Brave Murder Day - Katatonia

Brave Murder Day represents a major progression in Katatonia's pioneering sound of depressive doom/death, and while much imitated it has never been equalled. Sounding mournful and despondent, simplistic distorted cords are played over straightforward drumbeats, overlaid with tortured and lamenting screams and growls courtesy of Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt. The mid to slow tempo songs manage to be minimalist and repetitive without ever becoming dull, and the composition is excellent, with each song ebbing and flowing in an emotionally stark manner, with desolate, distorted riffs underlining forlorn clean guitar cords. The hypnotic drone-like guitars often recall Burzum, and ...  Read the complete review

Returning from the dead, Katatonia released one of the iconic doom metal albums of the 1990s, the much-imitated 'Brave Murder Day.' Enlisting the aid of Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt to provide the death metal growls that Jonas Renkse apparently decided he could no longer handle, this is nevertheless a departure from the band's previous Anathema-style doom, making a significant step towards the depressive rock that would characterise their subsequent releases. For coming right in the centre, this album boasts a distinctive sound, or at least it did until numerous other bands started to copy it. The style here is based largely around repetition, and is thus ...  Read the complete review