Dead End Kings is the ninth full-length album by Katatonia . It was released on August 27, 2012 in Europe and on August 28 in the United States on Peaceville Records . Like all Katatonia releases, this album was written primarily by the band’s founders Jonas Renkse and Anders Nüström , despite the fact that the band went through several line-up shifts. This release is the first for bassist Nicklas Sandin, the only one for the second guitarist Per Eriksson and the last one for drummer Daniel Lillequist.
| Dead end kings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album Katatonia | ||||
| Date of issue | August 27, 2012 | |||
| Recorded by | February - March 2012 | |||
| Genre | Progressive Metal [1] | |||
| Duration | 48:47 | |||
| Producer | Jonas Renkse Anders Nyström | |||
| Label | Peaceville | |||
| Chronology of Katatonia | ||||
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Content
Themes and composition
The song “The One You Are Looking for Is Not Here” is not literally about the inability to find a person, but telling him that his preconceived ideas about himself are wrong - such a person simply does not exist. [2] Many compositions, including “Buildings,” hint at abandoned urban scenes that were inspired by visits to Renkse and Nustrem at abandoned railway tunnels and hospitals in abandoned villages in Sweden. [2] The album is not political in the generally accepted sense of promoting ideologies or providing solutions, but rather contemplation and a complaint about the poor state of the world due to modern politics in general. [2]
Some journalists have noticed similarities in sound with the American progressive metal band Tool . On the comparison Ranks says as random, but flattering. [2]
Reviews
| Reviews | |
|---|---|
| Critical ratings | |
| A source | Evaluation |
| About.com | [3] |
| Allmusic | [four] |
| Drowned in sound | [five] |
| The guardian | [6] |
| Sputnikmusic | [7] |
The album was mostly well received by critics. On AllMusic, the album was praised for a diverse and layered sound production, concluding that “With diverse parts, constantly changing dynamics and incredible instrumental interludes, this album is like a majestic explosion. Dead End Kings is adamant in its musical superiority, gloomy vision and dark, pursued beauty; it expands the reach of the group exponentially. ” [4] Kyle Ward, a critic from Sputnikmusic , strongly praised the album for being the perfect end to everything the band wanted to become after leaving their original death metal sound in the late 1990s, citing the high production level of the album, layered sound and "emotional sincerity", and called the album a "grandiose success." [7]
Song List
All texts are written by Jonas Renkse , excluding “Undo You” by Anders Nüström .
| No | Title | Music | Duration | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| one. | "The Parting" | Renxe | 4:52 | ||||||
| 2 | "The One You Are Looking For Not Here" (with the participation of Silje Wergeland ) | Renxe | 3:52 | ||||||
| 3 | "Hypnone" | Renxe | 4:07 | ||||||
| four. | "The Racing Heart" | Renxe | 4:06 | ||||||
| five. | "Buildings" | Nustrom | 3:28 | ||||||
| 6 | "Leech" | Renxe | 4:23 | ||||||
| 7 | Ambitions | Renxe | 5:07 | ||||||
| eight. | "Undo You" | Nustrom | Four to six | ||||||
| 9. | "Lethean" | Per Eriksson, Renkse | 4:39 | ||||||
| ten. | "First Prayer" | Nyström, Renkse | 4:28 | ||||||
| eleven. | Dead Letters | Nustrom | 4:49 | ||||||
| 48:47 | |||||||||
| Bonus songs limited edition gift | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Title | Music | Duration | ||||||
| 12. | "Second" | Nustrom | 3:34 | ||||||
| 13. | "The Act of Darkening" | Nustrom | Five to five | ||||||
| 57:47 | |||||||||
Record Members
Group
- Jonas Renkse - vocals , guitar, keyboards, production , mixing
- Anders Nyström - lead guitar , keyboards, backing vocals, production, mixing
- Per Ericsson - guitar, engineering
- Niklas Sandin - bass guitar
- Daniel Liljequist - drums
Additional members
- Silje Wergeland - vocals on "The One You Are Looking For Not Not"
- Frank Default - keyboard on tracks 1-11
- JP Asplund - percussion
- David Castillo - production, engineering, mixing
Notes
- Son Lawson, Dom Katatonia: Dead End Kings - review (23 August 2012).
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Archived copy (inaccessible link) . The date of circulation is December 6, 2016. Archived December 20, 2016.
- ↑ Bowar, Chad Katatonia - Dead End Kings Review . About.com .
- ↑ 1 2 Thom Jurek. Katatonia: Dead End Kings . Allmusic.
- ↑ Falcone, Jon Katatonia Dead End Kings . Drowned in Sound (August 19, 2012).
- Son Lawson, Dom Katatonia: Dead End Kings - review . ' The Guardian ' (August 23, 2012).
- 2 1 2 Ward, Kyle Katatonia Dead End Kings . Sputnikmusic (August 27, 2012).