When one speaks of the country Sweden, inevitably the subject of music will come up. Sweden is responsible for some of the most famous music acts, in and outside of metal, producing such names within the metal genre as At The Gates, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy, and Opeth. Katatonia is no different from the other bands, although it doesn't have the death metal energy of aforementioned compatriots, Katatonia nevertheless succeed in being an excellent exponent of the doom metal genre. I feel that this is one of the best records to be found in here, and that this band has forged an excellent, unforgettable disc.
The first memorable aspect on here is the insanely depressing, moody atmosphere, accompanied by Renkse's introspective and haunting lyrics. Lines such as: "If you would tell me that I was someone, then for a second I would think, just like I would try to consider how it would feel to know" invariably add to the gloomy atmosphere on here, one that the genre of doom metal has become famous for. All this is augmented by the dark, muddy, slow guitar riffs creating a wall of background noise, and Jonas' crooning, melancholy vocal lines which he sings as if the darkness has befallen him, which occasionally leads him to even go into the realm of falsetto lines. Indeed, if the world were to end tomorrow, I'd be playing this disc over and over.
The guitars on here are technically proficient. They mainly serve to augment the setting of darkness and dreariness that befalls this album, but the occasional guitar solo does pop up, albeit without the usual "I SHRED" wankery. The most exemplary song of how the guitars affect the album is in my opinion, the decidedly atmospherical "In Death, A Song." This one remains my favourite Katatonia track to this day. It has awesome, slow, deep riffs to back up Jonas Renkse's haunting, sad vocal lines, and give it that doomy background layering to make the song convince on every level. But this is not the only track where the guitars stand out. I Am Nothing is another song in the same vein, a doom metal masterpiece in a concise four-minute package. No wankery, no bull***, just a ***ing gloomy atmosphere and sad lines about how life sucks. I wish emo people got the meaning of depression and started listening to this sometimes, this is how you do depressive music.
I only have two gripes with this album: playing it is kind of circumstantial if you haven't been diagnosed with clinical depression or anything similar. I find myself unable to listen to this when I'm in a really happy mood. It has to be late at night, I have to feel like ***, and then and only then can I return to this record. It's an amazing one nonetheless, blows me away everytime I put it on, but for maximum enjoyment, this is not an album you should have in your cd player 24/7.
Another problem is that the album, while convincing throughout and remaining in that remarkably doomy metal atmosphere, with the occasional mellow acoustic breaks (This Punishment, the intro to A Darkness Coming) for example, the band is quite reliant on one formula. I find the formula to work excellently, but for those who cannot stand any gloomy depressive songs you should definitely stay away, this record could drag all the way through if you're not prepared for it. On the flip side, if you do like this genre, you'll do extremely well with getting this album. For fans of good music, doom metal, and people willing to hear something new, this album is the place to start.
