Customer Reviews

Discouraged Ones

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

'not close enough for you/ to hear a breath or steal a sigh/ but just close enough for me/ to take a step and pass you by', 'Nerve'.

I bought this album two months ago, in the midst of an emotional crisis. The music delivered the perfect soundtrack. Katatonia's 'Discouraged Ones' was album of the month in two of the leading european underground magazines. This is not the sound of grand gothic tragedy. This is the sound of denial, isolation, emotional decay and discouragement, as was fittingly stated. I myself have never encountered a band which managed to create such a sound and atmosphere with guitars only. It is full of emotional suffering and misery, yet it is intense and powerful at the same time. The singer sometimes sounds like The Cure's frontman Robert Smith, and the texts fall in the same category as those of Joy Division, although less cryptical. Take this excerpt from the last song on the album, 'Distrust': 'I want to be forgotten/ I want you to forgive/ ! ! how I'm losing all this/ it's just the way I live' The music itself is an intriguing mixture of alternative, doom, a bit of goth rock and a small amount of grunge. The songs are structured in a straightforward and uncomplicated manner, as the impact of the music and the sound demand no complicated song-writing. The accompanying booklet has all the texts within, and the artwork is of high quality and is most fitting. It is not an album for shiny, happy people or music to listen to whilst doing the dishes. Far more it is a most rewarding album for friends of earnest music and for people of deep emotions. The album is a statement from the depressive downside of 90ies zeitgeist. It made my heart throb and the hair on my neck stand up. If you love The Cure and Joy Division and are looking for something equal to these groups in a contemperary style, then Katatonia are the best choice. This band has the potential to be the next big thing in the underground.

I have to agree with many of the other reviewers; at the heart of this album's appeal is it's simplicity. Some of the rythm guitar is incredibly basic alternating between a few chords. The song writing is simple and verse/chorus based for the most part. These things are easy to communicate but what cannot be effectively communicated in writing is the incredible atmosphere of this CD.
Katatonia's previous release "Brave Murder Day" was a wonderfully dirgy Doom Metal album. On this album the band have taken some of that style as an influenced and mixed it with alt-rock to produce a sound remniscent of many 80s goth bands.
There is nothing particularly mindblowing about any of the instrumental performances, although the ghostly lead guitar and detuned rythm guitar are key to the band's sound. The performance that is truly breathtaking is Jonas Renske's vocal performance. On many of the songs different tones of the same lines are mixed to procude a haunting sound. Just listen to the second chorus on "nerve". On the final track, "ditrust" Renske seems gripped by hopelessness, as if he were a man looking back on a wasted life from his death bed. The words sound as if they are barely making it out of his lips. Make no mistake, this is an unforgettable vocal performance.
The album is predictably depressing and saying that alone should dictate whether or not you would be interested in this album. Don't expect flashy technique and adventurous song writing. Just expect an utterly gloomy yet incredibly beautiful listening experience.

Frankly i have to say this is one of the best cd's i heard in my life....
but you know what was the surprise?the atmosphere....many bands try to make difficult arrangements,complex keyboard,and haunting female vocals to make a sad atmosphere and a dark feeling to their work...but Katatonia do the opposite on this album....so simple,but so goddam effective....it's one of the saddest albums i ever heard....they used to approach''less is more'' perfectly on this album....brillient....the vocals are working isolated somewhere between the claustrophobic guitar riff....seems like the singer has no hope when he sings....Jonas Renske is one very smart person indeed...
1.I Break-the album opener is certainly a stand out track....a very catchy chorus and a very catchy guitar riff....excellent 10/10
2.Stalemate-perhaps this track could be better or i have to listen more to it....still a great one..7/10
3.Deadhouse-perhaps the best song i ever heard..you can actually feel the guitars are crying on the chorus....a masterpiece 10/10
4.Relention-simple track,but another stand out...again the melodic guitar is outstanding and the chorus marks the listener...so simple,yet so emotional 10/10
5.Cold Ways-this track is pure depression....it gets better and better with every listen...and the chorus is very cool....the last two minutes are really breathtaking10/10
6.Gone-this track doesnt reaches 3 minutes...the title says it all...gone..that will this track leave in your head...why carring?all hope is lost 10/10
7.Last Resort..a more quiet track...a great chorus...you have to listen couple of times to reach it's message 9/10
8.Nerve..the chorus on this song leaves without comments,listen to it and you will know what i mean 10/10
9.Saw You Drown-the 'less is more' approach is excessuly used to make an outstanding track....a bleak 5 minutes journey 10/10
10.Instrumental-the title says it all....this little piece of guitar work leaves a monotone atmosphere while listening..very cool 10/10
11.Distrust-on the first riffs this track reflects the sadness that this ending track has making it a standout 10/10

well this album is for anybody who wanna feel darkness...it takes some time but once you connect with the tracks it will mark anybody...

This is where things dramatically changed in the Swedes sound. While the melancholic feelings of loss and despair remain, the way in which it is conveyed has shifted from doom / death into a more depressive rock form. But rather than be just a transitional album, "Discouraged Ones" nails the style completely. While some of the albums following would sound more mature and perhaps less one-dimensional, the blueprints were drawn up right here for everything that was to come.

The line-up between the classic "Brave Murder Day" album and this one changed only slightly. Whereas Anders Nystrom had handled bass on previous studio albums, the band now had a full-time bassist in Micke Oretoft, allowing them the tour without the need for a session musician. On top of this, the borrowed Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth was no longer needed, as Jonas Renkse took back the vocal duties with an altered technique. Whereas his vocals on early Katatonia releases were full of guttural screaming torture, he now had a cleanly sung approach that sounded no less sad or desperate. The one thing that didn't change all that dramatically is the guitar techniques and sound. Perhaps they are not quite as hypnotic and heavy as before, yet the mid paced riffs and exquisite melodies remain intact.

