CoC : Poetry - Catharsis : Review

Poetry - _Catharsis_
(Arise Records, 1998)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10)

Autumn has arrived, and these next few months of sorrowful bleak beauty are indeed most adequate for doom metal. _Catharsis_ is the first doom release to reach my ears in this year's grey Autumn, and the work it displays from this simplistically named Spanish doom/death band Poetry is overall quite acceptable. The word "overall" is important here, because a few of the album's passages are below average. Apart from those exceptions, the instrumental component is good enough, whereas the vocals could be better: the vocalist's English skills are low, which can become annoying, but at least his vocal delivery is generally reasonable. The production is acceptable, although irregular and occasionally rather patchy, suggesting a low budget that highlights the band's effort to produce quality doom/death. _Catharsis_ is definitely not a hymn to technical perfection, and it isn't as good as a lot of the doom/death I've been reviewing lately (Sculpture, Desire, Novembers Doom, Long Winters' Stare), but it can still be an enjoyable doom/death album with several good moments.

(article published 1/10/1998)