THY CATAFALQUE RETURN TO THE YELLOW FOREST. XIII: SÁRGA ERDŐ CONNECTS MEMORY, LOSS AND THE HUNGARIAN LANDSCAPE

Hungarian avant garde metal project THY CATAFALQUE opens another chapter in its remarkably distinctive history. The thirteenth studio album, XIII: Sárga erdő, will be released on November 20, 2026 through Season of Mist and follows XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek from 2024. This time Tamás Kátai has created twelve tracks that are not connected by a single fixed story. Instead, the album moves through memory, loss, distance and disappearance, like a journey across a landscape that feels familiar yet can never be exactly the same again.

The title Sárga erdő means Yellow Forest. The name itself perfectly reflects the world in which THY CATAFALQUE has long existed. Nature, the Hungarian landscape, the past, human memory and a peculiar sense of time once again merge with metal, electronic music, folk, jazz and classical instrumentation. This time, however, the final form is more restrained than on the previous album. The rich arrangements remain, but individual instruments enter the songs only when the music truly calls for them.

One of the biggest changes lies in the way the album was created. XIII: Sárga erdő is the first THY CATAFALQUE record on which Tamás Kátai uses a live drummer instead of programmed drums. Although the project remains firmly connected to his personality, the scale of collaboration is enormous. A total of thirty four musicians appear on the record, joined by a twenty member male choir.

The first song released from the album is Búcsú a piros madártól, which also opens the record. Its character immediately suggests that the new material will not rely solely on metallic heaviness. Season of Mist describes the composition as something resembling a farewell letter. The ability to connect personal melancholy, unease and an expansive range of instruments has long been one of the greatest strengths of THY CATAFALQUE.

The album contains twelve tracks. After the opening Búcsú a piros madártól come Ég anyám, föld apám, Dunnák alatt kék mező, Szitakötő, Suhamló éji fák, Puszta, Sirató, Cseremisz, the title track Sárga erdő, Tömbök, Kút vizén nap forog and the closing 87 tavasz, 87 ősz. The title track runs for more than ten minutes and the album closer is even longer, once again allowing Kátai to develop certain compositions into extensive musical journeys.

Guest musicians form a major part of the record. Martina Veronika Horváth sings on Sárga erdő and 87 tavasz, 87 ősz, while Ivett Dudás appears on several other tracks and Gábor Dudás is also among the guest vocalists. The album reaches far beyond vocal collaborations, however. Violin, piano, saxophone, trombone, accordion, sitar, oboe and other instruments appear throughout the record, expanding an already extraordinarily diverse musical world.

A particularly unusual place is occupied by Cseremisz. According to information from the label, the track works with the idea of a fictional folk song created for a vanished people from the Volga region. Once again, this reveals the way Tamás Kátai approaches folklore. Rather than simply copying traditional music, he creates his own world where real history, cultural memory and imagination are able to merge.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are moments where THY CATAFALQUE return to a considerably heavier form. Official material surrounding the album mentions a composition built around the metaphor of burning, which also becomes the heaviest point of the entire record. The contrast between aggression, fragility, folk motifs and experimental passages remains one of the reasons why Tamás Kátai's work is so difficult to confine within a single metal category.

The album was produced by Tamás Kátai. Recording took place in several locations, including Miracle Sound Szeged in Hungary. Gábor Vári returns after the previous record as sound engineer and was also responsible for mixing and mastering. The artwork was created by Kátai himself, with photographs for the artwork taken by Laszlo Horvath. The result is intended to preserve sonic continuity with the previous era while working with more economical arrangements.

THY CATAFALQUE was formed in 1998 and over more than a quarter of a century has developed from an originally studio based project into a name that now also operates as a full live band. In recent years the project has appeared at festivals across Europe and completed its first live journey through Latin America. Tamás Kátai remains the central creative force, connecting metal with musical directions that might appear completely incompatible on paper.

XIII: Sárga erdő does not therefore feel like an attempt to surpass the previous album through sheer numbers of layers or guests, despite the enormous number of musicians involved. What matters more is the way each element is used. Instead of constant maximalism, there is a stronger emphasis on space, contrast and the composition itself. Folk, classical instruments and unusual textures appear where they carry genuine meaning, not simply to demonstrate the project's range.

The thirteenth THY CATAFALQUE album therefore promises another journey through a world that feels both intimately familiar and strangely foreign. A yellow forest can be a place of autumn beauty, memory and gradual disappearance. Tamás Kátai has moved between such opposites for decades, and his ability to transform them into music remains one of the most distinctive qualities of his work.

XIII: Sárga erdő will be released on November 20, 2026 through Season of Mist.