Katatonia
Discouraged Ones

THE REVIEW

The turning point album?

This is the terminology to use in cases like this present one. For the record or for those not versed in the subject discussed or, specifically, regarding the band in question, "Discouraged Ones" is an album originally released by Avantgarde in 1998 and now reissued, with the addition of two bonus tracks, by Peaceville, which is the current label representing Katatonia.

It’s the third release by the Swedish band, marking, first and foremost, the transition from growling vocal tones to harmonic and clean singing, and, importantly, it marked the transition from a "rough" sound form (stemming from death/doom) to one more oriented towards melancholic/depressive melody, sophisticated, rich in expressive and sentimental pathos, and also more direct and easily accessible to listeners. However, this has never "sold out" the band, as evidenced by their subsequent releases, allowing them to reach extremely high artistic peaks, despite an almost disarming simplicity and essentiality. Because, even when listening again after nine years, it stands out as a very solid work, precisely because it's built on excellent songs, laid on concrete and heavy riffs, with rhythms never too pronounced, but precise in emphasizing the dramatic tones of the work.

The writing, on one hand, has been streamlined, but on the other hand, it has acquired greater maturity, which doesn’t necessarily represent a denial of the past, but rather elevates the musical themes to another, different plane.

Gothic rock/metal, tending to be "doomy", not unaware of the shoegaze scene, decadent, atmospheric, hypnotic, solitary, painful, yet with a serene soul and rich in mood, as very few others can produce at these levels.