Hunger of Elements

Kataxu is a Polish symphonic black metal band that has a cult following within the local scene. Forming in 1994, the band would release the North demo in 1995 as well as the debut Roots Thunder in 2000. As decent as both of those releases are, it's clear that the band didn't captivate listeners until 2005, in which the second studio album "Hunger of Elements" was released. From that point on, Kataxu quickly went from being underground to yet another essential within the symphonic black metal scene.

Right from the first track "In My Dungeon!", we start off with some elegant keyboards, which have a better quality in sound and overall a major improvement from the cheaper synths from Roots Thunder. The same can also be said to the guitars and drums, as not only has the sound and production of them improved, but the composition and songwriting has also gotten a lot better, as the riffs sound tight, but abrasive, with the drumming also being chaotic and energetic much of the time. The album clearly borrows from Emperor and Limbonic Art, but it stands out with a unique mystical atmosphere that feels genuine and sort of has that Polish touch that neither band could replicate. In My Dungeon is for sure a classic track on its own, but "Below the Tree of Life" and "The Manifesto of the Unity" are also just as strong with devastating atmospheres and beautiful synths. I should also note that in between the metal tracks, there's some ambient/dungeon synth tracks that sound neat, my personal favorite being Nightsky because of its transcendental atmosphere that makes you feel as though you're floating alongside the stars at night. From the angelic synths to the hard-hitting riffs, every instrumental is overall an improvement from the previous releases.

The vocals are just as intense. Piąty's vocals in the previous albums were decent, but the peak of his voice is clearly in this album. Not only does he continue the shrieks from Roots Thunder, but he also mixes in some shouts and screams that adds in more aggression within the performance. Returning back to the first track, we see some of these shouts use, and not only do they flow well within the riffs and drums, but they also further enhance the heavy and dense atmosphere that the track is going for. I also like some of those agonized screams in "The Manifesto of the Unity", as they only empower the more emotional riffs and synths further. Not only are the vocals more diverse in style, but they perfectly fit the intense symphonic atmosphere.

And of course, we gotta talk about the vocals. Kataxu generally deals with Paganism and Ariosophy in their lyrics, but this album does take on some adventurous themes that are great. For example, in the track "Below the Tree of Life", this verse quotes:

Twirling amongst everlasting calls...
The underwater gap on the bloodied torn tree of life...
The echo of the demons' chants strikes like kisses of death...
...below, the timeless vapor, and the death of united thoughts.

This verse talks about how the torn tree of life mirrors the feelings of death. Given the poetic and romantic nature of the style, I wouldn't be surprised if they took those lyrics from Limbonic Art, seeing how they would fit well in something like In Abhorrence Dementia. However, the lyrics go on to discuss more about the agonizing bottom of the tree of life, with lines like "Sacred elements of the abyss - Kataxu! Lead for me the wheels of death and life are lit..." hitting hard with these intense feelings. Furthermore, the dense atmosphere and the crazed screams of Piąty also fit well with the themes in the story, and only amplify the intense atmosphere in the tree. The rest of the songs have similar lyrics that are well-written and are fitting to the instruments.

Hunger of Elements may only last 48 minutes, but given the intensity and epic nature of the album, it feels like the album lasts for twice the length, and in a good kind of way. From the intense and beautiful atmosphere to the intense vocal performance and even the poetic lyrics, this album includes some of the finest songwriting Kataxu has ever put out. While the rest of their albums are also pretty good, if you wanna start somewhere with this band, then you gotta give this album a spin.