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Katatonia - Night Is The New Day review



Reviewer:
7.0

828 users:
8.34
Band: Katatonia
Album: Night Is The New Day
Release date: November 2009


01. Forsaker
02. The Longest Year
03. Idle Blood
04. Onward Into Battle
05. Liberation
06. The Promise Of Deceit
07. Nephilim
08. New Night
09. Inheritance
10. Day And Then The Shade
11. Departer
12. Ashen [Swedish and special tour edition bonus]
13. Sold Heart [special tour edition bonus]
14. Day And Then The Shade [Frank Default remix] [special tour edition bonus]
15. Idle Blood [Linje 14] [special tour edition bonus]

There has been a lot of buzz about the new album, Night is the New Day, by Katatonia and I honestly have to say that I was looking forward to this release. My first exposure to the band was their previous studio release, 2006's The Great Cold Distance, which enticed me more than a fat kid in a candy store. So naturally I was excited to hear another album from a band who had captured my attention a few years ago.

This album comes across as a mediocre and almost passé. Now before you all start hurling insults at me and informing me that I "don't know anything about music," just calm down. Katatonia has had the same line up for a decade now, and the majority of the band has been together for even longer than that. This situation brings both a positive and negative aspect with it: your musicianship becomes tighter and more solid but your creative juices begin to run dry. In all honesty, I think this is what has happened here.

Night is the New Day features that familiar moody and Gothic feel that the band has been focusing on for a while. The hypnotic melodic atmospheres of this album are driven by some of the most beautiful guitar tones I've heard in a long time. The vocals are still haunting and convey a lost and hopeless feeling which blend great with the Massive Attack style of keyboards. The rhythm section is very solid with some very graceful and tasteful drumming throughout the album. Katatonia has proven to be an outfit that knows how to play as one solid unit.

On the downside, these songs just don't have the same impact that past material has had. The great hooks that subtlety wove in and out of darker passages are gone. Virtually none of the guitar riffs are memorable and the ones that are I feel like Opeth has already played them. Lyrically there is no depth; a bunch of depressive cliché lines about being sad coming across as a very smart and well crafted Emo album at times. The album is too depressive to be any fun but not haunting enough to be enjoyable.

If you are looking for a doomy-Gothic Metal album that is inspired by The Cure with a dash of Portishead, this is probably for you. Bets are that most of the Katatonia fans already have it or are planning on getting it, which is fine. This is a solid album with outstanding musicianship and production that would be a great asset for any fans collection. At the same time if you're not really big on the doom and gloom type music this probably isn't for you.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 6
Production: 8





Written on 02.12.2009 by Dane hails from Asheville, NC which is Beer City, USA. When he is not drinking various craft and micro brews, Dane fronts the Stoner Doom Metal band, The Quick. He also has a massive collection of Hellboy comic books.


Comments

Comments: 83   [ 1 ignored ]   Visited by: 535 users
02.12.2009 - 23:21
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
The first spot-on review of this album I have read. All others were praising it into high heaven whilst I had the exact same feelings about this one as you (apparently)
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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02.12.2009 - 23:21
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Oh btw, I do find it a slight imrpovement over theior previous one which totally bored me to tears and death.
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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02.12.2009 - 23:25
Rating: 8
Silent Creeper
Senile Veteran
I think that this album in natural continuation of their previous album The Great Cold Distance... While I agree with you, that it isn't on the same level as mentioned previous album, I think it is not "too depressive to be any fun but not haunting enough to be enjoyable". It is true that album is not haunting but it is enjoyable because of other factors... I also think that their kind of "depressivness" cannot be compared to emo "depressivness", same as doom metal "depressivness" cannot be compared with emo or emo with grunge etc... But if this album is "based" on the style of the previous one, the next one will probably have to be something completly new if they want to stay fresh, so I also agree on the lack of originality but I wouldn't be that harsh. Expressed in numbers: 8.5 for me overall.
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03.12.2009 - 10:13
oroboros

