― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 1 February 2004 03:09 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 1 February 2004 03:22 (twenty years ago) link
― Siegbran (eofor), Monday, 2 February 2004 11:15 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 2 February 2004 11:21 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 2 February 2004 11:23 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 2 February 2004 12:02 (twenty years ago) link
(by the way, if anyone's interested in the Jhva Elhohim Meth MCD, I've got a spare copy for trade).
― Siegbran (eofor), Monday, 2 February 2004 16:43 (twenty years ago) link
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 2 February 2004 16:49 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 2 February 2004 16:53 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 2 February 2004 16:58 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 2 February 2004 17:34 (twenty years ago) link
Exactly, but I'm still madly in love with Blackheims sense of melody and atmosphere and I kept the hope up that they were able to realize that THAT is their strongest point - not focusing on Jonas Renske's hopelessness over conventional rock riffs. I do not ask of them to return to "Dance Of December Souls", great as it may be - that ship has definitely sailed long ago. In a sense, I feel that they've lost that certain balance between the rock and the metal, the depression and the drive, that made "Discouraged Ones" so great. "Viva Emptiness" tilts the balance far too much towards Renske over-indulging in pitiful and annoyingly hollow angst.
In a bigger context: it cannot be a coincidence that surprisingly many of bands followed the exact same artistic trajectory: After a few fairly technical/complex/cutting-edge albums, the band goes for a more streamlined rock approach, with simpler songs - usually the first attempt(s) are good/successful so the band continues in that direction only to find themselves in increasingly bland territory with only sporadic glimpses of their former magic. Cases in point: Amorphis, Paradise Lost, Anathema, Katatonia, Metallica, Sentenced, Gorefest, Entombed. It is extremely rare to see a band do the opposite (from two-riff three-minute rock to more complex/extreme metal).
But hey, Katatonia is their band and if they're happy to steam fullspeed into shallow waters it's their decision. It obviously hasn't done any of the above mentioned bands much good though.
And re: Opeth (who obviously don't fall in this category): While I think that the whole "Metal! With none of the nasty stuff! We like Pink Floyd!" trend is artistically doomed from the start, I don't think Opeth are doing a very good job even within those constraints. EL&P, Yes and Pink Floyd were ten times the songwriters Opeth are. I'm just massively annoyed by lazy cut/paste songwriting in any genre (cfr Satyricon), a band has to perform some hugely charismatic other feat to redeem themselves. Uhhh....raise your standards!
< /cynical rant >
― Siegbran (eofor), Monday, 2 February 2004 22:32 (twenty years ago) link
I really do think Viva Emptiness is a great rock record. It's sad that you and john mountaingoat hate it so much. You can't like everything though.
― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 2 February 2004 23:24 (twenty years ago) link
― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 00:49 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 3 February 2004 01:25 (twenty years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 02:30 (eighteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 02:39 (eighteen years ago) link
scott, by now i'm sure you've heard the new 'peth record. what do you make of it?
― Charlie Howard (the sphinx), Sunday, 8 October 2006 03:26 (seventeen years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 8 October 2006 03:50 (seventeen years ago) link
charlie, you might be the only person on ilm who has heard the october tide albums. have you? god, i love those things. they need some serious reissue action.
― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 8 October 2006 03:53 (seventeen years ago) link
i'm bummed out about the remastering, because there's nothing i like more than a nice, solid remastering (provided i haven't already got the records) :(
haha, and yes i dig october tide. jonas's second greatest feat (before bloodbath, after you know who)
― Charlie Howard (the sphinx), Sunday, 8 October 2006 04:00 (seventeen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 8 October 2006 10:46 (seventeen years ago) link
...I guess our new goth direction somehow died as fast as it was born. Just a few months later we ventured back to further explore the paths of metal and other funerals to come. Therefore, this song ['Scarlet Heavens'] was our one and only unique attempt of dressing Katatonia in a frilly white shirt stained with red wine.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 02:53 (seventeen years ago) link
― scott seward, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 02:55 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 02:56 (seventeen years ago) link
― scott seward, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 02:56 (seventeen years ago) link
― scott seward, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 02:58 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 02:59 (seventeen years ago) link
― scott seward, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 03:00 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 03:00 (seventeen years ago) link
― scott seward, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 03:03 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 03:07 (seventeen years ago) link
― Faisal Shennib, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 05:25 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 05:31 (seventeen years ago) link
― Charlie Howard, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 05:47 (seventeen years ago) link
― Siegbran, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 11:23 (seventeen years ago) link
― Charlie Howard, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 11:46 (seventeen years ago) link
― Siegbran, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 22:22 (seventeen years ago) link
― scott seward, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 23:22 (seventeen years ago) link
― scott seward, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 00:06 (seventeen years ago) link
― scott seward, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 00:09 (seventeen years ago) link
― Charlie Howard, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 18:00 (sixteen years ago) link
― no-nonsense, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 21:09 (sixteen years ago) link
― Siegbran, Wednesday, 9 May 2007 11:29 (sixteen years ago) link
― no-nonsense, Wednesday, 9 May 2007 13:29 (sixteen years ago) link
― chris.steffen, Wednesday, 9 May 2007 14:19 (sixteen years ago) link
― J0hn D., Wednesday, 9 May 2007 16:50 (sixteen years ago) link
― Jeff Treppel, Wednesday, 9 May 2007 19:05 (sixteen years ago) link
― drone/a/sore, Wednesday, 9 May 2007 19:26 (sixteen years ago) link
Looks like a nice setlist. Not too many "tortured artist" theatrics and posing? Actually not, it surprised me that Nystrom has a total 80's metal image, if you saw him with the audio muted it would look like he is in Helloween or something. Ranske just stands, hair covering his face, and follows the beat slapping his thigh. Not a spectacular show but they sound great.
― no-nonsense, Wednesday, 30 May 2007 21:59 (sixteen years ago) link
So I picked up Tonight's Decision the other night based on a) the Cure comparisons, b) listening to a lot of black metal lately, and c) Scott's unabashed raves on many threads. And, well, I'm sorry but with each listen I enjoy this album less and less. Doesn't sound like a far cry from Papa Roach, to my ears.
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Thursday, 21 May 2009 04:47 (fourteen years ago) link
sorry! all i hear is truth beauty and awesomeness when i play it.
― scott seward, Thursday, 21 May 2009 12:16 (fourteen years ago) link
tonight's decision isn't my favourite of theirs, but there's still a lot of sincerity and stripped back emotion to the songs that really carries them. the downcast frame of mind is laboured, but that's kind of the point with this band.
personal faves remain last fair deal gone down (which is incidentally the most cure-addled) and the great cold distance.
― Charlie Howard, Thursday, 21 May 2009 13:00 (fourteen years ago) link
i mean, "black session", "for my demons", heck, i love the whole album. i even like the jeff buckley cover. (i've never actually heard a heff buckley album.)
― scott seward, Thursday, 21 May 2009 15:27 (fourteen years ago) link
(i'd settle for a couple more october tide records.)
― scott seward, Wednesday, February 28, 2007 12:09 AM (2 years ago) Bookmark
alas, this hasn't happened, but they have reissued the first October Tide album. remastered apparently, but that stuff usually doesn't mean much to me. i love how it sounded originally.
― scott seward, Thursday, 21 May 2009 15:29 (fourteen years ago) link
http://www.nightisthenewday.com/new album coming out in october on peaceville records
― drone/a/sore, Tuesday, 18 August 2009 00:46 (fourteen years ago) link
um, yeah, looking forward...
― scott seward, Tuesday, 18 August 2009 01:16 (fourteen years ago) link
was these guys last album any good? gonna go check 'em out tonight. playing three blocks from my house.
― Stormy Davis, Saturday, 18 September 2010 00:47 (thirteen years ago) link
the latest album isn't very good. stylistically it's similar to TGCD (which is incidentally a great record), but the songwriting is significantly weaker and i don't know, the formula just sounds stale on this one.
