Written by Erik M. on 28.12.2012 at 17:50

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 28.12.2012 at 17:13

wtf? where do you live? Then I'll drive over and burn your house down

But, seriously, wtf? Viva Emptiness is by far Katatonia's best of their modern era.

Oh crap, now I've done it. You already know that I live in Tilburg, but you'll never know where exactly (at least I hope so).

Seriously though... I can't stand the vocals and lyrics. I love everything Katatonia did up until Brave Murder Day (that album is a masterpiece and in my opinion their best). I've even given the album a second chance a while back, but I still couldn't even finish listening to it. I might give it another chance to prove it to myself.

I agree that Brave Murder Day is their best and indeed a masterpiece.

The album is great, still after at least 15 or more times listening to it,it still goes great!!! just compare saturnus music doom theme with other doom masters or maybe other band of other metal jenres, it easily will be more appear!! not important the album name "Satutn in Ac.." or " veronica..." ..this is just their theme which makes their releases unique and excellent.

What is it that makes this album better than Veronika, to some of you?

I'm asking because I honestly can't point to much of a difference between their latest three albums. Paradise had its own thing going and it's still my favorite, but after that it's all in the same melodic, romantic, ever-so-slightly gothic death-doom style.

Granted, I haven't really listened to all their albums enough to decide which has the best songs or individual riffs. My gut feeling is that this album has stronger guitar leads (and pretty cool solos) than Veronika. On the other hand, I don't really like the two acoustic tracks. They feel half-cooked and would serve their purpose with several minutes shaved off of them. I wish they would blend folk into their doom rather than just shove a folk track in between two doom tracks.

I'm curious for more specific opinions about differences between the albums and why you prefer one over the other, I guess. Either way, I'm enjoying this a lot and it's growing on me more. Sitting at a strong 3,5/5 right now.

Really wanted to like this more. There are some solid moments but overall, meh. I love Laurie Ann Haus and she sounds great but DAMN that song is cheesy as hell! Spoken word on a piano-based doom ballad? "Too much fucking emo" to quote a far better (former) doom band.

Been thinking of giving this album a listen because of all the attention it's been getting on this site, and the high-rating (albeit falsely achieved by some weirdos with nothing better to do with their time). But then I heard about this emo stuff and the piano and will now definitely give it a miss. Piano - big turn off for me. If I want to hear piano, I'll go and listen to Elton John. Sorry guys.

Written by Ace Frawley on 01.01.2013 at 10:20

Piano - big turn off for me. If I want to hear piano, I'll go and listen to Elton John. Sorry guys.

Weird post considering Be'lakor is among your favourites on this site.

Anyway, I stopped listening at halfway mostly because of the music not having enough substance beyond the vocals that sounded either bland or forced a lot of the time. The spoken sections sound like too much effort put into correct pronounciation rather than expressing emotion.

Written by Guest on 01.01.2013 at 10:07

Written by Susan on 01.01.2013 at 02:27

Really wanted to like this more. There are some solid moments but overall, meh. I love Laurie Ann Haus and she sounds great but DAMN that song is cheesy as hell! Spoken word on a piano-based doom ballad? "Too much fucking emo" to quote a far better (former) doom band.

hehe, what band said that? I read a review can't remember where, it said saturnus is doom death for teens and can even be material for emo and "oh,the world hates me"goth teens to slit their wrists to.

Katatonia, Last Fair Deal Gone Down, "Passing Bird"

Written by Susan on 01.01.2013 at 14:47

Written by Guest on 01.01.2013 at 10:07

Written by Susan on 01.01.2013 at 02:27

Really wanted to like this more. There are some solid moments but overall, meh. I love Laurie Ann Haus and she sounds great but DAMN that song is cheesy as hell! Spoken word on a piano-based doom ballad? "Too much fucking emo" to quote a far better (former) doom band.

hehe, what band said that? I read a review can't remember where, it said saturnus is doom death for teens and can even be material for emo and "oh,the world hates me"goth teens to slit their wrists to.

Katatonia, Last Fair Deal Gone Down, "Passing Bird"

Even though that Katatonia album is still good, current day Katatonia isn't even allowed to be in the same room looking at Saturnus And even that album is nowhere near as good as Saturn In Ascension

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 01.01.2013 at 15:01


Even though that Katatonia album is still good, current day Katatonia isn't even allowed to be in the same room looking at Saturnus And even that album is nowhere near as good as Saturn In Ascension

Marcel, does that mean you're parting your hair on the far side of your head, brushing it across your forehead, wearing eye liner, and hanging with the emo kids now? Cute!

I'll take that era Katatonia over this juvenile little escapade into teen doom ANY day of the week.

Written by Susan on 01.01.2013 at 15:10

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 01.01.2013 at 15:01


Even though that Katatonia album is still good, current day Katatonia isn't even allowed to be in the same room looking at Saturnus And even that album is nowhere near as good as Saturn In Ascension

Marcel, does that mean you're parting your hair on the far side of your head, brushing it across your forehead, wearing eye liner, and hanging with the emo kids now? Cute!