Nothing else needed to be said....i wanted to like the album..but something jus didnt feel right...now i knw wat it was..
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03.12.2009 - 11:46
Rating: 6
Damned-In-Black

Have to agree with Marcel - actually I was thinking the exact same words as I read the review - spot on. Particularly the first three paragraphs. My first impressions didn't entice me to listen repeatedly so I put it aside a week or two. Came back to it for a number of spins yesterday and today because they're one of my favourite bands, but repeated listening has only reinforced my initial impression.
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03.12.2009 - 13:54
THE_BLACK_GOD
Account deleted
"depressive cliché" totally agree but I think even this album cant make you depress. its just a copy of recently albums but has a nice name a artwork. it has made me disapointed to be honest.
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03.12.2009 - 14:54
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by Guest on 03.12.2009 at 13:22

So what i think is, that the problems people have with this record, are because of not understanging the soundscape of Katatonia or not playing it enough.


Why do people always assume that because someone finds an album meandering, boring etc. it is because they don't so-called understand the soundscapes or haven't played the album enough? Sorry, but there is nothing to understand about Katatonia's soundscapes cause they are extremely shallow and easy to grasp. And secondly... not having played the album enough? I have kept track and I have played the album 43 times now and imo it only gets more boring and meandering with each subsequent listen. My first impression was much more positive than the one I hold now.
Katatonia's music for me actually never was growing music at all. ALL of their albums can be fathomed within three listens at most. It isn't the most deep music around imo. Especially on their newer material they have grown more shallow than before.

The main problem with this album is that when I listen to all the tracks apart from each other they are very nice but when listening to the album as a whole it gets immensely boring. I wish they had released 13 singles of it instead of one album.
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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03.12.2009 - 17:20
Rating: 6
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 02.12.2009 at 23:21

Oh btw, I do find it a slight imrpovement over theior previous one which totally bored me to tears and death.


I have a question... I actually liked the previous one quite a lot, while far from being one of the best it's still very enjoyable for me... So yeah, Do you think that I could like the new album? In what way it is an improvement?
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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03.12.2009 - 17:25
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by X-Ray Rod on 03.12.2009 at 17:20


I have a question... I actually liked the previous one quite a lot, while far from being one of the best it's still very enjoyable for me... So yeah, Do you think that I could like the new album? In what way it is an improvement?


Most people who like the previous one really like this one. This one is a little more varied (though only marginally and still borign as fuck imo) and has a darker atmosphere to it.
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

Loading...
03.12.2009 - 17:31
Rating: 6
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 03.12.2009 at 17:25

Most people who like the previous one really like this one. This one is a little more varied (though only marginally and still borign as fuck imo) and has a darker atmosphere to it.




Seems fair enough, and I'll be sure to get the Swedish version since I saw it at the store and it was a very nice package... Although I still believe it's a bad artowrk and they should've use the one with the moon ín the middle of the city.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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03.12.2009 - 18:33
White Metal

Compared to the great cold distance , this one is lame , I agree with ur review and rating , well written and honest .
I'm really disappointed especially with all the hype that came before this one .
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03.12.2009 - 19:11
Rating: 7
Jeff
Freaky Admin
Finally one good review yes!

I'm a big Katatonia fan, all their period, but this album album is just average and boring. I'm sorry I don't understand how people praise it so much, really I can't understand.

And btw, Marcel, I didn't find the previous one so good at first but with time it was not so bad, this one is just so so nothing more.

@Mr Doctor: you should listen to all their albums before The Great Cold Distance, that's great really.
----
Come with us to Hellfest 2011!
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03.12.2009 - 19:16
Rating: 9
Sunioj

This is album is a helluva lot better than their previous album. To be honest, I found this to be my favorite album of theirs and also to be very catchy in all aspects. Yeah, I was never huge on their prior - sue me.
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03.12.2009 - 20:36
Rating: 8
MetalManic

Written by Jeff on 03.12.2009 at 19:11

Finally one good review yes!

