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Katatonia - Dance Of December Souls



8.3 | 549 votes |
Release date: 14 December 1993
Style: Blackened doom metal

Owners:

631 have it
34 want it
2 trade it


01. Seven Dreaming Souls
02. Gateways Of Bereavement
03. In Silence Enshrined
04. Without God
05. Elohim Meth
06. Velvet Thorns (Of Drynwhyl)
07. Tomb Of Insomnia
08. Dancing December
09. Midwinter Gates (Prologue) [2007 Re-Release bonus]
10. Without God [2007 Re-Release bonus]
11. Palace Of Frost [2007 Re-Release bonus]
12. The Northern Silence [2007 Re-Release bonus]
13. Crimson Tears (Epilogue) [2007 Re-Release bonus]

Guest review by
Allen
Rating:
8.0
Sorrow. Despair. Darkness. The essence of Katatonia and the inspiration behind their debut album, Dance Of December Souls. An album so dark, so morose, that no smiling face or joyful soul could hope to escape its effects. It's here where Jonas Renkse (aka Lord J.Renkse) and Anders Nystrom (aka Blackheim) took the foundation of Paradise Lost's classic Gothic album and injected it with even more darkness and misery.

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published 18.09.2003 | Comments (34)

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Comments: 57   Visited by: 876 users
15.07.2012 - 22:54
Rating: 9
@gent_-_orange
Written by [user id=114505] on 15.07.2012 at 22:50

Written by @gent_-_orange on 15.07.2012 at 22:46

Written by [user id=114505] on 15.07.2012 at 22:26

Not bad at all I disliked the vocals a bit, anyway.

Really?, I think they are great, and tbh I'd would have loved to hear Jonas doing harsh vocals on Brave Murder Day as well. But that's just me dreaming.

Brave Murder Day has clean vocals?? If so, I'm gonna check it out.

Some clean done by Renske but mostly harsh done by Mikael Akerfeldt, Since Renske blew his voice box if I remember correctly.
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16.07.2012 - 00:02
Rating: 9
IronAngel
I like this way better than Brave Murder Day myself. I never really got into that album as big-time as into some of their others. This, Discouraged Ones and Viva are my top three, I guess. I do think LFDGD is very strong too, though - no idea why it's so often dismissed as a misstep.

In fact, I would say this is one of the very best death doom records (albeit fairly blackened, as discussed above) before the 2000s. Winter and diSEMBOWELMENT are pretty much the only competition I can name (though I'm sure there are some underground names I never knew). Superior to any doom by the Peaceville Three, the Gathering, etc.
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16.07.2012 - 11:03
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Staff
Written by IronAngel on 16.07.2012 at 00:02
Superior to any doom by the Peaceville Three, the Gathering, etc.

Welp, disagree... To me there's not much difference in quality with some gems like My Dying Bride's debut, Paradise Lost's debut or A Silent Enigma.
Never considered LFDGD a step down... I give that to Tonight's Decision which is their weakest album since their recent stuff. I basically adore all their albums up to and including Viva with the excepcion of Tonight's Decision and after Viva there are a couple of cool songs here and there but overall too much filler.
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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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16.07.2012 - 12:11
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Elite
Written by IronAngel on 16.07.2012 at 00:02

I do think LFDGD is very strong too, though - no idea why it's so often dismissed as a misstep.

I have never seen LFDGD being labeled as a misstep anywhere.
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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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07.08.2012 - 01:43
Rating: 8
CobiWan1993
Secundum Filium
I absolutely love this album. The guitar, vocal, keyboard, lyric, and drum work really stand out for me in an amazing way. Haunting, melancholic, epic, and grandiose... This is my kind of album!
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Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe (Lao Tzu).
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01.10.2012 - 21:36
Rating: 9
Erik M.
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 25.09.2011 at 23:25

Written by [user id=4365] on 25.09.2011 at 23:23

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 25.09.2011 at 23:15


Viva is up their too for me. The differences aren't too big quality wise between those three.

Yep, but their styles are which is really nice. Three great examples of three quite different approaches to doom and melancholic music.

Yes, indeed. Actually if you own these three that's enough to hear from Katatonia cause those three represent their three style best.

I happen to only own these three albums. I also agree with Brave Murder Day being the best album, followed up closely by this one (maybe I like "Dance" even more due to those two long epic tracks).

However, I cannot stand Viva Emptiness. The lyrics are pretty bad (in my opinion), and I just dislike the overall sound of the album. I gave it another chance a few weeks ago, but I still couldn't finish listening to it and turned it off.
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20.12.2013 - 00:04
Rating: 8
CobiWan1993
Secundum Filium
Happy 20th Birthday to DoDS! \m/
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Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe (Lao Tzu).
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02.11.2015 - 12:08
Rating: 10
Jurgen33
I can't believe that The Night is the New Day have the same rating as this masterpiece. This is one of my favourite metal albums ever, surely in TOP 10. This music is depressive but it is so surreal, hypnotizing and hauntingly beautiful. Absolute MUST HAVE. I like their newer albums but it's a shame that they haven't released anything like that later, only Brave Murder Day come close.
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23.03.2016 - 19:03
Zap
K7 is about to post here any second...

