Last year ended on a high note with THY CATAFALQUE releasing "Mezolit," capturing for the first time their astounding genius in a live setting. We can now officially declare 2023 complete as Tamás Kátai returns with his heaviest album in years, "Alföld" (trans: The great plains), released via Season of Mist on June 16, 2023. And even though it is crushingly heavy, it is also esoteric and sublime. While I would be hard-pressed to pick my favorite THY CATAFALQUE album-there are eleven of them-"Alföld" would be in the top three.

I'm going to skip the background on THY CATAFALQUE. The headliner info is: THY CATAFALQUE is a Hungarian Avant-Garde Metal project led by multi-instrumentalist, Tamás Kátai. If you are new to them, then hit Metal Archives and copy the discography, read the reviews, look through the line-ups. When you are done there, head over to Bandcamp and start the fun side of the assignment-buying and listening to the entire discography. Trust me, it will be the best homework you have done in a long time.

A literal score of musicians joins Tamás on "Alföld" with a plethora of instruments and vocal styles. Though its predominant feature is heavy riffs and grating vocals, there are many sections of lush melodies with flourishes of folk, jazz, Prog, and everything in between. And, of course, all in Hungarian. Also, it wouldn't be a THY CATAFALQUE album without haunting us with the impeccable Martina Veronika Horváth (THE ANSWER LIES IN THE BLACK VOID, MANSUR) on at least one track.

Thematically, the album centers on reconnecting with nature almost at the cellular level-not necessarily in the biological sense-though, yes, that too-but more on a cosmic, non-material level. Ironically, as noted before, much of this album is very heavy . . . so think Saturn. The lyrics read like a meditative invocation.

For standout tracks, I'll go with the opener, "A csend hegyei," not only for its visceral assault, but for the unique blend of Black Metal tremolo and Prog aesthetic on the solos. And, of course, the ironic kicker is that the title translates to "mountains of silence." Next up for me is "A földdel egyenlő" (trans: Equal to the earth) which breaks forth like a seismic earthquake but then shifts into several glorious and triumphant movements that elevate the track to a whole new level. For number three, because a list isn't a list unless it has at least three items, I have to go with title-track, "Alföld," which feels like three tracks in one. The first bludgeons the listener into submission; the second revives with funky but complex grooves; and the third heals and ascends with the vocal grace of Martina and stirring acoustic guitar work.

Although I only listed three primary standout tracks, there are many, many more. "Folyondár" (trans: stream) is a jazzy track with a world-vibe fused with synths, buzzsaw riffs, a bass performance extraordinaire. "Csillagot görgető" (trans: star scroller) thrills with male baritone straight out of a darkened monastery and some wicked lead lashings. And then there is "Néma vermek" (trans: Silent beat) with electronica reminiscent of "Geometria" and brutal urgency of early OPETH.

As you might have already guessed, my estimation of "Alföld" is that is as perfect an album as you can get. "Flawless" may seem overwrought and panegyric but it's certainly applicable. I should also mention this is year 25 for Tamás and his THY CATAFALQUE project, so a significant milestone on a number of fronts.