Hungarian avant-garde metal project THY CATAFALQUE have released the opening track from their thirteenth studio album, "XIII: Sárga erdő", along with an accompanying music video. Titled ‘Búcsú a piros madártól’ (“A Farewell to the Red Bird”), the song also introduces a significant change in Tamás Kátai’s approach to the project’s new era: for the first time in THY CATAFALQUE’s history, live drums are used instead of programmed rhythms.

‘Búcsú a piros madártól’ was written and produced by Kátai. Combining live drums with layered vocals, kamancheh and lead guitar, the track offers the first glimpse into the musical framework of "XIII: Sárga erdő", which will be released through Season of Mist on November 20.

The album consists of 12 tracks, while Kátai says "Sárga erdő" does not revolve around a single story. Instead, the record centers on the feeling of wandering back into an old, half-remembered time. This approach is also reflected in the more restrained use of folk and classical instrumentation compared to the previous album, "XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek". Sounds drawn from piano, strings, brass instruments, sitar, kamancheh and zither are used more selectively across the album’s 64-minute runtime.

"Sárga erdő" also stands out for the scale of its recording process. The album features a total of 34 musicians and vocalists, alongside a 20-member male choir. Drums and percussion were recorded live by Árpád Szenti for the first time in the project’s history. The recordings took place at various locations and at Miracle Sound Szeged in Szeged, Hungary, with Gábor Vári handling engineering, mixing and mastering.

The music video for ‘Búcsú a piros madártól’ adds another personal element to the album. Kátai filmed it himself in a woodland area approximately ten minutes from his family home in Makó, Hungary. The location is also where THY CATAFALQUE filmed their first video 25 years ago. Footage from the band’s shows in Brazil, France and Hungary is combined with handmade and digital animation.

Kátai says the video was deliberately left imperfect, explaining that this gives the production a more personal feel and that preserving imperfections and a human touch is important at a time when artificial intelligence is increasingly influencing art.

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"XIII: Sárga erdő" will be released through Season of Mist on November 20. Pre-order and pre-save options for the album are now available.

Tracklist:

  1. ‘Búcsú a piros madártól’ — 06:04

  2. ‘Ég-anyám, föld-apám’ — 04:28

  3. ‘Dunnák alatt kék mező’ — 04:04

  4. ‘Szitakötő’ — 01:10

  5. ‘Suhamló éji fák’ — 05:04

  6. ‘Puszta’ — 04:58

  7. ‘Sirató’ — 03:58

  8. ‘Cseremisz’ — 04:05

  9. ‘Sárga erdő’ — 10:15

  10. ‘Tömbök’ — 04:59

  11. ‘Kút vizén nap forog’ — 04:06

  12. ‘87 tavasz, 87 ősz’ — 10:52

Website: https://www.thy-catafalque.hu/

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