This is the debut album from Italian blackened death metal band Patristic.
Brought to us by current/ex-members of Frostmoon Eclipse, Hideous Divinity, Hour of Penance, and Liber Null, Catechesis contains 41 minutes of intensity and violent moodbuilding.
Patristic play death metal with a black metal influence, allowing the material to pick the best tools for the job. Catechesis provides us with an album that’s savage of claw, but also quick of thought and rich in atmospheric menace. The songs offer up sophisticated brutality and esoteric atmosphere. Threads of dissonance and avant-garde extremity are woven throughout the music, within a textured death metal tapestry that’s blackened and dark. The songwriting is well-structured and Patristic have an enviable ability to use atmosphere like a weapon.
Amidst the abrasive heaviness and serrated aggression are moments of calming introspective breaks and mood-rich expressions of atmospheric worldbuilding. These enhance the album as a whole, preventing it from falling into a trap of one-dimensional hostility. This aspect of Patristic’s songcraft is not kept separate from the main meat of the music though, at least not always. Rather, Catechesis carefully blends its influences, making for a multifaceted release that can still punish and burn with the best of them.
Catechesis is satisfying, engaging, and enjoyable. Patristic have crafted a world of arcane darkness for the listener to explore, one that brings together brutality and atmosphere into a scathing package that’s compelling.
Highly recommended. Don’t miss out if you’re a fan of bands such as Behemoth, Dormant Ordeal, Hath, and Sulphur Aeon.
Wonderbox Metal 