Good music, just like any good book or movie provides some satisfactory entertainment. Great music however, speaks to you and disturbs your emotions and thoughts. It could make you want to kill someone, question authority and act irresponsible, or in the case of Catacombe’s “Kinetic” it makes you ponder on the purpose of life, your failures, your triumphs and your regrets.That was the experience I gained with Catacombe’s first full-length work when I first listened to it, late at night inside the comfort of my home, after an exhausting day at work.
Yours could turn out completely different, yet even if you’re having a great day, I promise “Kinetic” will ruin that in a good way, it will take you on a rollercoaster ride of sounds and moods, mostly dark, melancholic and introspective.
Although the Portuguese act moves through musical ambiences that shows references of post-rock and post-metal, two styles that have long ago reached the saturation point, they’ve avoided the genre’s most boring clichés and crafted their own sonic signature along the lines of Mogwai, Caspian and Red Sparowes. There’s precious little of the filler and meandering that has too often hampered the impact of most post-rock or post-metal efforts.
The chiming, jangly guitars constantly create an intense atmosphere that’s equally bleak and beautiful, inviting you to step in and lose yourself in the placid and equally disturbing nature of their soundscapes.
Sit quietly, plug in your headphones and enjoy the ride, let the music project the images you’ve buried deep in your mind. I promise it will be musically and emotionally gratifying. (8.5/10)
David Alexandre
Band info: www.myspace.com/catacombeband
Label info: www.myspace.com/slowburnrecords
For fans of: Mogwai, Caspian, Red Sparowes, Callisto
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