Welcome to the world of YOB, a world of low frequencies. YOB will guarantee you an experience taken from their universe, a parallel cosmos where time is a controllable dimension. The new album of the three-piece from Oregon does not deviate significantly from the musical direction that was traced by their 2002 debut "Elaborations of Carbon", an album that caught us by surprise and earned our respect and admiration. So, those familiar with the band know what to expect; ultra doom with lots of psychedelic elements and experimentations. If you liked "Elaborations of Carbon" you will worship "Catharsis". For those unfamiliar with the band let's say that YOB move somewhere near "Supercoven" period ELECTRIC WIZARD and "Jerusalem" period SLEEP. Shit, this is a very poor and shallow description, as their music is very unique and original and therefore, it cannot really be successfully described employing other bands as examples. "Catharsis" is rather a journey than an album. A journey that starts from the moment you close your eyes and press "play" and stops 3 songs and 49 minutes later. Destination: Unknown! You may know the duration of your trip, but the "places" you will visit change with each spin of the album. And you won't even need "help" from any substances; their music is a hallucinogenic on its own. When filtered through your imagination YOB's psychedelic mesmerising ultra doom produces the visions, the bass and drums set the pace of the journey, and the guitar serves as the narrator and guide. At the same time, the vocals vary from whispers to piercing cries or brutal growls, depending on the emotions/characters that the band wants to infuse/introduce. In "Aeons" YOB's music will make you travel through the centuries and witness Atlantis devoured by giant waves, while its population in agony and fear realises its doom. In "Ether" the unearthly music sets you in a lost spaceship experiencing a meteorite storm, where the riffs and rhythm take the place of the commanding cosmonaut and decide the course and manoeuvring of the spaceship. And finally, in the a-m-a-z-i-n-g 22 minute title track you'll enter the mind of a dying old wizard who recalls his life his life and in his last moments seeks forgiveness for his deeds. The escalating intensity of the music reflect the thoughts, while the mournful atmosphere and despair-inducing riffs reflect the feelings of the half-crazed by the centuries of isolation in his tower wizard. End of journey! Confused? Well, play the CD again and you'll visit different places. And that's the beauty of this album. "Catharsis" is the product of the sinister intercourse between Doom and Psychedelia. Astonishing! (Note: the mark below applies only to open-minded friends of HEAVY music and doomsters. The rest make sure you listen to it before you buy it).

--Metal Invader