NEWS: Thy Catafalque Set Release Date for “XIII: Sárga erdő”

Something new is brewing in the camp of Thy Catafalque. Following the success of “XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek”, released in 2024, Tamás Kátai and the dedicated musicians involved in the project are preparing to release “XIII: Sárga erdő”. Translated as “Yellow Forest” in English, the new album of the avant-garde metal group will arrive via Season of Mist on 20 November 2026.

Original cover artwork for “XIII: Sárga erdő”
© Tamás Kátai [cover art]; László Horváth [photography]

The Thirteen Album of Thy Catafalque

“XIII: Sárga erdő” will come almost exactly two years after the previous record, “XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek”.

Unlike its predecessor, the new record does not follow a single narrative thread, according to Season of Mist. Its twelve tracks move through themes of loss, distance, memory and disappearance, each approaching these ideas from a different direction.

The album also introduces a notable change in the way the music was built. For the first time, Kátai has worked with a live drummer instead of programmed drums, as mentioned by the same source. The record brings together 34 musicians and a 20-voice male choir, with piano, strings, brass, reeds, sitar, kamancheh and zither among the instruments incorporated into the arrangements. This time, these elements have been used with greater restraint, giving the songs more space than the maximalist approach heard on the previous album.

Among the twelve compositions is a fictitious folk song written for the vanished people from the Volga, while another track turns an incineration metaphor into what has been described as the heaviest piece on the album. The opening song, meanwhile, carries the feeling of a farewell letter.

Gábor Vári returns for his second consecutive Thy Catafalque album, once again taking care of the production and helping maintain a connection with the sound of its predecessor even as the arrangements take a more restrained approach.

More details about “XIII: Sárga erdő” are expected to follow next week.

The Road to “XIII: Sárga erdő”

The name Thy Catafalque first appeared in the underground scene of Makó, Hungary in 1998. In the years that followed, the project also reached Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, before later moving to Budapest, Hungary.

The extensive discography began with “Sublunary Tragedies”, released in 1999, which quickly gained popularity. Since then, eleven more albums have been issued, the latest being “XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek”.

No strangers to live performances, the artists involved with Thy Catafalque have also performed in Romania at events such as Rockstadt Extreme Fest, Posada Rock Festival, EERA Festival, and QFest.