I do recall being quite perturbed when I first put this CD into my player all those years ago. "Brave Murder Day" was and still is one of my favourite albums and so all this change came as quite a disappointing shock to me at the time. Yet after a few confused spins I started to let go of all the unmet expectations to discover that "Discouraged Ones" is a gem all on its own. I've always been at a loss to explain why I find utterly depressive music quite uplifting, yet this is a perfect example. Tracks such as "Saw You Drown" and "Last Resort" are as brilliant as they are dreary.

Katatonia have been one of the most consistently excellent bands over the past 10 plus years and "Discouraged Ones" is one of their best and most significant releases. There's no denying that I miss the old sound, yet the new journey that this album instigated has turned out to be just as rewarding.

Having already established themselves at the forefront of Sweden's rising doom-metal scene alongside contenders such as Paradise Lost and Anathema, Katatonia had defined all albums prior to Discouraged Ones with sludge-like, yet driving metal rhythms and the tortured wails of vocalist/drummer Jonas Renske. Yet after growing tired of the scene they were performing in, Katatonia risked alienating their entire fanbase at the expense of music which came off not quite as brutal. This album is probably the smartest decision in Katatonia's career up to this point, and would be the future reference of the new sound of Katatonia, one employing clean vocals, more interesting musical ideas, and overall just better production and music.

Discouraged One lacks any rhythmic complicity, with every song being played in standard 4/4 time, set up in verse/chorus/verse structures, and every chorus depending on simple barre chord strumming patterns. But complex rhythm changes would not be a primary focus for this dark Swedish outfit until Last Fair Deal Gone Down and Viva Emptiness. What Discouraged Ones is concerned with is building a unique and gloomy atmosphere, focusing more on Jonas Renske' newfound vocal style and overly depressing lyrics. This is perfect music for a cold autumn night by the fire, pondering regrets and lamenting lost loved ones.

Just about every track will sound almost identical to the untrained ear on the first few listens, but once the album is given time the subtle differences start to appear and the beauty of this recording really starts to stand out. Of note is the track "Saw You Drown", which lyrically depicts a tormented man drowning his unsuspecting lover, as well as the appropriately titled "Instrumental", which shows that guitarist Anders Nystrom can actually play fast and hold an interesting solo over beautiful mellotron voicings. Technically it's not the best Katatonia album, but atmospherically it cannot be beat.

The Discouraged Ones is a good, but not great album. Of course, that's just my opinion and there are others out there that love this album. There are things about this album that I really like as well - songs like "I Break" and "Deadhouse" are catchy well-written songs that must surely evoke feelings of melancholy in all that hear them - and I mean "melancholy" in a good way. Unfortunately, the album drags for me at some points where Katatonia begin to sound like a less dynamic version of the Cure. I am a big fan of the atmospheric metal produced by bands like Type O Negative, Moonspell and Paradise Lost, but I don't feel that based on The Discouraged Ones, Katatonia is poised yet to join that pantheon of doom metal greats.

compleatly different than before ....i cant say better or worse ... if there are any peolple that expect the truth out of life ,they would understand the "true" ART of this kind of music... it took a couple spins ,the sound grows on you.. totally different than brave murder day and for funerals yet still the same.slower and cleaner vocals ,still dark as hell...i await my copy of tonights decision.....

Wow. This is like nothing you've ever heard. I actually stumbled across these guys with the help of amazon.com, I am a big Paradise Lost fan and I saw the "people that like Paradise Lost also listen to..." and I figured I'd check out the bands on that list since nothing sounds like Paradise Lost either. Anyway this was the only one I got into and am I glad I did. They don't really sound like Paradise Lost but have their own unique sound. It's almost as if the lead singer is too depressed to even sing - but it works. The album ends up a miserable piece of art, if that makes any sense. It's still metal but not your typical mosh-pit metal. This is the kind that absorbs you, very atmospheric. The 3 that follow this are great too so it's hard for me to recommend which one to get. Basically pick one of the last 4 releases and I'd be suprised if you were let down.

Katatonia are a very talented metal band from Stockholm, Sweden. "Discouraged Ones" is one of their best releases, if not their best. It is sorrowful and moving, yet heavy and fast. If you like bands such as Paradise Lost, Opeth, or Moonspell, then you will love Katatonia. If you want an emotionally charged disc, what are you waiting for? Buy this now. Everything about this CD is excellent. The mood, the lyrics, the guitars, and the production. Maybe their style should be called the Stockholm Sound?

it is incredible this band is the same band that start in 1992 with the black metal ep "Jhva Elohim Meth.. the Revival". yes, those of you who think that katatonia started as a doom metal band are wrong. just look at the photographs in that ep, they used corpse paint, and jonas renkse has a nickname: lord seth...

but nevertheless, to the point: Discouraged ones is the best cd of the entire katatonia catalogue!!!

is not only the change of renkse's voice... is the atmosphere and introspection that is stuck with this songs, that made them memorable...

i can't say anything that is not allready been wrote in this reviews, except the fact that this cd has a gem that pass allmost unnotice by the mayority: the song "instrumental"

that is a beautiful sad song that has the class and genius to transmit emotions without words...

I love everyone of the songs in this cd, but that one is really especial to me...

this cd is absolutely mandatory for any music collection.