Panopticon with Catharsis

Easily one of the most prolific bands in the American black metal scene, Panopticon has released 12 full length studio records and 15 EPs, splits, and live records since their inception in 2008. Known for their unapologetic leftist politics, the Louisville, Kentucky band is a guiding light for a generation of bands often dubbed “red and anarchist black metal” (or RABM).

While the band is the recording project of sole member A. Lundr, on stage Panopticon is a crushingly heavy juggernaut with a dynamic and dramatic sound, flanked by guitars, electric violin, synth, bass, and drums. Portland, Maine’s own Ray Capizzo (drummer of Falls of Rauros) has been a regular feature in the Panopticon live band for many years.

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Desperate times call for desperate measures. Taking up arms against a wave of authoritarianism and despair, North Carolina’s premier hardcore band, Catharsis, has recorded a new full-length album, “Hope Against Hope.”

This record picks up where their last material left off, continuing to push the envelope for what hardcore can do. Catharsis don’t retread the ground they broke on their previous albums, but press forward into ever more abrasive and dynamic territory. Politically, they remain uncompromisingly radical in their lives as well as lyrics. This is not a band that has slowed down, toned down, or mellowed out.

Sticking to their roots in the do-it-yourself underground, they are releasing the album through CrimethInc. in the United States, Refuse in Europe, and No Gods No Masters in South America. The band recorded the drums with Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios and tracked the rest themselves. For the backing vocals, Catharsis tapped the vocalists of some of their favorite hardcore bands: Poland’s Next Victim, Brazil’s Point of No Return, and North Carolina’s own Scarecrow and Vittna.

Mixed by Kurt Ballou at God City Studio and mastered by Scott Crouse, “Hope Against Hope” is as explosive as our times.

Twenty-four years have passed since Catharsis released their last record, the split LP featuring “Arsonist’s Prayer,” though they did complete another song from that session for their discography in 2012. But they have been playing regularly together since 2013, adding Jimmy Chang (of Undying and Sect), who left the band in 1995, to the lineup that recorded the “Passion” LP. It was high time to record another album, making the most of material that has come together across two decades. In fact, Catharsis has never sounded better.

“Hope Against Hope” is an assault on a self-destructing society and a beacon of inspiration for all who are determined to survive.