Stretching far beyond the depths of the past in patient waiting, they no longer lurk in the angles of time. — Though the tradition of French death metal has a rich underground history dating back to the mid-80’s it really hadn’t come to a head until ’88-’89 when the crowds started to grow, a couple of speed metal bands fully transformed themselves into death-thrashers, and a few very important European cities were bombed by big death metal tours. The number of freshly spawned death metal bands in France had tripled the size of their greater scenery by 1991 yet the ones that stuck around in peoples minds, the few that are still remembered today from that two year gap where literally a hundred groups formed, amounts to maybe a handful… but a handful which includes Toulon, France-based crew Catacomb. As I have said a few times before these folks have long been one of the more interesting “unfinished drafts” of the early 90’s death metal stable wherein a set of estranged demo recordings amounted to a false start (or two) since. So, when the band reformed for the second time back in 2018 I’ll admit that I didn’t believe anything would come of it yet here we are over thirty years later with ‘When the Stars Are Right‘ proving me wrong in the best way possible. In this rare case a death metal band returns for a full-length release after three decades and escape the usual “comeback curse” by a wide margin with a killer record that still feels like a proper deep underground monster.

Formed circa 1990 as a group of students seeking to play the most morbid stuff they could imagine at the time, the early beginnings of Catacomb began in a less ‘serious’ place per their first demo (‘Morbid Attraction‘, 1991) with its pitch shifted vocals and loose pacing but they’d figured a lot of that out by the time their still primitive but memorable second tape (‘The Lurker at the Threshold‘, 1992). Their subject matter had fully focused on Lovecraft-based themes. Of course their best known material is ‘In the Maze of Kadath‘ (1993) which you’ll recall I’d reviewed back in 2022 when a re-recording of that 7″ (‘Back to Unknown Kadath‘) was released with some other demo-era songs reworked, that EP had a hint of ‘The Karelian Isthmus‘ and early Nocturnus in its best rhythms but these are oversold by historians compared to the strong melodic voice of the rhythm guitar work which’d made it extra unique for its time. You could tell they were an intrepid group of inspired folks pulling many influences together into one space and the potential for greatness has only become more obvious in the years since while those early releases sustain cult status.

Of course the question on any ‘old school’ death metal fan’s mind is yet burning as to whether or not their new work has any purpose or any particular attribute with precedence in their largely unknown, crumpled underground legacy. Most will opt out of this thought, since ‘When the Stars are Right‘ returns us to the circa 1993 point where ‘Covenant‘ was a hit, the path beyond ‘Thresholds‘ wasn’t bright and the original death metal pathway and its many budding offshoots had proven it did not have pop culture appeal in terms of actual songcraft. Polyrhythmic dual rhythm guitar shuffling, blasting-paced double bass heavy drumming, shred rock guitar solos and keyboard work fitting for a cosmic horror theme all appear in a certain tradition but also as the long intended signature of Catacomb. The maximal hulk of all weapons firing off at once is immediately endearing, a bit overwhelming and thankfully something a bit different compared to Nocturnus A.D. and Tiwanaku both of which had rushes of good ideas with reference to long dead material but each lacked a certain “complete” thought within the listening experience. To be fair the ‘We Shall Inherit‘ (2001) had a few similar trappings, eh. In this sense, yes, I think there is enough here which speaks to the obscure legacy of this band despite the album pushing well beyond the scope of past material right out of the box.

“The Kings of Edom” is no doubt well chosen as the album opener not only for its Mike Davis-esque leads and use of keyboards as if to immediately suggest Catacomb‘s goal is to lean into expectations before jetting beyond the comparisons and criticisms they’ve gotten for their formative work over the last three decades. They’re obviously capable of much more than their influences and this reveals itself moreso over the course of the next three songs where I’d say “Ruler of this World” flexes the drumming from Necrowretch kit kicker Bress best, though he is generally relentless throughout the full listen. The ghostly synth/keyboards of “Servants of the Old Ones” especially stood out to me for its haunting use of keyboards and slight variety offered on the vocals, it isn’t where all of the big riffs are at just yet but a good balance of pummeled out grooves and space-faring exaggerative forms certainly take the ear along for a ride. The first four songs on this album establish a clear death metal extreme, ‘old school’ ways, and yet tap into a few adventurous ideas which soon begin to glare back on Side B.

“The Great Dreamer” is the piece to impress but perhaps in an unexpected way to stretch their limits, as it is the most daring stab at the use of electronic scrabble n’ bloop beyond its directive as a slammed-through death metal piece. This song is one of a few somewhat unfinished thoughts on the album overall yet it opens the door beyond the Ancient Ones into some ideas Catacomb do a fine job of owning outright, or, at least temporarily. “Black Goat” is one of the best pieces on the album, a thrashing run-on phrase which finds it elevator up at the midpoint and proves an addictive even more over the top piece on a record full of similarly blustering thought. At that point (the middle of Side B) ‘When the Stars are Right‘ has made its greater case, pushed a novel enough disease on us and simply needs a way to tie off the thought in a succinct way and this is where they lose the plot, if only slightly, with a few plain or redundant song ideas. The pairing of “In Your Blasphemous Name” with “Crawling Chaos” is one of the weaker portions of the record and if only because they land somewhat ineffectual, taking small steps without saying much. Closer “Blind Idiot God”, salvages the lagging second half at just the right time. Sure, the full listen has a few redundancies in vocal cadence and song structures, a few too many pieces which are plain or linearly set but overall the ride ends in a choice spot. Of course with the exception of their not very good cover of “Chapel of Ghouls” which, to me, misses the thrashing spirit of the original by a solid mile.

Beyond the hype generated by an “actually good” record from a band that’d fallen off the death metal radar back in 1993, beyond the unique thrill of a “Nocturnus-like” group existing in good faith circa 2023, beyond the uniquely organic yet observably digital feeling render of this album there is something purely entertaining about sitting with the gnarled and contemptuous ballyhoo of Catacomb‘s debut which allows me to drop all of the ancient provenance and enjoy ‘When the Stars Are Right‘. Granted, a few of these songs feel somewhat incomplete in their thought which’d stunted my enjoyment of the record it’d nonetheless proven itself immersive, a bit nostalgic in a strange way, and satisfyingly brutal-yet-ethereal overall. I’ve the distinct feeling that I’ll be left pawing at, inspecting and admiring this record for years and ultimately that rare itch is a strong driver for a high recommendation.

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