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Katatonia - Night Is The New Day review



Reviewer:
7.0

828 users:
8.34
Band: Katatonia
Album: Night Is The New Day
Release date: November 2009


01. Forsaker
02. The Longest Year
03. Idle Blood
04. Onward Into Battle
05. Liberation
06. The Promise Of Deceit
07. Nephilim
08. New Night
09. Inheritance
10. Day And Then The Shade
11. Departer
12. Ashen [Swedish and special tour edition bonus]
13. Sold Heart [special tour edition bonus]
14. Day And Then The Shade [Frank Default remix] [special tour edition bonus]
15. Idle Blood [Linje 14] [special tour edition bonus]

There has been a lot of buzz about the new album, Night is the New Day, by Katatonia and I honestly have to say that I was looking forward to this release. My first exposure to the band was their previous studio release, 2006's The Great Cold Distance, which enticed me more than a fat kid in a candy store. So naturally I was excited to hear another album from a band who had captured my attention a few years ago.

This album comes across as a mediocre and almost passé. Now before you all start hurling insults at me and informing me that I "don't know anything about music," just calm down. Katatonia has had the same line up for a decade now, and the majority of the band has been together for even longer than that. This situation brings both a positive and negative aspect with it: your musicianship becomes tighter and more solid but your creative juices begin to run dry. In all honesty, I think this is what has happened here.

Night is the New Day features that familiar moody and Gothic feel that the band has been focusing on for a while. The hypnotic melodic atmospheres of this album are driven by some of the most beautiful guitar tones I've heard in a long time. The vocals are still haunting and convey a lost and hopeless feeling which blend great with the Massive Attack style of keyboards. The rhythm section is very solid with some very graceful and tasteful drumming throughout the album. Katatonia has proven to be an outfit that knows how to play as one solid unit.

On the downside, these songs just don't have the same impact that past material has had. The great hooks that subtlety wove in and out of darker passages are gone. Virtually none of the guitar riffs are memorable and the ones that are I feel like Opeth has already played them. Lyrically there is no depth; a bunch of depressive cliché lines about being sad coming across as a very smart and well crafted Emo album at times. The album is too depressive to be any fun but not haunting enough to be enjoyable.

If you are looking for a doomy-Gothic Metal album that is inspired by The Cure with a dash of Portishead, this is probably for you. Bets are that most of the Katatonia fans already have it or are planning on getting it, which is fine. This is a solid album with outstanding musicianship and production that would be a great asset for any fans collection. At the same time if you're not really big on the doom and gloom type music this probably isn't for you.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 6
Production: 8





Written on 02.12.2009 by Dane hails from Asheville, NC which is Beer City, USA. When he is not drinking various craft and micro brews, Dane fronts the Stoner Doom Metal band, The Quick. He also has a massive collection of Hellboy comic books.


Comments page 3 / 3

Comments: 83   [ 1 ignored ]   Visited by: 535 users
12.12.2009 - 21:50
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by Slayer666 on 12.12.2009 at 21:47

I have soooo many other, better bands when I want some but-kicking heaviness.


Out of curiosity... such as?
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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12.12.2009 - 21:59
Rating: 8
Slayer666

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 12.12.2009 at 21:50

Written by Slayer666 on 12.12.2009 at 21:47

I have soooo many other, better bands when I want some but-kicking heaviness.


Out of curiosity... such as?

Keep in mind, I don't mean deppressive-heavy, just heavy:
Let's see.... A bit of Cannibal Corpse every now and then, Slayer too, then Rammstein's most fierce songs, some In Flames......
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12.12.2009 - 22:04
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by Slayer666 on 12.12.2009 at 21:59


Keep in mind, I don't mean deppressive-heavy, just heavy:
Let's see.... A bit of Cannibal Corpse every now and then, Slayer too, then Rammstein's most fierce songs, some In Flames......


Strange, I never consideredany of those bands musically heavy.
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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13.12.2009 - 03:38
Rating: 6
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 12.12.2009 at 21:42

As for it being too heavy... I agree it is heavy but it could have been heavier and then it would be even better.


I agree with you, I really like when Katatonia gets heavier. The sadness they try to make gets more real when they're heavier imo.

Although DO isn't heavy at all and that's my favorite album
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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13.12.2009 - 09:51
Rating: 8
Slayer666

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 12.12.2009 at 22:04

Written by Slayer666 on 12.12.2009 at 21:59


Keep in mind, I don't mean deppressive-heavy, just heavy:
Let's see.... A bit of Cannibal Corpse every now and then, Slayer too, then Rammstein's most fierce songs, some In Flames......


Strange, I never consideredany of those bands musically heavy.

Than, we do not think of the same thing when we say "heavy".
What do you mean when you say "heavy"?
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15.12.2009 - 16:27
Merchant of Doom

I like Viva Emptiness and I agree they should have made it even heavier... why not, for fuck's sake? lol
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17.12.2009 - 17:04
Grand Funk!

After a bit of disappointment, the album is growing fastly in my playlist!
Don't know if heavy is the keyword... but surely it's one of the most groove Katatonia releases!
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21.12.2009 - 05:22
Rating: 10
Nightmare_Heaven

I think this is the best album Katatonia have ever made. It's not "emo", it's doomy. Renkse's voice gets better and better as well and at this point, to me, it's like sonic silk. NitND a well crafted work of art. If I want my heavy fix, I'll put on some black or death metal. Katatonia is perfect as they are. I'm usually a huge fan of harsh vocals but Renkse's singing voice is too haunting and beautiful to go to waste. As far as Opeth already doing this material but better, I disagree. I'd rather listen to this album over Opeth anyday.

Everyone has their opinion, just my 2 cents. But I will agree this is a grower. For those that find it monotonous, move along... nothing to see here. But I'm sticking to my personal 10/10 on this. I might not write an objective review with such a high rating but as I don't write reviews here all my ratings on MS are just that, personal - how much the album means to me, how much of an impact it makes on me as whole and how many songs I skip or don't like. I wouldn't change a thing here other than making Departer 15 minutes long.

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06.01.2010 - 02:25
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
Man this is too boring. Gee... Just like ''Great cold distance'' they run away from the commercial appelative catchyness to do this complex shit.

I was hoping to hear something sad and melancholic and instead get a lot of chaotic structured songs... I can't feel the album, because the songs are always changing, so there is absolutly no atmosphere.

''Idle Blood'' and ''Day and then the shade'' are good songs, but its pretty much it for the album.
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member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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06.01.2010 - 18:07
Rating: 6
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Nightmare_Heaven on 21.12.2009 at 05:22

I think this is the best album Katatonia have ever made. It's not "emo", it's doomy.


I don't understand this part of your post. In what part of their discography do they sound emo? Am I missing something here?
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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07.01.2010 - 21:03
Rating: 10
omjaimes
omjaimes
I think it is a very mature album. the bass and drums speak the same language, make the rhythm with a perfect communication. guitars in perfect balance, without exaggeration, with much character and progressive environment and a emotional synthesizers give an air of gothic rock. The melodies are beautiful and unexpected harmonies and are careful and smart. The voices have turned to a rock that reminds me Porcupine Tree, but with a maturity and a modulation that gives unexpected and strange atmosphere. is very important that freedom with each instrument is moved, is a progressive logic is a logic of the good british rock that can enjoy in the group virtuosity . the lyrics, traditional, but honest with the music, not your typical metalhead mediocre assemblage of words and music.

is undoubtedly a Katatonia who left the predictable cliches of metal. it's time for the metal shifts to music more artistic, better designed, more careful. is time to see the bands progress, mature, flow. no doubt 10 / 10
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15.01.2010 - 09:17
Rating: 10
INÆRIS

I've been a devoted fan of Katatonia for many years, and I firmly absolutely believe that this is their best album to date. Its emotion overwhelms me and I connect to it better than any of their other releases. It is a masterpiece, and in my opinion, the most important album of the year.
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Still Life, Still Death
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28.02.2010 - 18:19
Rating: 9
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
The more i listen to this cd the more i am impressed. one thing tho...songs are too short. "Onward into Battle" is my fav but barely 3 minutes long
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rekt
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11.04.2010 - 18:31
Rating: 7
Vonpire

Boring as hell
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Beware the Shadows of Dusk
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15.05.2010 - 06:06
Darrek

It´s been months since this album was out, and almost 5 since I finally got it. Until now was that I was able to register the site but I have not been able to put out of my mind how can someone review the album like this.

Owning the whole Katatonia collection wont give you better taste or judgement to review a band. I may help, but it´s not all that it takes.

A 7 ? Emo ? OMG !

