For those who have heard of Katavasia before, and know it as an Greek, Satanic black metal band, let me assure you that The Metal Resource has not gone off the deep end here.  This is actually the solo project that comes from the Northern Ireland band ForChristSake and their guitarist Simon Cochrane.

Back in 2007 Simon began the project under the name Serpent Moon, a name the project kept  until 2009 when the name changed to Katavasia, which is tied to the Greek word for descent, usually referring to  the descent of the soul to hell.  So the project has been around for a while but according to their Facebook page, new material is coming.

For a demo, this is a collection of 4 songs that clock in at 21 minutes, complete with guitars, drums, keyboards, and some complex arrangements, which is somewhat impressive in itself.  Production quality is generally very good for a demo solo project, instruments are clear, guitars have a great tone.

The instrumental “Cataclysm Requiem” opens up the demo with some atmospheric keyboards to set the tone before the guitars come in and eventually take over.  The lone guitar and the fast riff are very cool.  Throughout the song, there are some parts where the elements are not blended so well and some transitions are a bit abrupt, but hey, this is a demo after all.  Being the guitar player in For Christ’s Sake has served Simon well as the guitars in the song and throughout the album really shine.

“Cryptic Progeny” sticks with the general theme of opening a song with keyboards and then having a heavy fast, driving riff come in and take control of the song.  Some intricate guitar work  really helps carry this song along as well.  I think I detect a trend.  This song and “Cataclysm Requiem” really work well as instrumentals.  The general riffs throughout the song are varied and interesting enough to carry the songs and there are some great fills and short solo parts that add nicely to the experience.

“Final Cursed Aeon” changes things up a bit and opens with guitars and introduces vocals for the first time.  Sticking with a black metal theme, the vocals are of the shrieking black metal type and a bit distant in the mix and possibly recorded in a hallway based on the odd echo.  To be honest, in this song and in “Storm Song” the guitars carry the songs.  In both songs, one can hear and see the potential in the songs, but they do have the feeling that there are some parts still to be worked out.

I would consider this Katavasia demo to be exactly what it is, an impressive solo effort with a great amount of potential that makes it a project I hope to see get to completion as that should make for some great listening.

Rating: 6.5/10

Written by John Jackson

Tracklist:
01. Cataclysm Requiem
02. Cryptic Progeny
03. Final Cursed Aeon
04. Storm Song

Band Members:
Simon Cochrane – all instruments, vocals

Record Label: Independent, Aug. 2015

Weblinks: Reverbnation / Facebook