I'm a big Katatonia fan, all their period, but this album album is just average and boring. I'm sorry I don't understand how people praise it so much, really I can't understand.

And btw, Marcel, I didn't find the previous one so good at first but with time it was not so bad, this one is just so so nothing more.

@Mr Doctor: you should listen to all their albums before The Great Cold Distance, that's great really.

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03.12.2009 - 21:12
Rating: 8
Daniell
_爱情_
Katatonia moves away from metal more and more with each new release. I think the metal genre was too narrow for them, and they want to expand their sound. "Night Is the New Day" is the expansion of their sound towards very enticing directions. Most songs are quite delicate, especially when one compares them to Katatonia's older releases. Heavy, distorted guitars are now one of the elements of Katatonia's sound, not the dominating part. And you know what, I don't miss them in songs like "Departer".
I love this album. And I find it really great that there are such varied reactions to it. There's more to this music than meets the ear.
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03.12.2009 - 21:22
finenecroshine

A good review, really. Music is dull and completely uninspiring and this has been a boring and depressive metal year since it almost had no decent album for like 11 months. Awful. It's not the "metal" that lacks in here, it's the music itself. A 7? Yes, the right mark for this record.
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03.12.2009 - 21:40
Rating: 8
Daniell
_爱情_
In alphabetical order:
Ajattara, Arghoslent, Artillery, Behemoth, Candlemass, Dream Theater, Drudkh, Forsaken, Hollenthon, Immortal, Isole, Kalisia, Katatonia, Kreator, Mastodon, Megadeth, My Dying Bride, Procession, Samael, Slayer.
Plenty of good albums this year...
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03.12.2009 - 22:10
VPeter

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 03.12.2009 at 14:54

Written by Guest on 03.12.2009 at 13:22

So what i think is, that the problems people have with this record, are because of not understanging the soundscape of Katatonia or not playing it enough.


Why do people always assume that because someone finds an album meandering, boring etc. it is because they don't so-called understand the soundscapes or haven't played the album enough? Sorry, but there is nothing to understand about Katatonia's soundscapes cause they are extremely shallow and easy to grasp. And secondly... not having played the album enough? I have kept track and I have played the album 43 times now and imo it only gets more boring and meandering with each subsequent listen. My first impression was much more positive than the one I hold now.
Katatonia's music for me actually never was growing music at all. ALL of their albums can be fathomed within three listens at most. It isn't the most deep music around imo. Especially on their newer material they have grown more shallow than before.

The main problem with this album is that when I listen to all the tracks apart from each other they are very nice but when listening to the album as a whole it gets immensely boring. I wish they had released 13 singles of it instead of one album.


Check his very objective voting of Katatonia.
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03.12.2009 - 22:51
Rating: 8
ioannisk

You have pointed it very accurately...but still this band is much better than any other one you'll find out there, and this album has some really great songs. the previous one raised the barrier too high!!!so this is worse only by comparison...an 8/10 for me! songs like the longest year, idle blood, nephilim an onward to battle are majestic!!!
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04.12.2009 - 00:04
Rating: 7
IronAngel

For the most part, I agree with Dane. Well, I think this is an improvement from TGCD, which was just noisy and boring. This one has some good moments, like Nephilim, but it's overall rather undistinguished. It's a pretty nice album, but nowhere near their best work, or that of many other bands. It feels too neat and clean, with none of that emotional edge.
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04.12.2009 - 00:51
Rating: 10
ravendeath

I completely agree with Array! 10/10. Amazing piece of art. Please reviewers, if you don't understand this kind music or simply can't get into it don't write such shity reviews.
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04.12.2009 - 01:35
Rating: 6
Damned-In-Black

Written by ravendeath on 04.12.2009 at 00:51

I completely agree with Array! 10/10. Amazing piece of art. Please reviewers, if you don't understand this kind music or simply can't get into it don't write such shity reviews.

