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REVIEWS

>> Reviews of Unholy Holocaustwinds
>> Reviews of An Eternal Dark Horizon

MUSIC SAMPLES

>> Funeral Moonlight
     taken from Unholy Holocaustwinds
>> Symbols of Winter
     taken from Unholy Holocaustwinds
 

REVIEWS OF AN ETERNAL DARK HORIZON

By Jörn of Nocturnal Hall (9 out of 10)

Hell and damnation! THRONE OF KATARSIS are the big surprise-act of this year so far! I haven’t heard anything from these two Norwegian guys so far. And now the masters Vardalv (Drums) and Grimnisse (rest of the instruments) throw an unbelievable convincing piece of Black Metal art made in Norway among our ears. You can find five songs with a running time of 55 minutes on An Eternal Dark Horizon. THRONE OF KATARSIS have created songs which are full of details, breathe much dark atmosphere and simply will inspire every fan of ancient, original Norwegian Black Metal. In songs like Funeral Moonlight or Under Guds Hud there are all elements good Norwegian Black Metal is about. A charismatic, hateful voice, which remembers a little bit to Attila (Mayhem), uncontrollable fury, malicious atmospheric parts and of course a dirty production which doesn’t sound like a rehearsal recording. On An Eternal Dark Horizon time seems to stand still at the latest back in 1994. I would like to compare this album to the old records of Emperor, Satyricon or Mayhem. Nevertheless THRONE OF KATARSIS are a good alternative in this year 2007 within this genre to the old bands permanent looking for musical progress, just because they have cultivated the ancient spirit of the Norwegian Black Metal. But they’re not just a copy of their idols. THRONE OF KATARSIS are the musical revelation for all those who still want the second wave of Black Metal from the beginning of 1990s back in business! The ancient spirit lives!!!

By Scarlet of Whores of Chaos

Throne of Katarsis sets itself worlds apart from many of the bands new to the blakk metal scene by having drawn upon and thus extracting the finest essence of all the greats from the first to the second generation of blakk metal such as Mayhem, Immortal, Darkthrone, Emperor and so on. Although derivative, ‘An Eternal Dark Horizon’ smashes through the ice and recaptures the fire of ‘the source’, proving that same fallen spark of the subterranean current which ignited early 90's Norwegian blakk metal still burns to this day, inspiring in the same way it did at an earlier time. Let the same be said for the extraordinary vox- in that it contains the range and nuances of all of them (namely Attila and Nattefrost) yet it is none of them. In truth, these two are blakk to the bone and the five epic tracks of this release constitute a remarkable body of dark brutal metal.

Ages ago they did their magick in this very cave by the sea. After it was forbidden, in fear of their lives they gathered only in the dark. Betrayed by one of their own..all were thrown to a watery grave Every year on this night, they return by the ‘Funeral Moonlight’ The intro is reminiscent of Darkthrone’s ‘Kathaarian Life Code’, with a reverberating chant cut short by the ooze of an all out buzz saw guitar assault. However, the similarities end there and the rest of the track is exhilarating and pure Throne of Katarsis. One by one they who are as pale as the moon itself emerge from the sea and take off on a flight of vengeance against those who persecuted them so long ago. ‘Under Guds Hud’ opens in a fast paced defiant rage winding up and down to terrifying screams. The sweeping intro of ‘Symbols Of Winter’ is a tribute to Bathory. Cold blasts swirl around the doomed of this dirge..with tempo picking up around the 6:50 mark driving the seeker on in his northern quest. At around 9:13, the semi operatic vocals seem to signify the last moments of life within the human form. The midpaced groove of ‘Nattaander’(Nightspirits) also gives way to some breathtaking tempo changes and superior guitar work. ‘An Eternal Dark Horizon’ is a masterpiece, the highlight of this release with it’s hauntingly beautiful acoustic ending.

Highly recommended to fans of both first and second wave blakk metal. Both Grimnisse and Vardalv have alluded in past interviews that they live and breathe blakk metal which comes through loud and clear. Also noteworthy, drums are amazing throughout and the production suits the instrumentation and composition perfectly.