"Forget what's said And hear me sing to you"
Dead End Kings. This is the album I've been waiting for Katatonia to write since I got in to them not so long ago, back in 2007, about a year after the release of The Great Cold Distance. Though I started with their 2006 release, these guys had a long history before I discovered them. Formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1991 by Jonas Renkse (current vocals, keyboard, and guitars) and Anders Nyström (current guitars, backing vocals, and keyboard). They are considered with bands Anathema and Paradise Lost as the purveyors of the 'doom' genre, however the thing that comes up most often in an interview or when talking about Katatonia is their switch from growling to clean vocals. As has become what I would now say is a tradition in the broad metal genre, this shift that some bands (ex. Opeth) take seem to cause a rather extreme reaction among die-hard fans. The bands are going to do what they want with their OWN band that they built from scratch and put their lives into?! How dare they!? I'm sure you can tell how I feel about those extreme reactions, of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion but then don't listen if you don't like. Then complain about it on a message board somewhere, the new way of the world. That's fine with me! There's just no need to personally berate an artist for doing what he/she wants. Rant over. So Katatonia (at least they made the switch early in their career?). These guys have a long history but you can read about that somewhere else if you're interested, I won't waste more of your time. This includes personnel changes, as with many bands that go the distance. The current line-up consists of (in addition to Renkse on vocals and Nyström as lead guitarist) Daniel Liljekvist on drums/percussion, Per Eriksson on guitars, and Niklas Sandin on bass. Anyway, since this blog is written by me I'll tell you about my Katatonia history instead! In 2007 when I picked up The Great Cold Distance through a recommendation somewhere (iTunes, I think, sometimes it is good for something), I had played it a few times and didn't get much out of it. I never disliked it but it never clicked. Then one day I woke up and all of a sudden the album was AMAZING (I don't remember what changed, it was 5 years ago, however I just read an interview with Nyström where he talks about how it was influenced by Tool's Lateralus and Porcupine Tree's In Absentia, 2 of my favourite albums)! As is usual when I find an album I love, I played it constantly through the fall of 2007, it was basically my soundtrack those few months. The emotional, dark lyrics, the hard drums and bass with guitars thrown over top (I'm simplifying) of Katatonia, was, well fucking intoxicating. I slowly explored their back catalogue, and while albums Last Fair Deal Gone Down (2001) and Viva Emptiness (2003) were thoroughly enjoyable, nothing really gave me the same feeling that The Great Cold Distance did. Additionally, somewhere along the way I came across the bonus tracks that didn't make Great Cold Distance and instead were included on EPs and singles at the time. Now here was something special, similar to The Great Cold Distance but a step further, I fell in love all over again. This was the Katatonia I wanted to hear on their follow up! And while 2009's Night is the New Day is an excellent album, I think I didn't realize that I was a little disappointed that it wasn't quite in the direction of those bonus tracks. Until I heard Dead End Kings. Not a collection of The Great Cold Distance B-sides but a logical and impressive progression to something I needed to hear*. Tack, Katatonia for making this album (and inadvertently fulfilling my desire).
On to the review (finally)! Dead End Kings begins with 'The Parting', and it opens up the album wonderfully. Honestly, after Night is the New Day I wasn't too sure what to expect from this next album, I hadn't even really been anticipating it that much, the release date really snuck up on me. However, as soon as I hit play I knew I was in for a treat. The first track starts with the focus on Jonas' voice with an almost orchestral background as he emotionally sings to the listener:
In the weak light
I saw you becoming the lie
Taking it all for granted
Like freedom
It's something you'll never have
It's a strong introduction, capturing your attention and forcing you to focus on what he has to say. It worked. I was all ears and incredibly thrilled to hear the sound they seemed to have on this album. The album then continues with 'The One You Are Looking For Is Not Here', another great track. At points throughout the song Renkse's voice is overlaid with female vocalist Silje Wergeland of The Gathering. This understated addition gives a different and interesting quality to the song. I would definitely be up for more female vocals in Katatonia! Another notable track is 'The Racing Heart'. The soft keyboards interchanging with the crushing "metal" sound work perfectly for this track. You also feel a strong emotional connection to Renkse in this song with his vocals and lyrics. The rest of this album is solid throughout, as usual there are no filler tracks and each track is of thoroughly high quality from creativity to musicianship to production. Every song is memorable in its own right and it is likely that everyone will find a favourite of their own. At the moment I can't say I could pick one above the rest, they are all amazing and all clearly belong on Dead End Kings.
The darkness, emotionally and musically, is one of the defining qualities of Katatonia for me. Perfect for those dark winter nights and long autumn days. They don't write particularly long songs but they manage to get a lot in to one anyway. Each track is the right amount of time, there aren't any lengthy passages where one member is above the rest. To me, in Katatonia there is a feeling of solidarity, each piece forming the whole. This isn't surprising after a band has just released its 9th studio album, but it is an admirable quality that can only come from a great group of musicians in my opinion.
As you'd expect, one of the things that attracted me to Katatonia is Jonas Renkse's vocals and lyrics. Dark, slightly depressing, with a touch of anger, they are a perfect blend, particularly to go with the music. I very much enjoyed the lyrics on The Great Cold Distance, and Dead End Kings is no different. There are strong passages in each song that are memorable for what he says and also, importantly, how he sings them. With Katatonia sometimes there is a focus on the vocals, but there are also significant portions where it is more in the background, or intermixed with the music so that they aren't the sole focus. This gives their songs a bit of a different feel than most bands where the vocals are all up front. I think this is a great aspect, and one that the band has definitely perfected. As far as Jonas' lyrics go, there isn't a particular connecting line as far as I can tell. At least not a story, but perhaps an overall theme. He describes the title/album as follows: "Dead End Kings is about the corridors of our mind from where there is no return. Be a king or queen in your own right in these hallways, even at the dead end. Carry your burden with pride. That’s what we are doing, twenty years and counting. Kings, because we believe in what we are creating, in our own disturbing faith." No better sum up than from the man himself!
Like I said in the opening paragraph, this is the album I've been waiting for Katatonia to write. And also like I mentioned, this is in no way a copy of The Great Cold Distance or just a collection of leftover B-sides from that time. It is a new entity unto itself and none of these songs would be at home with those. However, that being said this is what I really wanted to hear after The Great Cold Distance. It feels more along the lines of a logical progression from that album. Where I felt Night is the New Day was less emotional and maybe a bit cold, and not in a good way (save some tracks of course). It just wasn't the Katatonia I had fallen in love with. Though still admirable and a great album, it didn't become my favourite. Night is the New Day seemed to be a rather different step from The Great Cold Distance. Here, 6 years later, Dead End Kings picks up the thread of that Katatonia and weaves it into an entirely new masterpiece.
*Mind you, this is my personal opinion, and while of course I'd argue that this is a great album on its own merit, I think part of my utter gushing for this album is coming from the sentimentality I feel towards The Great Cold Distance.
