EP Review: Catacomb – Back to Unknown Kadath (XENOKORP)

R’lyeh trembled and the Great Old One awoke from slumber as legendary Lovecraftian Death Metallers Catacomb started summoning the stars beyond the wall of sleep in 2021, re-recording their cult demo “In the Maze of Kadath” to celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary. Titled ‘Back to Unknown Kadath’ this new incarnation of the tentacles-faced beast will be released as an exclusive 12″ EP with screen-printed side B on March 18th, 2022 via Xenokorp.

Who doesn’t love a bit of Lovecraftian inspired metal?

Catacomb certainly use the master of the eldritch’s works to great effect here but it’s not the only reason this recorded EP is such an appealing listen.

30 years is a long time and there will be people drawn to this EP who weren’t even alive when it was first released as an early demo. That’s why it needed to be re-recorded rather than just re-released. A chance for Catacomb to up the production, inject it with decades of experience and unleash it upon the world. Not just to please those who have waited in their slumbering states but for those who are newly awakened.

So, what horrors do Catacomb bring forth with In the Maze of Kadath? The horror that only death metal can exude. The horror of possessed instruments and guttural vocals. The terror of a band playing in a frenzy. The sickening realisation that this 4-track EP is loud and chaotic enough to rouse something unspeakable.

What really makes this feel even more wicked are the flourishes. Such flourishes. The sinister melody introductions, the grandeur of symphonic elements and the way in which the guitars almost tell a story.

It’s absolutely phenomenal stuff and one hell of an appetiser for the long-awaited debut album.

Catacomb – In the Maze of Kadath Full Track Listing:

1. The Key
2. Hallucinated Mountains
3. Time’s Lurker
4. Nemesis

Links

XENOKORP