Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very solid release, January 26, 2003
Katatonia is of course, known for their very dark, depressing tone in their music. While they aren't the most depressing sounding band i've ever heard (Godspeed you Black Emperor and My Dying Bride beat them) they are good at what they do. Tonight's Desicion is the perfect halfway point between the less depressing, more upbeat feel on "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" and the darker, heavyer "Discouraged Ones." Those albums are both brilliant in their own way also.The artwork in this cd is amazing thanks to the great Travis Smith. The booklet is filled with depressing and original artwork and photography. Some of my favorite songs are "For my Demons," "I am Nothing," "Had to (Leave)," "A Darkness Coming," and "Nightmares by the Sea." The first 2 songs are a great example of the bands catchy(but only if you have an ear for it) doomy, heavy (with haunting clean vocals) style of this album. Just one of the many styles of Katatonia. "Had to (Leave)" and most of the other songs have some melodic, sad, brilliant riffs and vocal melodies (and lyrics). "Nightmares by the Sea" is a cover of a Jeff Buckley song. Katatonia left both the original sound to it and also twisted it into their own sound. If you didnt know it was a cover you probably wouldn't have the slightest idea it was. This is probably the most upbeat song on the album and works perfectly after the darkest, softest song "A Darkness Coming" which is an extremely dark tune with acoustic guitars and deep melodies. Each Katatonia album probably has its number of fans who see it as their best, but if this is still missing from your collection, don't miss out. If you are a brand new fan, this would make a great introduction even though "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" would usually make a better introduction.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sad, dark and beautiful, April 17, 2002
Tonight's Decision, while not as brilliant as Last Fair Deal Gone Down, still offers up a stellar performance by this outstanding Swedish band. The tone is dark, moody and depressing. One of the things I've always like about this band is their focus on texture. The intricate song structures and moody lyrics go hand-in-hand. However it is the sad, almost tearful sounding vocals of Jonas Renske that makes this album my favorite Katatonia release (so far). I can't think of the last time that I heard something so thoroughly sad and heart-wrenching. Renske has a certain style that is in a class all by itself and his voice washes over the listener like a torrent of tears. Their cover of the late Jeff Buckley's "Nightmares By The Sea" fits in so perfectly with the rest of the album, that you'd think it was an original if you didn't know better. Some of my favorite tracks are "For My Demons," "Darkness Coming," "Right Into the Bliss," and the aforementioned "Nightmares", and "Black Session." All in all, this is a solid effort by a band that doesn't get the attention that they deserve. If you liked Last Fair Deal Gone Down, you really should get this album (if you don't have it already). A good introduction to the band for those that may not have heard them before. Be sure to follow this up with Last Fair Deal Gone Down.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not one of their best, but great nonetheless., September 23, 2006
"Tonight's Decision" is the Swedes 4th full length studio album. The band had a reasonably stable line-up by now, although Dan Swano plays drums on this album instead of Jonas Renkse (who from now on would concentrate solely on vocals) and bassist Micke Oretoft had left between albums (Fred Norman plays both guitar and bass on this album). Other than these small changes, the members of this line-up still all exist in the band today.
"Tonight's Decision" doesn't really alter the sound of "Discouraged Ones" all that much. It's very much in the suicide rock vain that they had transformed into after "Brave Murder Day". But this would have to be their mellowest album with slightly catchier tunes than they usually write. That's not to say they went entirely commercial as the melancholy and depressive nature that is Katatonia's trademark is firmly in place. It's just a bit rockier and less metallic than albums before and after with more of a focus on chorus. While I think it has a better production than "Discouraged Ones" which was a little weak sounding at times, particularly the guitars and drums, I don't think the songs are as strong as on that release.
Katatonia at this stage in their career would occasionally come across a little awkwardly in the lyrics and vocals department and this is the album that it shows up the most. I really like Jonas' style of singing in general and I think he improves each album from now onwards, but when combined with such honest yet dreary lyrics, he occasionally comes across as trying just a little too hard to be dramatic and depressing. The guitars as always are what make Katatonia's music so great. The reasonably high lead of Anders is often contrasting with Fred's dirge-like rhythm, yet they always combine to make emotionally touching music.
Tracks such as "Right Into the Bliss" and "A Darkness Coming" really work for me. Others such as "No Good Can Come of This" and the Jeff Buckley cover "Nightmares by the Sea" don't work quite as well, but overall this is another good Katatonia release that will please pretty much anyone that likes their modern albums. It's not one of their best, but then they've been so consistently excellent over the years that even their lesser releases are recommended.
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