As the reviewer explained that they're a big fan of the previous album, which is essentially the same kind of music as this one - calling your comment ridiculous would be a fair assessment. As was noted earlier, music isn't usually all that difficult to 'get' - and Katatonia is not one of the exceptions to this rule. And I'm not calling them shallow. I'm a huge fan of the band and have been for years, but this is the first release of theirs that I'm not very fond of. It has nothing to do with being unable to understand their music, quite obviously.

@Pétur: Though that is probably a bit over the top, it is conceivable he considers all of their stuff to be that worthy - and if so there's nothing wrong with that. Also, voting should be (and is, no matter what you attempt) subjective, not objective.
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04.12.2009 - 06:31
Rating: 7
Jason W.
Razorbliss
Smart review Dane, I'd give it an identical rating as well. "Liberation" is the only track I've cared for outside of a passing interest, though yeah, you're right, the musicianship is of high caliber. This disc is just not that interesting for me either in the end. All I hear is everything I expected to hear and nothing else, or new.
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"After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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04.12.2009 - 06:46
BudDa

I felt the same way too the first time I spun this album. I found it boring, mundane and really not offering much to what Katatonia had already done. Probably coz I had very high expectations for "Night is the New Day" and also probably coz after listening to forsaker..I thot Katatonia could do no wrong..

I don't think this album offers anything new to Katatonia fans..but I felt the album is a good album none the less. It has great stand out individual tracks like the aformentioned forsaker, Onward into Battle and the opening of Day and then the Shade is engraved in my brain

I didn't find anything wrong with the lyrics. I thot they were a great fit to the album. Overrall I would give this record an 8
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Freeze! Step away from the hubris.
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04.12.2009 - 10:02
Fat & Sassy!

The handful of songs I've heard by this band have sounded fairly generic to me... Like a sadder Breaking Benjamin. Is all their stuff like this? :/
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04.12.2009 - 13:08
Rating: 9
Wes

Seems like it's just different music.
I hated all previous Katatonia, yet I love Night is The New Day.

I DO NOT like emo, I don't like the cure either.
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04.12.2009 - 13:37
Rating: 6
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Jeff on 03.12.2009 at 19:11

@Mr Doctor: you should listen to all their albums before The Great Cold Distance, that's great really.


I've listened to all their albums already. Except this one of course since I'm notreally into downloading, especially this kind of stuff that is too easy to buy..
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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04.12.2009 - 16:45
Rating: 4
enumaelis

I think the 2 first songs are quite good, very in the vein of their previous, but from the 3rd it is getting a bit boring finally. While I am listening I am thinking "I have heard this before.. but it was like more inspired or Idk".
I realise that sometimes it is like a sacrilege for some people to say that an album of "typical well-considered" bands is not good or inspired, and many of those fans would say "you have no idea" or "you dont understand this music". This is simply the worst album Katatonia made in my opinion (and I LOVE The Great Cold Distance, just saying that to not to make a different idea about if I like more or less the old Katatonia).
So, mostly I agree with the review.
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http://enumaelis.blogspot.com/
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04.12.2009 - 17:25
Rating: 8
Slayer666

I can't say I agree so much with the rating (seeing as how a great number of medicore albums have much better grades), but the review is good. For me, this is their best since "Discouraged Ones", but it does suffer from inconsistancy. While some songs are just plain awesome, others are tiresome and boring.
Anyway, my rating would be around 8.0. I'd just love to see an album filled awesome songs such as "Forsaker".
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04.12.2009 - 19:02
Rating: 9
Sunioj

Written by Wes on 04.12.2009 at 13:08

Seems like it's just different music.
I hated all previous Katatonia, yet I love Night is The New Day.

I DO NOT like emo, I don't like the cure either.


I'm with you on that one.. even though I don't hate their previous stuff, this one just caught my attention a lot more.
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