Style: melodic doom/death metal
Thoughts: I often wonder what would have happened if Katatonia had stayed on the path of Brave Murder Day and Discouraged Ones. I think that Rapture has answered that question for me with Songs for the Withering.
For those unaware Rapture is a Finnish doom/death band that incorporates quite a bit of melody. On Songs for the Withering they also included some clean vocals to the mix. While their inclusion is very welcome, the songs are separated in such a way that they focus on either harsh or clean vocals. There is no real interaction between the two vocalists and I feel like this is a missed opportunity for the band.
Regardless of the utilization of the vocalists this album is fantastic. This truly sounds like the logical evolution of Katatnoia's mid period sound. Listen to Gallows, that's a direct extension of the type of riffing that is present on Brave Murder Day and Discouraged Ones. The drums match the style perfectly as well. The band wears their influences on their sleeve and it's a wonderful thing.
I had honestly forgotten this band existed until I was able to find their albums at a distro. All three of them are essentially the same style with some nuance thrown in. Songs for the Withering shows the band trying to expand their sound with clean vocals. On some fronts they succeed greatly; the clean vocals add an emotive element that the roaring growls just can't. The one nitpick is why did they need two vocalists? We'll never know. Other than that nitpick this is an outstanding album, especially for those who long for Katatonia's forgotten sound.
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