Reviews like yours and several others that I have encountered through the site makes me wonder how you guys get recruited here to evaluate metal albums...

All Katatonia albums are good, some a lot better than others, For example, I really like the first ones. The good thing about these musicians is that they have EVOLVED as their music.

Calling this awesome work of music shallow, simple or boring is an insult. I´m glad some people here dont like it, because with their attitude or musical taste, I think they dont deserve to listen to it.

I give this album a 10 out of 10, It was the one of best things last year gave us among other releases. Lyrics are simple because the music stands out. And it´s actually good they are like that, it suits the whole work.

Anyway, it´s strange when some critic comes along like this and gives a controversial opinion to a great album as "The Night Is the New Day".

For me, it´s actually Katatonia´s best album yet. 10 out of 10 indeed.
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15.05.2010 - 09:31
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
Written by Darrek on 15.05.2010 at 06:06

It´s been months since this album was out, and almost 5 since I finally got it. Until now was that I was able to register the site but I have not been able to put out of my mind how can someone review the album like this.

Owning the whole Katatonia collection wont give you better taste or judgement to review a band. I may help, but it´s not all that it takes.

A 7 ? Emo ? OMG !

Reviews like yours and several others that I have encountered through the site makes me wonder how you guys get recruited here to evaluate metal albums...

All Katatonia albums are good, some a lot better than others, For example, I really like the first ones. The good thing about these musicians is that they have EVOLVED as their music.

Calling this awesome work of music shallow, simple or boring is an insult. I´m glad some people here dont like it, because with their attitude or musical taste, I think they dont deserve to listen to it.

I give this album a 10 out of 10, It was the one of best things last year gave us among other releases. Lyrics are simple because the music stands out. And it´s actually good they are like that, it suits the whole work.

Anyway, it´s strange when some critic comes along like this and gives a controversial opinion to a great album as "The Night Is the New Day".

For me, it´s actually Katatonia´s best album yet. 10 out of 10 indeed.


how, exactly, is a 7 a bad score? or "controversial"?

it's "good". how is someone else calling something you like "good" controversial? ultimately reviews are subjective. Dane values this album differently from you. His listening experience was not yours.

owning the entire Katatonia discography might give him a better understanding of the band, but ultimately it doesn't matter. an album floats or sinks based upon it's own merits. the best of bands can make a mis-step, and the most boring, inept can occasionally strike gold.

i listen to lots of metal and lots of non-metal (including several genres they appear to have drawn influences from). i checked this out, and i would have scored it similarly. at times it's interesting, at others either annoying or flat out boring.

glad you enjoy it so much you feel compelled to lash out against someone who just finds it "good" ... that's great.
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get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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19.05.2010 - 22:18
Darrek

Written by BitterCOld on 15.05.2010 at 09:31

how, exactly, is a 7 a bad score? or "controversial"?

it's "good". how is someone else calling something you like "good" controversial? ultimately reviews are subjective. Dane values this album differently from you. His listening experience was not yours.

owning the entire Katatonia discography might give him a better understanding of the band, but ultimately it doesn't matter. an album floats or sinks based upon it's own merits. the best of bands can make a mis-step, and the most boring, inept can occasionally strike gold.

i listen to lots of metal and lots of non-metal (including several genres they appear to have drawn influences from). i checked this out, and i would have scored it similarly. at times it's interesting, at others either annoying or flat out boring.

glad you enjoy it so much you feel compelled to lash out against someone who just finds it "good" ... that's great.


Well, like all music, if you listen to it A LOT, its good impression will fade. A "7" is good, but just good. A score like that could be taken as in the verge of mediocrity. The album should at least have been given an 8. But as you have written, reviews are subjective. So i´m glad this original review was not the ultimate one you could find around.
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04.07.2011 - 08:11
Rating: 9
Grody2themax

Written by Darrek on 19.05.2010 at 22:18

Written by BitterCOld on 15.05.2010 at 09:31

how, exactly, is a 7 a bad score? or "controversial"?

it's "good". how is someone else calling something you like "good" controversial? ultimately reviews are subjective. Dane values this album differently from you. His listening experience was not yours.

owning the entire Katatonia discography might give him a better understanding of the band, but ultimately it doesn't matter. an album floats or sinks based upon it's own merits. the best of bands can make a mis-step, and the most boring, inept can occasionally strike gold.

i listen to lots of metal and lots of non-metal (including several genres they appear to have drawn influences from). i checked this out, and i would have scored it similarly. at times it's interesting, at others either annoying or flat out boring.

glad you enjoy it so much you feel compelled to lash out against someone who just finds it "good" ... that's great.


