Catacombs - Echoes Through The Catacombs Review artwork

Rating: 8.5

Country: USA

Release Date: 2007

Track list:
1. Consigned To Flames Of Woe
2. Echoes Through The Catacombs [mp3]
3. Consigned To Flames Of Woe (Remastered)
4. Echoes Through The Catacombs (Remastered)

Band Website: Catacombs

Catacombs - Echoes Through The Catacombs

Xathagorra Mlandroth - All Instruments and Vocals

Echoes Through The Catacombs is the forgotten two-song EP that precedes death/doom band Catacombs' acclaimed and relatively well-known full length, In The Depths Of R'Lyeh. Only 100 copies of this EP were originally pressed and I suppose it was not long before those got sold out. The guys at Solitude Productions thought it to be a good idea to reissue this underground gem and make it available to the despondent souls out there. I wholeheartedly approve of their idea.

“Consigned To Flames of Woe” goes first, plodding arduously like a pachyderm through the endless tunnels of oppressive darkness. With each step the ponderous creature seems to pause for breath, while the sound of its trudge propagates through the obscure passage laid out in front of it. Accentuated by whimsical and eerie tunes, the atmosphere within the catacombs is pensive and sinister. Then, out of the darkness, taking cue from the epic Worship-like riffs, low muffled sounds materialise as if with the consolidation of several lurking shadows, sending a shudder of paralysing dread down your spine. These unintelligibly growled vocals are not so much heard as felt. Around the six-minute mark, early Amorphis harmonies make their bewitching appearance, swirling about urgently like a helpful spirit in a kind of a diaphanous, glowing form, offering you hope and guiding you through your dark predicament. The remainder of the 16-minute song carries on in this way, switching slowly between grim Thergothon-esque plodding and tantalising early Amorphis tunes, between utter despair and cruel vain hope, before ultimately withering away.

In “Echoes Through the Catacombs”, sweet, melancholy tunes reminiscent of Evoken twine around sullen and downcast heavy treading similar to that of Disembowelment while maintaining a tense atmosphere all through. After eroding the composure of the listener for five minutes, a heavy hypnotic riff takes form and plunges you into a bottomless trance. Haunting melodies join in soon after to further disconcert you, until heavy riffs re-emerge a few minutes later and resume plundering your soul's inherent brightness. Around the 10-minute mark, expansive and elegant Evoken tunes make their sweeping entry, circling over you from far above like seemingly harmless vultures, waiting patiently for the music to take its toll, lingering on till the very end.

The Solitude Productions people thought these two songs were so good that we deserved to hear them twice. Actually the remastered version of the two songs are included as 'bonus tracks' for the own personal fulfilment of Xathagorra Mandroth, who is the sole mastermind of Catacombs if you didn't know already. Save for the pronounced drum sound and the mix seeming a tad more balanced in the remastered version, I couldn't detect any difference between the two versions (perhaps because I was too immersed in its experience - Mr. Mandroth should be pleased to know that), but I prefer the original one as for me it somehow bears more conviction and honesty, and enhances the darkness and dread. Along with the original material and the remastered tracks, this pressing of Echoes Through The Catacombs lasts for a whole hour and is sure you leave you in a state of abject wretchedness complete with a déjà vu effect.

Echoes Through The Catacombs is an excellent EP from Catacombs, and now that you have a chance to experience its obscured genius, you definitely must. This reissue is limited to 500 copies, so act fast if you don't want to experience an altogether different kind of sadness.

January 16th, 2008