Customer Reviews

Rain Without End

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October Tide was a short-lived (less than four years) side project formed around two of the prolific members of Katatonia, vocalist/drummer Jonas Renkse and guitarist Fredrik Norrman. Rain Without End, the project's first release from 1997, is maintained as an underground classic, due in part to the album featuring Jonas Renkse's last "harsh" vocal performance. Indeed, the album certainly lives up to expectations of a steadfast Katatonia fan, especially if that fan prefers Brave Murder Day to the rest of the Katatonia catalogue.

More than a decade after its initial release, listening to this album is a stark reminder that quite simply, melodic doom/death metal like this just isn't made anymore. Groups like Rapture, Daylight Dies, and to some degree Swallow the Sun, may carry the torch for modern-day Brave Murder Day progeny, but the production sound exhibited on Rain Without End seemingly can't be emulated by digital tweaking. Renkse's top-notch growling vocals are on full display here, high up in the mix but melding nicely into the sound of the guitars, which are raw yet crisp and joyfully free of digital intervention. Norrman's guitar work is fully up-to-par with previous performances, providing the vintage Katatonia emotive sound of which so many are fond. The drumming also deserves special mention here; it's expertly done and gives the whole album an audition-like feel. Six of the long songs which form the album's focus are very well-structured and remind of a heavier mid-90s Opeth, meandering back-and-forth between Brave Murder Day-esque heavy doom passages and beautiful acoustic interludes, strengthening the listener's interest and anticipation. From start to finish, Rain Without End is a fantastic record, a sparkling diamond from one of the progenitors of modern melodic death metal. Inspiring and nostalgic.

Let me first say that I am a fan of Katatonia. Both their earlier work and their current work. Naturally when I learned that the lead singer of Katatonia was in this band, I had to check them out. This album is sure to appeal to fans of old Katatonia, however it is not a clone of that band, they are distinct. The music is breathtaking and emotional. The lyrics and heartfelt and personal. All-in-all any doom metal fan, or metal fan for that matter, should at least give this band a listen.