Review by Mladen on November 24, 2023.

Have you been told about evil yet? As in real, REAL evil? If not, Katharsis are here to set the record straight.

First, you'll have to find the CD. A hint: the artwork is dark red and black, adorned with magical symbols and writings in some strange alphabet. The sides of the CD have only the inscriptions "K T H R S S" on one and "V V V V N D" on the other. That's it. But, once you have obtained it, you will realize that it was well worth the effort.

VVorldVVithoutEnd, the third album by the Zwickau, Germany based trio, is one of those rare albums that will have your attention riveted to the speakers from the very first second, and then throughout all of the six songs and 52 minutes of it. Take the first track, "Eden Belovv," as an example: It begins with a blastbeat supporting a classic, old-school black metal riff — a simple, bastard, stuttering, straightforward one. Just as it has been fully absorbed, the guitar descends into a precipice of pure mayhem. It goes slower, it goes faster. Hard to distinguish, but commanding the attention. At times deceitfully simple, yet try to find a distinctive pattern and most likely you will fail.

The vocals aren't there to offer help either — Drakh's screams seem to be overseeing the music, sometimes going with the flow, sometimes whipping the frenzied mass below them, but always remaining unpredictable. And what are the drums doing? Who knows. At most times following the guitars, but never in the same way. But these, as they are, are just technicalities. Not at all enough to describe the music. Let's change the perspective then.

VVorldVVithoutEnd is a nightmare. Once you have been foolish enough to press "play," you will not know what has hit you. Simple as that. The opening track literally sucks you in. Then, there is no pause between tracks one and two, and they already bring so much confusion that only by the time you've reached about a half of the 11-minute third track, "VVytchdance," you somehow realize that you are listening to one, repeating riff. All you will be able to perceive are the frenzied, devilish guitars lulling you into false security and then, just when you start thinking you know what is going on, destroying it.

Then, you will hear the screams. But you will not know where they are coming from. They are there, yet they aren't. They are telling you something, and you are going to hear it whether you wanted it or not. If your concentration wears thin, you might find yourself thinking about claustrophobic, depressive things that you normally wouldn't dream of thinking about. The apparent cacophonous mess of sounds is carefully controlled, and it establishes Katharsis as one of the few, those whose playing and songwriting doesn't simply consist of managing notes and rhythms. Instead, Katharsis are here to twist and turn sounds and moods. Although, truth be told, on VVorldVVithoutEnd, there is but one mood. And it is not a bright one.

So, if you see the abovementioned artwork and have some cash to spend, stop. Think about it first. Ask yourself if it is time to let Satan in your life. Then decide at your own risk.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10