Although "Catholicon" might sound like the name of some bishops' convention down at the Hyatt Regency, this band is actually one of the better examples of what the U.S. underground has to offer. In terms of aesthetics, they're mixing black and death, but that description is inadequate for the music on this CD. Like many bands, Catholicon take a doggedly anti-Christian lyrical approach, but, unlike most, this devotion to blasphemy seems to have seeped into their song writing as well. Pure black metal bands, as entertaining as they are, often opt for either spacy ambience or buzzing velocity; Catholicon's songs recall the primeval chaos that was before God fixed the firmament, the soundtrack to the bloody prequel to Genesis. The production could have everything to do with it. Whereas every other fucking band these days shoots for that "raw" sound, this CD is actually so raw that it hurts: the guitar sounds like it's screaming in agony and the rest of the instruments have a "jagged" sound that defies description. The only downside, production-wise, are the synths, which tend to overpower everything else at times and are a bit too clean for my tastes. The songs make up for it, though...mid paced, lengthy vignettes of damage, topped by I.N.R.I.'s shrieks from the abyss. And the lyrics are generally above average, especially the impressive "Altar of Science," which is sort of a bizarro version of Voivod's "Killing Technology". All in all, an excellent release from a band which will certainly prove influential in time. And they're Southern! Heil Satan, ya'll...

CATHOLICON, P.O. Box 183, Greenwell Springs, LA 70739-9998.

© 1999 craig