). All is
Sorrow (37:03)
The Band:
Ben Hiteman | Vocals
Emad Dajani | Guitars
Thomas Lilliston | Guitars
Garrick O'Connor | Piano/Guitars
Dan Brownson | Bass
Ryan Thompson | Drums
Review:
One
thirty-seven minute piece of music gracefully spans this release from Catapult
the Dead. Mastered by his eminence James Plotkin of Khanate fame, a fantastic
and deeply moving piece awaits you. I completely agree with the band who
themselves state that this should be listened to as a complete work and there
are very few single pieces of music this long that can completely command your
attention like “All Is Sorrow”.
Beginning
with an open and very slow organ progression with slow burning background
oscillations, when the guitars eventually kick in the minimal rhythmic fury
present a darkened atmosphere. The fury clipped vocals perfectly complement the
dirge like guitars. After a verse, the electrics fall out and some pretty nice
minimalist keys break in, the guitars come back and this rhythm playing is my
favorite on the album, with some serious menacing chug under tremolo keys. A
little deeper down the wormhole now, the vocalist Ben Hiteman, changes styles
into some black metal-esque screams/yells which is pretty badass. At about the
seven minute mark, there’s a really unusual break that almost sounds like an
outtake from Tomahawk, into another nice piano arpeggio solo.
One
of the main things that strikes me about “All Is Sorrow” is how expertly the
piece shift through it's sections, it covers vast amounts of stylistic and
sonic territory, but everything is smooth as glass and just fits. The “middle
bridge” section around the seventeen to nineteen minute mark is a perfect
example of this, the melodies get rhythmically deconstructed but still
perfectly segue into each other. Around the twenty-two minute mark we get the
first section that might sound like someone else, it echoes Twilight's last
album and the singer sounds a bit like Stavros from The Atlas Moth here. I
would say these couple of minutes from about the 21 minute mark up til the end
are my favorite parts of the album, just a deep groove and nice melodies with a
huge gradual build-up throughout. It really does get better as it goes deeper
and deeper, what a fucking great album!! These guys better tour.
At
around the 32:40, there is some absolutely fantastic drumming with some
pulsating tom patterns, signalling we are approaching the end. The slow build
over these drums is hugely intense and the layering here is pretty epic. A
fitting close to such an epic record.
In
closing I would like to quote Morpheus from The Matrix, “Unfortunately, no one
can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.” If you substitute Catapult the Dead for the
Matrix in this quote, it quite accurately summarizes the album. Reading this
review is one thing but a work this compelling must be heard for yourself as
there really isn't anything quite like it. Completely worth just buying, check
it out below.
Words
by: Chris Tedor
12"
vinyl version of "All Is Sorrow” includes cover Artwork by Coven
Illustrations and an illustrated and numbered lyric booklet illustrated by Nick
Sandy. 160g vinyl pressed on 100% virgin vinyl 250 Black and 250 "Splatter
Hash" colored vinyl.
For more
information:
