Naiv by Thy Catafalque
Styles: Prog Metal, Avant-Garde Metal
Release Date: January 24, 2020
This next review was a tough one to find an album for. A lot of 2020 metal albums are pretty much semi-neglected debuts or been-there-done-that albums by older bands. But a 2020 dtaple for metal is Thy Catafalque, an avant-garde metal band. So I decided to review Naiv, which was released this year.
Thy Catafalque always had a taste for odd behavior. Their special brand of metal usually handles more extreme metals with a few flicks of the finger. Naiv is a much lighter album than Rengeteg or Roka Hasa Radio, but there are times when its odd behavior becomes as blatant as Captain Beefheart. This helps the album flow more often than it gets in the way of its progression, and there's still plenty of room left for dome straighter, more accessible metal at times. By this method, it's a more unique album than the darker albums where the trippiness is either balanced between atmosphere and structure or where the atmosphere is the main focus. There are also stronger elemts of Hungarian folk music, helping the absurdities. Some of the directions that Thy Catafalque take on this album are close to genius.
But the problem here is that it's not quite as balanced as previous efforts. Naiv occasionally struggles to make the art the music, as opposed to making the music art. It struggles with its oddities in a way that damages consistency. And even though the songs are still good, comparing them to Rengeteg proves that it's not one of Thy Catafalque's stronger efforts.
Basically, Naiv is a fruitful and fun album that could likely represent the last of Thy Catafalque's once great range of good ideas. Forsaking atmosphere for trippiness, it could also potentially represent a new and fruitful sound for the band as a whole. So take it as you will.
For some bands, the substance is in the style. It just wears off over time. I would have given this a 6/10 otherwise. By the way, have you given any thought to putting your power metal chart up again?
Some. But I have to be assed on spending time remaking it.
SpyglassResident MetalheadProfile The red dot on the map
I figured I'd have to review a classic metal album sooner or later, but I wasn't sure which album to review. I could do a classic Sabbath or Priest album but that seems a bit too typical. While fixing up my hard rock chart, I came across this album here that I've been meaning to try for some time. I see why it's a classic.
Budgie's Never Turn Your Back on a Friend is an energetic hard rock / heavy metal full o' shredage, and is a staple for the early metal scene. The songs were all incredibly catchy. I felt like I was at a frat party drinking beer with my buddies and standing n the couch playing Guitar Hero. Budgie had the potential to be an incredibly cool band. There are a couple of shorter songs that take the vibe down a few notches for some melody, which is expected for a classic metal album. But it was the shredding and riffage that Never Turn Your Back on a Friend really shined on. It's not that the softer moments were bad. They were fine, but I'd rather take Going to California or most softer songs from Uriah Heep.
One thing that I tried to get behind but just couldn't seem to was the fact that the male singer sounded exactly like a woman, and obviously not on purpose. It wasn't a bad voice, but it didn't really work with the metal style. Also, the style itself wasn't unique in anyway. The best thing about early hard rock and heavy metal is that you can typically tell who the artist is before the singer belts something out. I didn't get a vibe like that from Budgie, who can only be determined from the rest thanks to an accidentally feminine voice. But I wouldn't say that these two were "bad" things, just things that kept it from reaching the status it otherwise deserved.
Budgie's apparently best album is indeed a classic, despite its flaws. If you're into the history of metal, I'd say you've got to try this album out, and maybe some other Budgie albums. It was fun while it lasted, and I wouldn't mind listening to it again sometime if I missed something, but I still prefer the majority of proto-metal bands to Budgie.
I don't particularly think its feminine, but rather nasally and a bit off-kilter in a way that Geddy Lee of Rush was popularizing at the same time as a acceptable rock soundscape. Either way, "Breadfan" is one of the most important songs in hard rock. It set the landscape for a lot of desert rock/stoner doom to come in the next twenty years.
FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
Then I'm not sure what it means. I've got like five guesses.
Means bothered or motivated. As in, "I can't be assed/arsed to do the dishes". Overlaps with 'half-assed/half-arsed', which means done in a way that is rushed or not careful. (You'd probably figured this out by now.)
Also, that Budgie record is great. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
SpyglassResident MetalheadProfile The red dot on the map
Means bothered or motivated. As in, "I can't be assed/arsed to do the dishes". Overlaps with 'half-assed/half-arsed', which means done in a way that is rushed or not careful. (You'd probably figured this out by now.)
Also, that Budgie record is great.
That was my first guess.
That Budgie record put me in a hard rock mood when I'm trying to get through a bunch of early 60's jazz and classical music. But it was worth it since I'm now eager to check out more Budgie. _________________ Do it yourself and let me play my music: https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=61802
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Spyglass
mickilennial
Fischman
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