Kataxu
| Kataxu | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| origin | Warsaw , Poland |
| Genre (s) | Black metal , ambient |
| founding | 1994 |
| Current occupation | |
| Piotr Piątek ("Piąty") | |
Keyboard |
Melfas |
Kataxu is a Polish black metal band from Warsaw . It was founded in 1994 by “Melfas” and “Piąty”.
history
The band was one of the first black metal groups to use keyboards on a large scale. In 1995 a demo called North was released , which combines progressive Black Metal with synthesizer effects influenced by Jean Michel Jarre to a bizarre, dark mixture.
In 2000 an EP called Roots Thunder was released on the Resistance Records label , on which the sound was less dark, but more epic. The roughly 30-minute cassette consists of about half of metal and half of ambient.
In 2005 the band released their most famous album, Hunger of Elements , on Alex Kurtagić's label Supernal Music . On this album, despite three keyboard players, the focus was more on metal and stylistically approaches Emperor's album In the Nightside Eclipse .
Piotr “Mittloff” Kozieradzki ( Hate , Riverside ) took over the drums on the two albums , the keyboards were taken over by Jacek Melnicki (Riverside, Thunderbolt ), but neither are permanent members of the band.
reception
The band already shows their "instantly recognizable sound" on Roots Thunder . Lars Christiansen of Metalcrypt.com wrote that Roots Thunder was his preferred release despite the popularity of Hunger of Elements , but would not recommend it to any Black Metal purist because of the extensive use of symphonic elements.
The album Hunger of Elements is considered a classic, with particular praise for the songwriting and the arrangement. Despite the keyboard dominance, aggression is an important element, which merges perfectly with the orchestral arrangements. Another reviewer writes that Hunger of Elements is characterized above all by "complex structures and an intense atmosphere", giving it 8.5 out of 10 points.
The band has a certain closeness to the National Socialist Black Metal , which is why they are boycotted by some zines and labels. Kataxu is a member of the Pagan Front , an amalgamation of partly openly neo-Nazi black and pagan metal bands. Melfas and Piąty also both play in a group called Sunwheel (formerly Swastyka).
Discography
- 1995: North ( tape , Dagon Productions)
- 2000: Roots Thunder (EP, Slava Productions / Resistance Records )
- 2005: Hunger of Elements (Album, Supernal Music)
North was re-released in 1997 along with Thunderbolts demo Beyond Christianity . Roots Thunder was released on CD in 2001 by Darker Than Black Records sub-label Ancestral Research with Black Clouds over Dark Majesty , an EP also by Thunderbolt; Roots Thunder was also released in 2008 together with a demo by the band Necator . There will also be a compilation on Hail Pagan Europe Vol.1 .