Album Review: Patristic – Catechesis
Band: Patristic
Title: Catechesis
Label: Willowtip Records
Release date: June 20th 2025
Country: Italy
Format reviewed: High quality digital recording
Album Review: Patristic – Catechesis via Willowtip Records by Michelle
The album starts off calm, the notes played on the guitar feeling quite melancholic even. A few violins can be heard there and there, intensifying the atmosphere even more before the instrumental starts off with a scream. The change feels pretty sudden, yet it didn’t make me dislike this aspect in the slightest. The guitar riffs feel kind of heavy, which is an important feature, especially when it comes to black metal. Though, this act leans more into the blackened death metal category.
The second track feels heavier than the first, the double bass drums nearly dominating the song as the rythmicness of the guitar riffs fuse along. Around the second minute the melody comes to a stop for a few seconds, yet not soon after it continues in the same harshness and rawness as before.
An aspect I really enjoyed is the presence of the violins, as I said in the beginning of the review. The third track – Catechesis I includes this amazing instrument to intensify the ambience of the song, even though they’re definetely not the main feature here. Again, the drumming is really fast and accentuated, showing just how much dedication it is put into this album.
I really liked how Catechesis II starts, as I found this track the most rythmic with the guitar riffs combined with the drums. Could even say this is my most favorited song so far. Either way Catechesis III feels slower, though the tempo changes gradually throughout the length of the track.
Just as I thought I’ve already went through my most liked song, the last track also makes its way onto my list with its bounciness of the riffs and even gloomy atmosphere it radiates. Overall, this album is perfect for anyone looking to discover blackened death metal bands. The vocals aren’t high pitched and the instrumental blends in perfectly with them, creating just the perfect sound for this subgenre. The only downside is, in my opinion, the way some of these songs lack originality, as I think they kind of sound almost the same. Even so, Patristic managed to craft a pretty enjoyable record, not to mention the medieval-ish artstyle of the album cover. 9/10
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9/10 Epic Storm
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