― charlie h, Saturday, 18 September 2010 15:03 (thirteen years ago) link
decided to listen to tonight's decision... tonight
― Whiney vs. (BradNelson), Monday, 27 February 2012 02:17 (twelve years ago) link
anyway what a great fucking record, just a breathtaking expansion on discouraged ones in every way
(even though i prefer discouraged ones because i think there's something in their transition from a more traditionally doomy band to whatever-they-became-later (gothy alt-metal? god, that's not it) that is pretty totally singular. like i can't think of a record or a scene that sounds quite like discouraged ones)
― Whiney vs. (BradNelson), Monday, 27 February 2012 02:21 (twelve years ago) link
What are they like live these days? It looks like recent setlists don't go back further than the last few albums.
― Brad C., Wednesday, 1 May 2013 18:48 (eleven years ago) link
read a bunch of fans repping for dead end kings as potentially the best katatonia album which i thought was interesting bc the two listens i gave that record felt really dull
i revisited it yesterday and i think i can start to see what they're talking about? in that the hooks definitely aren't there in the same way as past katatonia records but that's not the *~point~* i guess. some of the compositions are really interesting
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 31 March 2016 14:05 (eight years ago) link
i found it very dull
― akm, Thursday, 31 March 2016 14:27 (eight years ago) link
lol yeah i feel that obv. it's at least better than night is the new day, which makes me look forward to the new one
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 31 March 2016 14:38 (eight years ago) link
which
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIGBNc2nFZA
lol i actually really love this new song
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 31 March 2016 14:41 (eight years ago) link
i don't love it. they are like The Shoes now. making commercial music for years that nobody will hear.
i haven't bought an actual physical copy of an album since night is the new day. so, i am missing two. but i would buy them if i saw them in a store. and probably not listen to them much.
― scott seward, Thursday, 31 March 2016 14:53 (eight years ago) link
i might actually listen to the acoustic album they made if i bought it. kinda reminds me of the old anathema i like. or that opeth acoustic album. always liked that a lot.
― scott seward, Thursday, 31 March 2016 14:57 (eight years ago) link
idk the new song seems patient and moody in a way they haven't been in a while, albeit with a chorus melody that i wouldn't be surprised to hear in a power metal song (though that's not unusual for katatonia imo). the problem with night is the new day is that it kinda gets lost in its own busyness imo. might have something to do with the new new drummer
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 31 March 2016 15:25 (eight years ago) link
i'm talking a lot of shit about night is the new day but i wanted to clarify that "idle blood" rules
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 31 March 2016 15:34 (eight years ago) link
really love this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_o_j6v3PGE
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Tuesday, 17 May 2016 21:46 (seven years ago) link
imo the new one's their best since viva emptiness, much more varied in composition than dead end kings. it just feels like it moves more. however it might be too proggy. these are their longest songs since brave murder day. regardless the opening three tracks are all amazing, as are "residual" and "serac"
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Tuesday, 31 May 2016 04:20 (seven years ago) link
hahahahaha I just went to revive this thread to say "hey I bet Brad would like this album" and here we are
anyway it's really good!
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Friday, 17 June 2016 01:43 (seven years ago) link
oh sweet i was worried i was the only person who really liked the new one!
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Friday, 12 August 2016 18:21 (seven years ago) link
Been listening to Dance Of December Souls, never heard the band before but I've probably been meaning to for a decade, really liking the style. I really wish the ending section of "Tomb of Insomnia" was longer, it's gorgeous.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 30 June 2017 13:42 (six years ago) link
For Funerals To Come EP (including bonus tracks) is a bit of a letdown. Some nice things happen on it but I never properly dug any of the tracks.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 15 June 2018 18:15 (five years ago) link
Last Fair Deal also contains what is arguably the most reviled Katatonia songs by die-hard fans, "We Must Bury You".
― brimstead, Friday, 21 April 2023 20:45 (one year ago) link