CATAMENIA is, and forever shall be, an underrated Metal act. Heavily discriminated against by many pure Black Metal loyalists for their tendency to lean towards the conventions of Melodic Death, the band has still managed to click with an important niche in the Metal community. With "Cavalcade", their ninth outing, they are back to remind us all once more that they are here to stay, and will continue to release quality music in their self-described "Winter-Black" subgenre.

"Cavalcade" is very reminiscent of their last effort, but the album flows a little easier, and it focuses more on catchiness than song structure this time. Each CATAMENIA album has its own individual atmosphere lurking throughout, and this new effort is no exception to the rule. The guitars have a softer texture than usual, and the drums synchronically blend into the mix to produce a lighter, more fluent cocktail of sounds than is usual for them. While it still feels like the same group we heard on "VIII- The Time Unchained", it is easier listening for the occasional or open-minded Metal listener.

Long time fans may be a tad disappointed by the lack of experimentation, or the focus on cleaner vocals (yes, even more so than their last few efforts), vocals that feel a little unrefined at that; but this is a group that always aims to be different, and they've certainly accomplished that with these new songs. While it's not at all the best in their catalogue, it's no step backwards from "VIII" either. As always, they have produced a record made only for the CATAMENIA crowd, and it's one that those fans will probably accept regardless of its few shortcomings.