Review: Katari “Ave, Rex Ivdaeorvm!”

Katari Ave, Rex Ivdaeorvm!
From Deepest Records

Huánuco is a city in north part of central Peru. This is relative young one found by Spanish conquistadors in 1539 (August the 15th to be precise). Even if this isn’t too big (there live not more than 190.000 people) it has really huge importance for history of whole country. There’re of course some universities and so on.

Anyhow, between residents of Huánuco there are some Metalheads, of course. Two of them in 2006 decided to create a band and named it KATARI. Since those times there were some changes in line-up what surely helped in recording next stuffs. But it seems that guys don’t care too much about quantity and after releasing three demos (which contained mostly the same songs) in 2006 and 2007 they took some rest from releases. Then Peruvians presented to the world another demo, split and EP. Now, this year, we can enjoy their debut album issued by FROM DEEPEST RECORDS.

We’ll find here intro and eight songs. This is truth that both intro and two of tracks are known (but I guess to Peruvian fans, first of all) from early demos. Anyway, when I heard this music I thought instantly: “so another band from South America I got”. And also this time my intuition was right, as you can see. You’ll ask me what do these two descendants of Incas play? The answer is Black Metal in typical South American (especially Peruvian) style. It means that you’ll find here quite a lot of elements of Thrash Metal here and this specific “something” what is characteristic for bands from this corner of the world – not only Black Metal ones, by the way. It has many to do with Norwegian Black Metal for sure. But as I wrote before it’s played in characteristic way, not at all bands from fiords’ country do it like.

Compositions’ structure isn’t complicated. But in the same time there’s no place for monotony. I mean, drums’ beat mostly rhythmically and strong connotations with Punk Rock come on the mind (at least mine). This is also not so primitive and you can notice some passages and so on easily. Dany use also cymbals very willingly. Everything is, and it takes guitar’s track in the same grad, intensive and in rather middle-fast tempo. Riffs which take place here are short and somehow broken – but mot in Death Metal meaning. There’s big element of aggression in them, too. Vocal is crossing of Thrash and Black Metal ones. In my opinion it has more to do with this first sub-genre of Metal, by the way. For all this is responsible mentioned above Dany. But KATARI can be called a band brcause there’s one more member – bassist Assassin. I don’t think that this pseudonym is meaningless and coincidental, anyway. When you listen to this ensemble you’ll probably get to know why I guess so.

To sum up I have to say Peruvians released really good debut full-length. And I can with a clear conscience recommend it to fans of both Thrash and Black Metal! I’m waiting for some next recording of KATARI and hopefully it’ll be at least as good as Ave, Rex Ivdaeorvm!