Katatonia - Dead End Kings - Review

Katatonia - Dead End Kings -  (August 27th, 2012)

Its been almost three years since Night Is The New Day was released (09), have Katatonia moved into fresher pastures, and newer places that doesn't meddle in the sameness that Night was?

In this review I feel as if that Katatonia try, but the merit of which they ignite that right element of balance seems to labor in an abject course of extreme indifference.

I want to like what Katatonia does, but underneath I'm having this argument of what direction they want to go. For example another Swedish stalwart Opeth took the reigns of the progressive front and melded that with their death metal schtick, whereas Katatonia started in death metal, morphed into a Cure'ish band, but lately are sitting laboriously in one place trying to figure out new things.

This isn't a bad thing, every band has to evolve their sound. I say this because Dead End Kings feels like retreading on old themes/concepts. Rhythmically there isn't a lot variation, and there is a steadily concerted effort to make it that way. The flow of this record is more subtle, and the cadence is more in the layering of slowness that drifts along throughout the record.

Katatonia adds some symphonic elements, along with a sprinkling of female vocal touches, while I'll lament does give Dead End Kings an interesting perspective, yet for me it falls incredibly flat in its execution.

The distraction for me is in the drumming. The performace gets in the way of the presentation. There is a obvious bluesy feel from prior work, but overall I get no real enjoyment from it.

Two members from the recording session of Night Is The New Day (Fredrik and Mattias Norman) are gone, and thus new blood was needed to bring in new life and direction.

While Dead End Kings tries to give a glint of blues, while infusing some kind pop inflection, the idea still is very formulaic. I think in its nadir the motif should have been more about the new players, and what they could interject into Katatonia's brand, a lost opportunity. I feel this record used almost blatantly most of 2000's output.

It could also be about the facet of our business/musical style of the times. Most of what is already established is tired, and wearing itself in brittle tatters. Each band I think has that 'iconic' message it's portraying, but here with Sweden's more accessible group, it has become more about pop formula rather than eclectic charm I think they have.

Having seen them live, pretty much sealed the eventual deal that I wasn't going to be on board. I keenly believe it is all about presentation. How you sell this to the masses. This would be why the accessible element is needed, as pushing things forward just isn't in their ability at this stage.

I've been keenly aware of their output since 2006. I really do like The Great Cold Distance, and a couple songs off of Last Fair Deal Gone Down. But the depressive element just turns me away, as for the live show it was rather pedestrian. Thanks for reading.

B.