The third album, ‘Catacombs’, of Like a Storm from New Zealand was released on June 22, 2018. After their last album ‘Awaken the Fire’, hopes were high. And they didn’t disappoint. Like a Storm calls their genre Voodoo metal or Didge metal. It’s kind of hard rock-ish combined with a didgeridoo played by lead singer Chris Brooks. Before the album released, we already got some previews with ‘Devil Inside’ and ‘Pure Evil’. The first and the last song on the album. Both songs can be found below.

Darkness, it’s definitely the word that comes up when you listen to the album. Only by looking at the names of the songs, this becomes clear. The album cover looks like a Rorschach test. You know, they show you these ink figures and you have to tell what you see in it and then the craziest stories come up. This cover is based on one of the ten figures you get to see during this test, but this one is designed by bass player Kent Brooks. Combine all these things with the didgeridoo and it does get a sinister touch to it. It eats you and there’s no other way than to absorb the music and listen to this story.

‘Awaken the Fire’, released in 2015, was all about positivity. Heaving fire inside, not giving up, breaking free, being proud of what you already have and keep reaching for the highest point. ‘Catacombs’ is the complete opposite of this. It’s about being stuck inside yourself. Like your body is a catacomb where you have no map of. And no map in a catacomb, means usually wandering around endlessly and get stuck in there. What’s amazing about Like a Storm, is that you can hear their progress so clearly. Their first album The End of the Beginning was strong lyric wise, but the recording wasn’t that strong. ‘Awaken the Fire’ just blasts at you with the purest notes ever and now ‘Catacombs’ is a very strong album on all levels.

Story wise, like the cover, it depends on how you see it. Different people see different things in the Rorschach ink. Maybe for one person this album can be very dark, but for the other it can feel like they are not the only one with darker feelings and bring some peace of mind.

Each and every song has a unique sound to it. Yet they are similar enough to form one solid album.

Release date: June 22, 2018.
Label: Century Media
Tracklist:
01 The Devil Inside
02 Out of Control
03 Catacombs
04 Complicated (Stitches and Scars)
05 Solitary
06 The Bitterness
07 Until the Day I Die
08 Hole In My Heart
09 Bullet in the Head
10 These Are the Bridges You Burned Down
11 Pure Evil