With some incohorent nonsense might I add.
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23.03.2016 - 20:00
Rating: 9
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Does band ever plays now live songs from this and BMD albums
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.

Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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23.03.2016 - 20:55
Zap
Not as far as I'm aware. One or two songs from BMD tops and then it's back to sleep.
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23.03.2016 - 21:59
Rating: 9
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by Zap on 23.03.2016 at 20:55

Not as far as I'm aware. One or two songs from BMD tops and then it's back to sleep.

seems non of style changed bands does it
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.

Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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23.03.2016 - 22:11
Zap
Written by Bad English on 23.03.2016 at 21:59

seems non of style changed bands does it

Nah, bands like Opeth, Mastodon, Enslaved and Devin Townsend generally play a pretty balanced mixture of old and new.
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23.03.2016 - 22:15
Rating: 9
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by Zap on 23.03.2016 at 22:11

Written by Bad English on 23.03.2016 at 21:59

seems non of style changed bands does it

Nah, bands like Opeth, Mastodon, Enslaved and Devin Townsend generally play a pretty balanced mixture of old and new.

Sentenced , Anathema did not
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.

Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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24.03.2016 - 03:57
Maco
Pvt Funderground
Written by Zap on 23.03.2016 at 22:11

Nah, bands like Opeth play a pretty balanced mixture of old and new.

Not true because Mikael left the gr0wlz for some boring prog rock =P
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Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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24.03.2016 - 18:18
Zap
Written by Maco on 24.03.2016 at 03:57

Not true because Mikael left the gr0wlz for some boring prog rock =P

Live.
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24.03.2016 - 18:37
Maco
Pvt Funderground
Written by Zap on 24.03.2016 at 18:18

Live.

True.... trve---.... I should have read your answer to BE first.
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Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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29.01.2017 - 14:20
Rating: 9
Sang Dalang Abu
Very enjoyable, despite I must spin this whole album about 7 times. 4 last tracks are my favorite parts.
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09.05.2018 - 20:28
Rating: 9
frequenzangriff
Love this album, but bespite being ripped by miself from a vinyl, the audio is just muddied, distant and low volume just like on the source. The remaster allowed me like it even more as now i can listen to it properly, its sound clear and has a decent volume, im so happy
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07.01.2019 - 01:23
Rating: 9
Redel
Moderator
Easily best Katatonia for me.
This gives me sooo much more than Brave Murder Day.
Without God is the best song here IMO.
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07.01.2019 - 02:22
Rating: 9
Starvynth
i c deaf people
Staff
Written by Redel on 07.01.2019 at 01:23

...

Easily best Katatonia for me, too.
This gives me sooo much more than Brave Murder Day.
Without God is the best song here IMO.

@Redel: sorry for copy/paste but I couldn't have said it any better.

This was the essence of blackened doom/death. And it still is.
Loved it in the 90's, and I still do.
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signatures = SPAM
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18.02.2019 - 16:48
Rating: 9
Starvynth
i c deaf people
Staff
Written by Redel on 07.01.2019 at 01:23

Easily best Katatonia for me.
This gives me sooo much more than Brave Murder Day.
Without God is the best song here IMO.

...and this is most probably the best cover of Without God I ever heard:
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signatures = SPAM
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12.10.2020 - 20:44
Rating: 10
Growing
Easily one of the most underrated metal albums I have ever listened to. Katatonia's first two records were the best in metal when it comes to capturing emotion.
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13.10.2020 - 01:08
Rating: 8
Roman Doez
Hallucigenia
The comparison might sound weird but the atmosphere makes me think a lot of nokturnal mortum's first release, it just has this odd nostalgic and sad vibe that I deeply love, don't know if anyone else thinks the same
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08.10.2022 - 16:48
Rating: 9
AndyMetalFreak
A Nice Guy
Contributor
I much prefer this to Brave Murder Day, imo there seems to be alot more going for it. It's both more melodic and aggressive, with a blackened approach, and I find the overall sound and structure more interesting, especially that brilliant raw guitar tone.

It's incredibly well mixed too by no other than Swanö, and I would even go as far to say that it's one of the best doom metal album's ever made
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20.04.2023 - 05:14
Rating: 9
F3ynman
Nocturnal Bro
Contributor
Wow - this and Brave Murder Day are masterpieces of melancholy! Shame that they dropped their death doom sound afterwards.
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24.11.2023 - 07:57
Rating: 9
Zyk
I fucking love this album.

This is such a cool blend of different sounds that it could easily fit into several genres. There are so many intricacies in the writing and the progressive song structures let an almost endless supply of inventive sections build some incredibly memorable journeys. Velvet Thorns is one of the clearest examples of that. The album also reaches straight down into some devastating emotional depths that, to me, feels as genuine as any other depressive album I have heard. Even all the rough edges in the production only add to masterfully bleak atmosphere. I would rate Brave Murder Day about the same, but I have always preferred this. Dance Of December Souls is and shall forever be Katatonia's best.
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