I'll take that era Katatonia over this juvenile little escapade into teen doom ANY day of the week.

Katatonia plays the teen emo doom, especially nowadays Plus katatonia could only dream of ever coming halfway Saturnus' guitar playing both riffwise as solos.
Saturnus is death doom with some gothic touches like they have always done, except now the guitar work is lots better than before.

As for the crowds Saturnus draws, well it is clear that people who say that "Saturnus plays death doom for teens and can even be material for emo and "oh,the world hates me"goth teens to slit their wrists to." have never seen Saturnus live or in this case Katatonia live. Since Saturnus draws mostly older crowds that love life and party hard whereas kataonia has loads of those emo teens at their gigs

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 01.01.2013 at 15:21
whereas kataonia has loads of those emo teens at their gigs

Haven't seen Saturnus... But I can testify this part.

Written by Risto on 01.01.2013 at 13:43

Written by Ace Frawley on 01.01.2013 at 10:20

Piano - big turn off for me. If I want to hear piano, I'll go and listen to Elton John. Sorry guys.

Weird post considering Be'lakor is among your favourites on this site.

Anyway, I stopped listening at halfway mostly because of the music not having enough substance beyond the vocals that sounded either bland or forced a lot of the time. The spoken sections sound like too much effort put into correct pronounciation rather than expressing emotion.

Someone said piano, so that was the context of my remark. I've never listened to this album, so maybe they meant keyboards, in the same way keyboards are prominent in Be'lakor's work. I make a distinction between synthesized keyboards and piano.

Written by IronAngel on 31.12.2012 at 00:39

What is it that makes this album better than Veronika, to some of you?

I can see this album being compared with Veronica, but Martyre is almost completely different from the rest of the discography. Martyre is more gothic in nature than it's doom, with the clean guitars and shorter tracks lengths, it's probably the less Doomy stuff they've done.
I still prefer Veronica over Saturn In Ascension, I think because the former was more varied but the songwriting is almost of the same quality.
I also agree that this album with Martyre sound a lot like 90s stuff but I think Veronica sounds more Modern and fits the period in which it was released.

Written by InnerSelf on 02.01.2013 at 00:35

Martyre is almost completely different from the rest of the discography. Martyre is more gothic in nature that it's doom, the clean guitars and shorter tracks lengths, it's probably the less Doomy stuff they've done.

I've only heard Martyre and this one and I can only agree here, sounded like listening to a different band altogether. Must say I enjoyed Martyre more as it sounds pretty unique to me.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 01.01.2013 at 15:19

Written by Susan on 01.01.2013 at 15:10

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 01.01.2013 at 15:01


Even though that Katatonia album is still good, current day Katatonia isn't even allowed to be in the same room looking at Saturnus And even that album is nowhere near as good as Saturn In Ascension

Marcel, does that mean you're parting your hair on the far side of your head, brushing it across your forehead, wearing eye liner, and hanging with the emo kids now? Cute!

I'll take that era Katatonia over this juvenile little escapade into teen doom ANY day of the week.

Katatonia plays the teen emo doom, especially nowadays Plus katatonia could only dream of ever coming halfway Saturnus' guitar playing both riffwise as solos.
Saturnus is death doom with some gothic touches like they have always done, except now the guitar work is lots better than before.

Ugh... "juvenile little escapade"? There's not a single shred of emo to be found in Saturnus' music. The fact that it's even compared to that horrible excuse of a music genre is a little ridiculous. Katatonia's best years were the first few years (1991-1997) in which they made Dance Of December Souls and Brave Murder Day (along with those three great EP's of course!).

So yeah, I agree 100% with Marcel here. I've seen Saturnus live (just once, but still) and I was probably the youngest person in the room. And yeah, Saturn In Ascension is a big step forward in quality compared to Veronika and especially Martyre. By the way Marcel, what would you rate it?

Written by Guest on 01.01.2013 at 17:30

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 01.01.2013 at 15:21

As for the crowds Saturnus draws, well it is clear that people who say that "Saturnus plays death doom for teens and can even be material for emo and "oh,the world hates me"goth teens to slit their wrists to." have never seen Saturnus live or in this case Katatonia live. Since Saturnus draws mostly older crowds that love life and party hard whereas kataonia has loads of those emo teens at their gigs

hehe, glad someone who has seen them live clarified on that issue.. i haven't touched on Katatonia yet but now am going to check them just to hear which is more "emo"

Dude, I know your musical taste a bit. I'm going to recommend you to start off with Brave Murder Day (an absolute masterpiece), then Dance Of December Souls (amazing record as well). And after that you can listen to whatever album you like, because I cannot recommend albums I dislike or don't know. And as I've said in my previous message, I saw them live too and the average age was 30+ for sure... and Katatonia seems to be more emo going off on the crowd at their gigs. Don't even want to see Katatonia live unless they play a lot of songs from their first few albums.

