I remember when Discouraged Ones first released and I was incredibly disappointed with it. I did not like the change in direction for the band, and I thought the whole album was a mess. The songs all sounded the same to me and Jonas' voice just sounded lost and confused. I gave up on the album and completely ignored it for years. That was a mistake.
I revisited this album earlier this month and while my recollections of the songs were rather accurate my enjoyment of the album is much higher than it ever was in the past. Instead of a bored and tired band I hear a band that is experimenting. I hear way more Brave Murder Day in this album than I ever did in the past - listen to the opening riff to Retention and tell me that doesn't sound lifted directly off the previous album.
Jonas' voice, while it is fragile and raw it is far more dynamic than it ever was when he was growling. He does sound like he mumbling part of the lyrics, but I can get over that... it's a heartfelt performance and it lays the foundation for everything the band has done since.
The riffs themselves repeat much like the previous album did, but they are intermixed with clean guitar sections for most of the verses. Songs like Deadhouse are charged with emotion and catchy riffs that work their way into my mind and never leave. Is it a bit rough around the edges? You bet, but really that doesn't matter. This is an emotionally charged performance and the band quickly overcomes any instrumentational shortcomings with this energy. I mean if I can listen to black metal with shit production and sloppy performances why on earth would it bother me here when the music is as good as it is?
Discouraged Ones is a transition album. Katatonia were trying to find their sound, and while it took them a couple of albums to really define it, they found their heart with Discouraged Ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment