Review Summary: Luscious and intoxicating, Brave Murder Day fully realizes Katatonia’s doom and gloom potential.
“Because, for some people, solitude and isolation can of itself become a problem…Not for me.” -The Shining
Movie quotes have a way of creeping into music. They can be tossed in just for fun (see: Children of Bodom) or meant to communicate something more, usually about the song, band or album. In the case of Katatonia, it’s clearly the latter. Their task in creating a successor to
Dance of December Souls must have been a daunting one, given how unorthodox the album was, particularly in its execution. Slow, long-winded and arguably messy music with a cold, desolate atmosphere was the foundation Jonas Renkse and Anders Nystrom had to work with. Rather than take the former part of the formula and push it even further, however, Renkse and Nystrom retracted, attempting something stylistically different, but essentially similar. A complete departure wasn’t quite due, but a means to smooth the transition was. Hence, we have
Brave Murder Day.
The album wastes little time kicking into gear as “Brave” chugs away with a rhythm that
Dance of December Souls seldom aspired to. Then, as if to stake the claim even further, we’re greeted by a voice that any Opeth fan will instantly recognize. Mikael Akerfeldt delivers a steady stream of pitch-perfect growls throughout while the music unfolds in a wonderfully harmonic manner. Given Katatonia’s relationship with Akerfeldt, it’s not surprising to find that his more prominent role here has resulted in a sort of trickling effect. When
Brave Murder Day begins shifting gears, it often creates a contrasting effect, such as when “Endtime” builds an empty, isolated intro only to be followed by high, dread-instilling guitar notes. Meanwhile, Jonas Renkse sits out most of the album as frontman, allegedly due to his previous, improper use of harsh vocals. He does, however, offer some clean singing on “Day,” achieving a sort of melodic, whispering performance eerily reminiscent Akerfeldt’s. The shift from Renkse’s previous, unabashed performance to Akerfeldt’s controlled direction is undoubtedly a sharp contrast, and while there are less moments that pop out and surprise the listener, Akerfeldt is simply more consistent and enjoyable to hear.
As with the vocals,
Brave Murder Day’s instrumental qualities are a far cry from those of its predecessor. The overall pace of the album is accelerated without feeling fast. We do see
Brave Murder Day and its comprising tracks twist and turn through a few tempos and time signatures, but it’s done with restraint. Beyond the aforementioned “Day,” each song breaks into a different form at least once before returning to whatever pattern set it in motion. “12” stands out as the album’s least moderated track, featuring a somewhat progressive nature in structure and performance; the guitar leads are on the intricate side while the tone is prone to dipping in and out of a quiet climate; it’s easily the album’s most challenging, interesting and (dare I say it) technical moment. Otherwise,
Brave Murder Day takes a relatively streamlined approach, utilizing repetitive instrumentals to construct its handful of soundscapes. That may sound like a recipe for disinterest, but the decision to focus on concise songwriting, right down the minimalist lyrics, translates to an experience which instills a sense of impending doom, as demonstrated on “Brave” and the superb “Rainroom.” The addition of a second guitarist (Fredrik Norrman) certainly plays a role in achieving a dynamic and layered sound as well, since the music constantly achieves dark, blissful harmony, even when falling on the same rhythm for minutes at a time.
For an album that brought Katatonia a little closer to the style of other doom metal bands,
Brave Murder Day stands tall as a unique piece in their discography. Obviously Akerfeldt played a role in this, but the root of Katatonia’s harsh melancholia from
Dance of December Souls remains intact, it’s just achieved differently. Perhaps the biggest surprise with
Brave Murder Day is its brevity, clocking in at a little over 40 minutes. This means the album completely avoids dragging out and, if anything, makes it all the more intoxicating. By the time album closer “Endtime” bestows us with its cold intro to accompany the barely-distinguishable quote from The Shining, it feels like the album is making its final statement, a promise that solitude and isolation will become synonymous with whatever follows.
