“The full range of emotions includes happiness, sorrow, anger, despair, joy, fear, and excitement. Why do we focus only on the ‘positive’ ones when the others are just as much a part of life? We hurt ourselves and stunt our emotional growth when we don’t allow ourselves to fully experience every part of existence. Catharsis is about expressing the unexpressed, saying the unsaid, and becoming stronger from having done it. It’s an emotional rebirth.”
Catharsis is Kat Felicis Ioco’s debut symphonic metal album released 25 October 2019. Her classically trained vocals soar over and punch through pounding drums, sweeping strings, distorted guitars, and powerful keyboards. Each song features her highly melodic compositional style and bluntly honest lyrics, dealing with topics such as inequality (“Done”), depression (“Emotional Flatline”), loss (“Rest in Peace”), lack of control (“Puppetmaster”), and stigmatization leading to bullying and hate crimes (“Monster”). Despite the heavy subject matter, Catharsis has subtle threads of hope woven through it without offering solutions; even though every situation is different, merely expressing a feeling validates the experience and makes it seem better, providing hope that things can change.
Social media related to this album is tagged #katcatharsis2019 on all platforms.
Purchase (physical and digital): Kat’s Official Store
Purchase (digital only)*: iTunes, Amazon
Stream*: Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube
*Lists are non-exhaustive. The best way to support independent creators is to buy from them directly; streaming does add up very gradually over a long period of time if you don’t have funds or have already purchased.
Track List
Sticks and Stones
Done
Monster
Eaten Alive
Puppetmaster
Paranoia
Rest in Peace
Emotional Flatline
No More
View lyrics here.
Credits
All music and lyrics by Kat Felicis Ioco
Produced by Kat Felicis Ioco
Vocals and keyboards performed by Kat Felicis Ioco
Lead and harmony vocals recorded at Signaturetone Recording
Mixed and mastered by Adam Tucker
Additional choir vocals on “Emotional Flatline” performed by Josey Poppin, Joshua Choi, and Pasha Moyer; recorded by Kat Felicis Ioco
Additional mixing and vocal recording by Kat Felicis Ioco
Album packaging and concept by Kat Felicis Ioco
Interior booklet art by MerREart
Reviews
All Around Metal (in Italian) – positive, 3.5/5
Powerplay Rock & Metal Magazine (Issue 230) – positive, 7/10; note that Ioco is misspelled
Fireworks Rock & Metal Magazine (Issue 91) – positive, no score given