Even when it was only thought of as a studio project, Thy Catafalquehad a vision that extends beyond borders and boundaries. Over the past two decades, Hungarian mastermind Tamás Kátai and his growing cast of collaborators have brought the deadly art of extreme metal into close conversation with the avant-garde.
"XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek is a feast for the ears", New Noise wrote in a 5 star review of Thy Catafalque's latest opus. "[it's] a celebration of the powers of music, bursting to express itself in whatever form it chooses to inhabit. An album to inexorably fall in love with".
Now, fresh off their debuts at Hellfest and Kilkim Žaibu, followed by a resounding return in front of their home crowd at Fishing on Orfű, Thy Catafalque are preparing to tour Latin America for the very first time. As the group prepare to ignite crowds from Mexico to Argentina, today, they are releasing a live video from last year's hometown performance of the most chilling epic off their dark and dreamy twelfth album.
"This is a massive step-up for Thy Catafalque", Kátai says. "We are very excited to play for our fans in places where we've never gone before".
Watch Thy Catafalque perform "Ködkirály" live at Dürer Kert Below
XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek (The Beautiful Dreams Are Yet to Come) is out now on Season of Mist.
Order & Stream
https://orcd.co/thycatafalquexiiagyonyorualmokezutanjonnek
Heading into Thy Catafalque's twelfth album, Tamás Kátai set out to make a straightforward metal record. But A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek wound up taking him on another surreal headtrip.
In English, "Ködkirály" translates to "King of Fog". The song unfolds somewhere between dreams and nightmares. Martina Veronika Horváth and Ivett Dudás rise amidst cosmic synths like fog beneath a sinking moon. Their chilling cleans left the sold-out crowd at the influential Hungarian underground venue completely mesmerized. With his deep rippling bass lines, Kátai only deepens the spell.
Of course, Thy Catafalque aren't ones to leave their fans in suspense. Halfway through "Ködkirály", a death metal riff comes thundering down from the blackened sky. When dueling guitarists Zoltán Vigh and Krisztián Varga unfurl a procession of gloomy tremolo picking, it's harrowingly clear that the king has come. "Hullj, nehéz eső / Fall, heavy rain", roars Gábor Dudás, commanding the group's many followers to bang their heads.
Get tickets to see Thy Catafalque: https://thy-catafalque.hu/live.html
The video for "Ködkirály" was recorded on November 23, 2024 at Dürer Kert, Budapest, Hungary.
Additional video credits
Audio mixed and mastered by Gábor Vári at Miracle Sound Szeged.
Live sound and recording by Péter Csobánczi.
Video recorded by Carbon Head Production.
Video edited and post-production by Péter Lerch / Carbon Head Production.
Martina Veronika Horváth - vocals
Ivett Dudás - vocals
Gábor Dudás - vocals
Bálint Bokodi - vocals
Krisztián Varga - guitar
Zoltán Vigh - guitar
Tamás Kátai - bass
Árpád Szenti - drums
Photo by © Orsolya Karancz
Thy Catafalque's twelfth album looks back longingly at the past, but Tamás Kátai isn't stopping to smell the roses. With A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek, he shows that the beautiful dreams are yet to come. 2025 will see Thy Catafalque make their debut on the world's biggest stages - from Hellefest and Kilkim Žaibu to Rockstadt Extreme and Alcatraz Festival - before embarking on their first-ever tour of Latin America.
Recording Lineup
Tamás Kátai – guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards, programming
Guest musicians
Martina Veronika Horváth – vocals on Track 1, 6
Ivett Dudás – vocals on Track 8
Helga Kreiter – vocals on Track 4, 10
Gábor Dudás – vocals on Track 2, 5, 6, 10
Bálint Bokodi – vocals on Track 2, 4, 9
Gábor Veres – vocals on Track 3, 8
Attila Bakos – vocals on Track 1
Zoltán Kónya – vocals on Track 3
András Vörös – vocals on Track 4
Breno Machado – lead guitar on Track 2
Zoltán Vigh – lead guitar on Track 3
Krisztián Varga – lead guitar on Track 4
Daniele Belli – acoustic guitar on Track 2
Miguel Velasquez Matija – fretless bass on Track 2, 6
Edu Giró – oud, bouzouki, baglama on Track 2,7
Grigoris Mitropoulos – bouzouki, mpaglamas on Track 7
Sanja Smileska – violin on Track 3
Jo Quail – electric cello on Track 8
Issar Shulman – contrabass on Track 2
Cal Rustad – French horn on Track 2, 8
Manuel Domenech – cor anglais on Track 8
Khachatrian Lernik – clarinet on Track 2
Gergő Bille – flugelhorn, trumpet on Track 7
Joakim Toftgaard – trombone, trumpet on Track 7
Fabian Hernandez – saxophone on Track 5
Viktória Varga – narration on Track 3
Annamari Sánta – narration on Track 7, 8
Recording
Recorded in various countries: Hungary, United Kingdom, Romania, Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Greece, North Macedonia, Israel, U.S.A., Colombia, Brazil.
Producer & Sound Engineer
Tamás Kátai, Gábor Vári
Mixing & Mastering
Miracle Sound Szeged, Hungary. Mixed and mastered by Gábor Vári.
Artwork
Front cover by Dániel Szécsényi and Tamás Kátai
Illustrations by Orsolya Pintér.
Follow Thy Catafalque
https://thy-catafalque.hu
https://www.facebook.com/thycatafalque
https://www.instagram.com/thy_catafalque
https://www.youtube.com/user/kataitamas
https://thycatafalque.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4sgTqbA7htxYkRRJBPZIom
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/thy-catafalque/372164196
