Last Fair Deal Gone Down

When their style changed direction with the more melancholic, clean vocals (introduced on the track Day on BMD) on Discourged Ones, I was suprised but thought it was an amazing album and a definate 'grower'. They seemed to be unable to do no wrong in my eyes (or ears), till TD, it just did'nt have the staying power on my stereo that all their other releases had managed. Then I bought Last Fair Deal Gone Down.......a masterpiece, though oddly not that far removed in style from TD!? Its, for the want of a better word, 'catchy', tracks like Sweet Nurse being hummed to over and over and The Future Of Speech becoming a firm favourite. There is more melody in the songs, though still a good injection of the heaviness expected from a Peaceville signed act (see tracks like Don't Tell A Soul), and I personally think they blow their label mates Opeth clear out of the water (even the Blackwater....Ha!). Through their metamorphis in past years Katatonia remain a firm favourite in my collection, showing a definate love for what they do in their music. I can't wait to hear what they come up with next! Till I do though, I'll be kept very happy with LFDGD.

The sound of this album is very similar to the last 2 Katatonia albums (Discouraged One's and Tonights Decision) it fits somewhere into the gothic doom metal genre..but I can't now and have never really been able to suitably categorise Katatonia !.

If however you are looking for Katatonia to get back to their original more doomy black metal sound (Sounds Of Decay, Dance of December Souls, For Funerals To Come, Brave Murder Day) you will be dissapointed as I just can't see them going back that way, this sound is alot more suited to them and I think they have found a winning formula with this sound.

Although excellent all round, some songs really do stand out from the rest, 2 examples of this are Sweet Nurse and Teargas mainly for their atmosphere and melody.

Other similar artists are Anathema (Newer stuff from Eternity onwards), Cemetary and The Wounded. I have heard this album compared to Paradise Losts gothic era stuff from a few magazines (and the other reviewer !) but I have not seen this connection myself, there is not one track on this album or any other Katatonia album for that matter than is anything like anything PL have ever done !.

As soon as I heard the opening chords to Dispossesion I knew that these guys were good. I was so wrong, they were incredible, a feeling that is rarely held through every track of an album.

The very heavy singing combined with the clean yet distorted (what!?!) guitar with those impassable melody riffs on top work beautifully together. I find myself endlessly humming to different tracks and there is never a wrong time to listen to this album as it quenches so many music desires.

Katatonia by far blow away their label buddies Opeth, and I really look forward to their next stuff. LFDGD is going to be a hard album to top, but the group has every capability.

Anyone who loves guitar, catchy tunes and something just that bit different will love this album. It is gloomy yet so so emotional, i have often sat in my car singing at top voice to all the songs with a slight tear in my eye.....must have been a piece of dust...

BUY THIS ALBUM!