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Catacombs > In the Depths of R'lyeh > Reviews > drengskap
Catacombs - In the Depths of R'lyeh

Journey to the heart of darkness - 90%

drengskap, May 3rd, 2007

Six songs, 72 minutes – you do the maths. This is one incredibly slooooooow and motherfuckingly heavy slab of extreme doom metal from Catacombs, the solo project of Xathagorra Mlandroth, a.k.a. John Del Russi (guess which is his real name!). In The Depths Of R'lyeh is Catacomb’s debut album, following the demise of Mlandroth’s previous project Heirophant. Monstrously deep vocals like the rumblings of Satan’s bowels spread themselves over 10 b.p.m. drums and huge distorted reverb chords moving at the speed of frozen tar. High and diabolically discordant guitar leads add to the suffocating atmosphere of despair and unease. The crystal-clear production of the album merely adds to the exquisite torment – if the sound was sludgy and muddy, it would be less involving, but as it is, it’s completely compelling. Lyrics (that’s a laugh – I defy you to distinguish a single word without a crib sheet), song titles and the cover art all make reference to the Cthulhu mythos of cult horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, whose schlocky, overwrought tales of human disintegration and derangement in the face of overwhelming cosmic evil have inspired many artists and musicians since their publication in the 20s and 30s. The second track, ‘Dead Dripping City’ (presumably Lovecraft’s sunken city of R’lyeh, where mighty Cthulhu, he of the tentacle-encrusted face and leathery bat-like wings, lies dreaming through the aeons) is the longest track on here, clocking in at 16’38”, and it’s the one I keep coming back to, though once you start playing this album, you may well find yourself reduced to a state of catatonic terror and unable to reach for the remote. Two-minute closing track ‘Awakening Of The World's Doom (Reprise)’ performs a merciful act of resuscitation and prepares the by now thoroughly crushed and demoralised listener to return to the real world.


Absolutely soul-obliterating, unremittingly bleak, and a work of twisted genius, In The Depths Of R'lyeh is an object lesson in just how extreme extreme metal can be. If you enjoy the work of doom bands like Sunn0))) and Earth, you’re well-primed for the slow ride into hope-extinguishing oblivion that is Catacombs. I’m not even all that much of a doom aficionado, I picked up on this because of the Lovecraft connection, but I just can’t leave this album alone. A couple of years ago, people were talking about how slow is the new loud – if so, this fucker goes to 11! Don’t expect the dance remix any time soon.