Invisible Oranges published some kind words about Catharsis in their review of the new Nux Vomica record.

One of my favorite songs is “Arsonist’s Prayer,” the last song ever recorded by the North Carolina hardcore band Catharsis. Catharsis’s hardcore leaned towards the crusty and metallic, though it was ambitious in ways that most such music is not. Their lyrical themes were pretty standard-issue for ’90s punk: disgust with modernity and longing for something better. But Catharsis delivered these ideas with a cinematic flair; their songs routinely grew past the 5-minute mark, and vocalist Brian D dressed his dissatisfaction in colorful metaphor. Lots of hardcore bands — too many, really — tackle this material from the street level. Catharsis were special because they offered a bird’s-eye view of the collapse.

Like all great bands, Catharsis were fundamentally inimitable. I rarely come across bands that use the same combination of tactics or that give me the same rush. Nux Vomica come close, though. These Portland transplants fittingly formed in 2002, the year that Catharsis broke up; they released two LPs and a pile of short-format releases before this one, though they’ve escaped my notice until now.

(Read more at InvisibleOranges.com…)

I’m always humbled and flattered when people I respect think art I made over ten years ago is still relevant, powerful, and influential.