[Review] Cathar - The Grimoire

Cathar - a six piece band that reside in the former Lancastrian territory of Liverpool - are fairly new on the scene who fuse folk metal with symphonic elements. I only discovered them in March and saw them live on the Infernal Orchestra stage at Northern Symphony Festival. The Grimoire is their first release.

The chilling sounds of keyboards open up the first track, entitled Prologue, as a Lord of the Rings-esque narration follow throughout the track conjuring an archaic, majestic atmosphere paving the way for the Winter's Curse which screams out with riffs reminiscent of Iron Maiden. The dual vocals carve their own path through the music. And it is a relief to a hear a band of this genre not using the typical be-and-the-beast vocals, but rather a pair of clean male and female vocals that ring out with a grandiose sound.

Carpathia sets the mood with haunting winds and a Dracula-like quote. The slow crescendo, built up by the bass and drums, helps dramatise the mood whilst Chris' vocals assail with power. Aimee's vocals add a different dynamic to the music with despair-ridden vocals, injecting to the near Gothic style of the song. The guitar conjurings by Alex are hypnotic, almost infectious though Jade's keyboard working are barely heard.

The Pirate King is instantly recognisable by the opening stream of accordion and the piratical vocal melodies. Carl's bass styling is easily witnessed through this shanty, carefully sailing through the oceans of the other elements of the song. Shieldmaiden might sound like its going to be a full frontal assault of high spaced metal and the wailing voice of Lagertha from Vikings but its far from that. Rather it takes a slower pace for its march, allowing Aimee to take the lead with vocals. The melody of the track isn't flashy but it is memorable.

Spirit Dance is an enchanting piece of work, beginning with a mix of Chris' vocals, Danny's rhythmic percussion work and Carl's bass lines, creating the sound and sensation of old world music that speaks to the deepest depths of the listener's soul. Of course, the track turns heavier later on but it still retains that mystique the band created at the beginning. And so The Grimoire ends with Epilogue, another track composed of narration.

Cathar are a band with a lot of potential but The Grimoire doesn't do their sound any justice due to the quality as the dynamics and elements don't jump out at the listener like some enraged Nordic raider. The band's sound appears to come off better in the live arena, where the energy can be felt pulsating throughout each note. However, The Grimoire is quite becoming for a first release.

Cathar online:

http://facebook.com/CatharOfficial
http://twitter.com/CatharOfficial