5 Albums I Want To Be Buried With #31: Catalysis!

For almost a decade Scottish Groove orientated Metalcore Kings Catalysis have been the kind of prolific band of which dreams are made, releasing six EPs and two full length albums of supreme quality while playing shows and festivals around the United Kingdom and Europe. Earlier this month they released their latest burnt offering “Serpentine” and if you haven’t already had the pleasure, then stop reading and do so right now. You won’t regret it. Once you’ve done that, come back and check out lead guitarist Drew Cochrane’s selections for records he would take to the afterlife with him…

The premise is simple: “Back in ancient Egypt they believed that the items their Kings were buried with would travel with them into the afterlife and so part of the burial ritual would see the mummified bodies surrounded by chariots, gold and more. Fast forward to now. If there were five albums that you’d want buried in the coffin with you to take to the afterlife, what would you choose?”

1. Machine Head – “The Blackening”

“An absolutely formative record for me – it shaped who I am as a musician today. Everything about it is just flawless to me, not a note out of place, not a drum fill I’d change. Just the epitome of what a metal record should be. The interplay between the guitars – not just in terms of harmonies etc, but sections where they’re playing independent leads and stuff, just unreal. It’s lyrically brilliant, the mix is the perfect balance of being polished without sounding fake and digital, and the whole thing just has an amazing human quality to it.19 years in, I still spot new things in the arrangements every now and then.”

2. Chimaira – “The Impossibility of Reason”

“To this day, I don’t think I’ve heard a more furious record. Hearing this for the first time as an angry teen who was being bullied in school etc, I immediately locked in with songs like Pure Hatred, I mean what angsty teenage mosher doesn’t love a chorus that is simply “I hate everyone”. This album is the one that really cemented my love for groove – there’s just so much of it, but without sacrificing the aggression or speed. It’s super focused, crushingly heavy and the production is absolutely savage – I’ve been chasing that guitar tone ever since I started playing. I flew from Scotland to Cleveland, OH to see them play it in full for the 20th anniversary of the release, which was a truly unforgettable moment in my life. Those shows healed a part of me that was broken that I didn’t even know about.”

3. Dyscarnate – “With All Their Might”

“I first discovered Dyscarnate on their previous record, after seeing them opening for Aborted. In 2017, they dropped With All Their Might and it is my all time favourite death metal record – no questions. Once again, savage groove coupled with the most outrageous guitar and bass tones you’ve ever heard and a couple of really menacing, dark and bleak slower tracks. I love when death metal gets creative and doesn’t just fall into the trap of 10 songs of 220bpm blasts and trem picking. The double vocals from Tom and Al work really well, and I particularly love that despite being pretty brutal, the annunciation is really clear – so you can actually make out the lyrics pretty easily. It’s not often death metal generates a hooky chorus, but this record is full of them.”

4. Wintersun – “Wintersun”

“Not something you’ll hear much influence from in Catalysis music any time soon, but I absolutely adore Wintersun. The melodies are beautiful, the guitar playing is frighteningly good and there’s just a huge, grandiose intensity to the whole record. Seeing these guys live was my white whale for the longest time. The production on this record isn’t amazing, but it’s authentic, and it’s good enough to enjoy it – it feels more urgent and human than their later, more polished output. The Winter Madness guitar solo has been blowing my mind for 22 years now!”

5. Whitechapel – “The Valley”

“I feel like the first 4 is always easy when picking a top 5, then you get to the myriad of options for 5 and struggle to commit. I’d always convinced myself I didn’t like Whitechapel, because of their earlier more straight up deathcore offerings, but When A Demon Defiles a Witch came on randomly on Spotify one day and absolutely blew me away. I couldn’t believe it was the same band. I stuck the record on to check out some more, and it’s been one of my favourites ever since. Once again, it just ticks the boxes for me – it’s crushingly heavy, with
tonnes of groove, dark and emotive lyrics and most importantly, just a little melody sprinkled throughout to keep things interesting. Songs like Forgiveness Is Weakness are just so damned angry. Inject it into my veins!”

“Serpentine” by Catalysis is out 17th April 2026 and is everywhere that’s good.