Well, like all music, if you listen to it A LOT, its good impression will fade. A "7" is good, but just good. A score like that could be taken as in the verge of mediocrity. The album should at least have been given an 8. But as you have written, reviews are subjective. So i´m glad this original review was not the ultimate one you could find around.


Its an album that I could see as being controversial on a metal website, so I can see how opinions would differ.

Take a very jazzy/progressive band like Maudlin of the Well and have some purist old school death metal/thrash head give it a review, then ask a professor at a music school to review and it and the reviews will probably be much different. My point is, is that this album is treads into musical directions that may appeal in some aspects more to the tastes of a non metal listener, but I think it ultimately could appeal to a lot of metalheads because not many people can listen to heavy stuff all day all the time without ever wanting to try to listen to some more mellow stuff.

In general though, if you're gonna review an album you can't base the review off of whether or not it appeals to you. Another point is that if you aren't into a genre, then your first glance at something that is actually pretty original might sound bland or unoriginal simply because you have heard stuff that sounds like it.

Say you hear a bebop scale in some bebop jazz music, it might sound like other bands because you recognize that sound that scale produces which may lead you to calling it unoriginal (or boring because of your pre-existing dislike towards the vibe of that music), but to the more seasoned listener you may find it to be much more original and artistic. So many people say death metal all sounds the same, but I think most of us here know that even though there are similarities, bands like Death, Pestilence, Obituary, etc. all have their own sound.
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02.09.2012 - 01:52
Rating: 10
Passenger
Lost To Apathy
I guess that, 3 years later, it's safe to say this is, after all, one of Katatonia's most varied and catchier albums, making it one of their best, and, consequently, one of the best ever in the world and beyond.

Personally, my favourite is Liberation, because I can't resist the way he says "pier" and "it's coming true - I've change my name but I'll pass it on to you". It's like he's making a promise for life, one that evokes many past memories and future objectives, in a present of introspection and initiation of a journey.
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You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit and you know it ~ Mean Streets
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02.09.2012 - 03:13
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by Passenger on 02.09.2012 at 01:52

I guess that, 3 years later, it's safe to say this is, after all, one of Katatonia's most varied and catchier albums, making it one of their best, and, consequently, one of the best ever in the world and beyond.





Maybe for you but for me it wore even thinner over the passing of time and now I would rate it lower than I initially did. For me it is amongst their three weakest albums, the other two being the new one and The Great Cold Distance. And it certainly is one of their least varied by far and also totally not catchy. If I want catchy Katatonia I grab back to Last Fair Deal and Viva Emptiness.
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

Loading...
02.09.2012 - 18:10
Rating: 10
Passenger
Lost To Apathy
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 02.09.2012 at 03:13

Written by Passenger on 02.09.2012 at 01:52

I guess that, 3 years later, it's safe to say this is, after all, one of Katatonia's most varied and catchier albums, making it one of their best, and, consequently, one of the best ever in the world and beyond.





Maybe for you but for me it wore even thinner over the passing of time and now I would rate it lower than I initially did. For me it is amongst their three weakest albums, the other two being the new one and The Great Cold Distance. And it certainly is one of their least varied by far and also totally not catchy. If I want catchy Katatonia I grab back to Last Fair Deal and Viva Emptiness.

It certainly is not one of their least varied, as they subtly added progressive-like elements in Opethian fashion (most noticeable in Idle Blood), while, at the same time, constantly alternating heavier, more riff-based songs (Forsaker, New Night) with some of the calmest ones they've ever composed (Inheritance, Departer). Last Fair Deal Gone Down is still their catchiest for sure, but I don't think this album is so far behind. I think it's a grower, not to mention it works well and is well received live, from what I've seen. Haven't listened to the new one yet, unfortunately, just 2 songs!
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You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit and you know it ~ Mean Streets
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29.09.2012 - 03:29
Thymournia
Account deleted
In the longest year that had me down.............

Katatonia is Forever......
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03.11.2012 - 05:45
Rating: 9
matai65

As someone who was completely blown away by 'Last Fair deal Gone Down' this certainly is another really great release-god i love this band!
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