THE FALL OF HEARTS

Well this is the album that got KATATONIA on the site here. The songs are longer and more complex allowing the band to be designated Prog-Metal. Anders the lead guitarist and co-founder with Jonas Renkse said in a interview that "We've had this urge to go as progressive as this in the past but things have held us back. Technically now we've been able to go into territories we haven't been able to explore before." Anders is talking about the two lineup changes for this album in drummer Daniel Moilanen and guitarist Roger Ojersson who allow the band to go into more challenging areas. Daniel even helped with the compositions and arrangements, while Roger takes the lead guitar duties and solos on "Takeover", "Serac" and "Passer". In the same interview Anders talked about Jonas' dad who has been a huge Prog fan his whole life and how he tried to convince Jonas and his friends to give JETHRO TULL a chance. Anders said "We could tell that it(JETHRO TULL album) wasn't just some boring record that a mum or dad would put on, it was intriguing, but we were so into extreme music that it just wasn't enough at the time. If JETHRO TULL's singer growled maybe we would have loved it!" Yeah the boys were into BATHORY back then.

The music seems more stripped down overall despite being more progressive. There also seems to be more depth and atmosphere than ever before. TOOL and OPETH are the two bands that would come to mind while listening to this album. Once again Travis Smith nails the cover art and pictures in the liner notes, he's so talented. This is the longest album as well by these gloomy Swedes as it clocks in at over 67 minutes.

"Takeover" is a top five song for me but I have to say the songs here are very consistent making it difficult picking just five and then which five? They are all so good. This one really moves me early on, that sound and those vocals(gulp). It's just so uplifting and beautiful. It turns heavier after a minute. So good! Love the vocals before 2 1/2 minutes as Jonas sings with passion. That earlier transcendent section is back at 3 1/2 minutes. No words. Piano before 4 1/2 minutes but it's crushed rather quickly. The guitar tone is perfect here and check out the drumming 5 1/2 minutes in. I'm thinking OPETH after 6 minutes with the guitar and heaviness. "Serein" features atmosphere and a fairly urgent rhythm section with vocals. It kicks in quickly though sounding amazing. I like the energy here as Jonas sings with heart. Man I love his voice. A calm before 3 minutes then these distant sounding vocals join in but soon he's singing like he usually does. A moving kick-ass tune.

"Old Heart Fails" opens with a lone guitar melody as reserved vocals and atmosphere take over. This is slow to mid-paced yet full of depth with those rich sounds. A calm 1 1/2 minutes in with vocals and little else. Strings after 2 1/2 minutes the this heavy undercurrent arrives just before 3 minutes as Jonas continues to sing. It's fuller again a minute later. "Decima" is a top five. Picked guitar with mellotron-like sounds as Jonas comes in almost speaking the lyrics. It's fuller as mellotron-like sounds sweep across the soundscape and Jonas sings with emotion. We get "Damnation" like guitar that I so enjoy before 2 1/2 minutes. It settles again, man such attention to detail on this album. "Sanction" destroys us with power and depth as we get hit hard right from the start. A calm when the vocals arrive and it feels like it's about to break out but never does until after 1 1/2 minutes. There's more of that "Damnation" like guitar 2 1/2 minutes in as it settles. It turns fuller but then settles with keys before exploding 4 1/2 minutes in.

"Residual" is a top five tune. Deep sounds and plenty of dark atmosphere as reserved vocals join in. It's building after 1 1/2 minutes but it will settle back as contrasts continue. Here we go 4 1/2 minutes in as they amp it up! I'm so blown away by this, it's moving and uplifting. "Serac" is another top five. Again deep and powerful sounds with an interesting guitar melody then it kicks in hard. Those off-kilter guitar expressions are cool. This is crushing as Jonas sings with passion. A calm before 2 minutes with intricate sounds and atmosphere then the vocals return as it builds until they are kicking ass. Love the "Damnation" like calm that follows. It kicks in again around 4 minutes and check out the Steven Wilson-like vocals after 5 minutes. Nice. "Last Song Before The Fade" opens with piano but it's destroyed quickly, vocals too. Check out the atmospheric calm with vocals before 1 1/2 minutes. It kicks back in at 2 minutes. The heavier sections remind me of OPETH. More atmosphere as the guitar solos tastefully. Jonas is back singing and it's intense and the bass is killer. More piano then it kicks in again.

"Shifts" opens with sirens in fact they will come and go throughout. A beat and piano lead early along with vocals. Synths add depth in this the most laid back tune of the lot. "The Night Subscriber" is my final top five. Lots of depth here with piano over top. Check out the strings sweeping across the soundscape. Vocals just before a minute. Cascading guitars before 2 minutes as the sound then turns heavy. Nice. The vocals continue as the drums pound. It's so majestic sounding with those strings 2 1/2 minutes in. It's heavy duty again 4 1/2 minutes in and the onslaught continues after 5 minutes. Oh my! "Pale Flag" is a relaxed tune with picked guitar and some atmosphere as the vocals join in. I really like the depth of sound before 3 minutes. An interesting track. "Passer" hits us right away with a wall of sound before a calm with almost spoken words and mellotron takes over. A cascade of guitar notes after 1 1/2 minutes as it turns more powerful including the vocals. It settles back again as themes are repeated. The bonus track I have is called "Vakaren" and what make sit so unique is that Jonas is singing in Swedish which I've never heard him do before. The results are fantastic to say the least.

Right now I'd rate this as my third favourite KATATONIA album after "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" and my favourite "The Great Cold Distance". This one is a grower but if your like me once you start to connect to it you'll be hooked.

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