Written by Guest on 03.01.2013 at 08:29

Written by R'Vannith on 02.01.2013 at 12:37

Must say I enjoyed Martyre more since it is the most gothic.

fixed for accuracy.
hehe, i could have easily guessed that matyre is your fav,, remember Ava Inferi :-)

Yeah I enjoy the more gothic sound in Martyre, I'd also say they sound pretty unique when you stack them up against other gothic bands. Strong sense of individuality there.

Quote:

Written by Guest on 03.01.2013 at 08:22

yea, from other album talks and ratings i'm going to trust you on this one..

But don't let me stop you from listening to Katatonia's other albums, as you might enjoy those too.

This album is awesome...

Written by Guest on 03.01.2013 at 08:22
yea, from other album talks and ratings i'm going to trust you on this one..

If you want a recommendation for their later period: Viva Emptiness and Discouraged Ones. Specially the first. Just expect a totally different band.

Written by Guest on 04.01.2013 at 17:19

Written by X-Ray Rod on 04.01.2013 at 17:07

If you want a recommendation for their later period: Viva Emptiness and Discouraged Ones. Specially the first. Just expect a totally different band.

thanks, lol, but somehow when i get to searching for albums, i always end up forgetting these guys. I liked rain without end- october tide and yet i've read its katatonia-esque and that early katatonia is much better. This month i MUST check them though.

If you like Rain Without End then I'm pretty sure you'll like Brave Murder Day.... Also, I have to say that Discouraged Ones is basically Brave Murder Day but with clean vocals. The guitar tune and riffs are in the same vein, just shorter songs. So maybe I will recommend you to check out Discouraged Ones right after you listen to Brave Murder Day... After all, BMD also has clean vocals here and there.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 04.01.2013 at 17:38

If you like Rain Without End then I'm pretty sure you'll like Brave Murder Day.... Also, I have to say that Discouraged Ones is basically Brave Murder Day but with clean vocals. The guitar tune and riffs are in the same vein, just shorter songs. So maybe I will recommend you to check out Discouraged Ones right after you listen to Brave Murder Day... After all, BMD also has clean vocals here and there.

I think Rain Without End is great, but it's definitely not as awesome as Brave Murder Day. I never listened to Discouraged Ones, but if what you say is true then I think I'll enjoy that album too. If it's like Viva Emptiness I don't think I'll enjoy it.

Written by Erik M. on 06.01.2013 at 17:49
I think Rain Without End is great, but it's definitely not as awesome as Brave Murder Day. I never listened to Discouraged Ones, but if what you say is true then I think I'll enjoy that album too. If it's like Viva Emptiness I don't think I'll enjoy it.

The only thing Discouraged Ones has in common with Viva Emptiness is clean vocals tbh...

By the way, when is the top 20 of 2013 list coming?

Written by The Melting Snow on 09.01.2013 at 08:48

By the way, when is the top 20 of 2013 list coming?

I've lost interest in those listings since it became obvious there are jerks out there who create bogus accounts just to vote up their preferred album and vote down others. It distorts the figures badly.

Quote:
I've lost interest in those listings since it became obvious there are jerks out there who create bogus accounts just to vote up their preferred album and vote down others. It distorts the figures badly.

well, yeah I agree... I've noticed the ratings of previous years were much better and authentic... in the last 2 years or so things have gone haywire. MetalStorm team should do something about that :/ sucks out all the thrill and fun of following stats.

Written by The Melting Snow on 10.01.2013 at 07:20

well, yeah I agree... I've noticed the ratings of previous years were much better and authentic... in the last 2 years or so things have gone haywire. MetalStorm team should do something about that :/ sucks out all the thrill and fun of following stats.

Hopefully they'll do something about it. I alerted some staff to some of the bogus accounts that were created just before New Year's Eve.

Quote:

Written by The Melting Snow on 10.01.2013 at 07:20

I've lost interest in those listings since it became obvious there are jerks out there who create bogus accounts just to vote up their preferred album and vote down others. It distorts the figures badly.

well, yeah I agree... I've noticed the ratings of previous years were much better and authentic... in the last 2 years or so things have gone haywire. MetalStorm team should do something about that :/ sucks out all the thrill and fun of following stats.

I agree. And I don't even think it's that hard to remove the users who abuse votes. Just look for the users that rate albums of the same year 1's and 10's.

Written by The Melting Snow on 10.01.2013 at 07:20
MetalStorm team should do something about that :/ sucks out all the thrill and fun of following stats.

Written by Ace Frawley on 10.01.2013 at 08:11
Hopefully they'll do something about it. I alerted some staff to some of the bogus accounts that were created just before New Year's Eve.

Written by Erik M. on 13.01.2013 at 21:34
I agree. And I don't even think it's that hard to remove the users who abuse votes. Just look for the users that rate albums of the same year 1's and 10's.

I lack the permitions to delete votes but on behalf of those who do I'd like to say that while it's not hard, it's fucking tedious and not only that... It's waaaaay down on the priority list specially NOW with the Awards coming up. By this time of the year stuff like reviews and smaller things like votes and moderation end up getting lowered a lot because there's a shitload of stuff to do for the awards.

So basically: Patience and stuff.