Help Katagory V "Resurrect the Album!"

[poundingmetal74]

Glad you dig the music Yeah, the others can be hard to find. We don't have official distribution or anything, just indie CD sites that pass along our CDs to different distros. Plus the albums are several years old.

I remember complimenting Queen of the Reich and asking about future KV material at the time, so we definitely spoke It's all good though, I was just one of the people at the fest and there are hundreds and hundreds of us, so don't worry about it. And yeah, if I do make it out another year, we'll have to grab a beer or something.

 

[Aletheus]

This is looking grim...

I just found out Haste the Day was running a similar campaign, but they're asking for $65000 and (it seems to me) they aim for the fans to pay for absolutely anything. $65000 is an extremely large sum of money and it's beyond me how they could ask for so much.

The items on their list are also more expensive when compared to yours.

The reason I'm mentioning this is they're metalcore, and they're more mainstream, so naturally they can aim for the skies, and they're sure to get more money than you guys. I really want their fundraiser to succeed as well because I love Haste the Day (despite 65k being borderline ridiculous, especially when taking into consideration that it's 10 band members collaborating to make one record), but I'm worried K5 will fail to succeed.

I never heard of you guys up until you posted here, and despite American prog not being my cup of tea I really wanted to hear your record, or rather wanted to see your work revealed to the world since I see you tried so hard and created something of such quality.

 

[Met-Al]

Thank you for all of the kind words, Aletheus. It's nice to see that there are folks who understand what it takes to make a high-quality album, especially in an age when so many people think that music should just be free.

I've been taking a look at a lot of other campaigns myself, and it blows my mind to see how much money some of these bands are trying to raise. In fact, I know of another band that's of a similar style to mine who are asking for a lot more money than we are and offering ridiculously over-priced perks when the band actually has more than enough money to finance the album they're about to record. I won't name any names here, but I can't help getting extremely upset about the whole affair.

Just out of curiosity, Aletheus, what draws you to Theocracy's music? I know that they're more of a power metal band as opposed to a progressive one, but I've always felt that the two genres go hand-in-hand. Obviously, there are plenty of differences between, say, Hammerfall and Dream Theater, but I just never understood how some people could absolutely love one of those bands while absolutely hating the other. I'm not saying that you feel this way yourself. I'm just using an example. I'll be the first guy to wave the flag for Dream Theater in this case, as they're my all-time favorite band, but I really appreciate the straightforward, melodic, and anthemic qualities found in Hammerfall's music, too. If it's melodic hard rock or heavy metal that comes from the heart, I enjoy it.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

 

[Met-Al]

First off, I want to thank all the folks that have contributed to our campaign in the past two weeks. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

Sadly, though, we have less than four days left to raise more than half of the money we need to put the final touches on this release. Unless a miracle happens and, say, 192 people come out of the woodwork to pre-order this album, I'm afraid we're doomed.

This will be my final plea. If you've ever liked any of Katagory V's music, please visit the Indiegogo page, check out some of the new music, and make a pledge. I truly believe that there is something for every fan of melodic progressive and power metal on this album. The only chance of this band continuing in any capacity lies within this campaign, so it's up to you dedicated music fans.

Does this sound desperate? Indeed, it does. Does it kill me to beg you folks for money? With every last beat of my heart. I just hope you'll look beyond the desperation and find a good band that could use a little help.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

 

[Aletheus]

I can't really pinpoint it, but your music reminds me a lot of Queensryche, and I never really dug Queensryche. Naturally I could see that they made good music, but I never felt the same buzz I'd feel listening to some Italian power metal or melodic death metal Swedes, but don't tell Queensryche I said any of this. From the little I've heard of your stuff, I like it a lot more than Queensryche (to which I'm referring as the epitome of American prog ) and that was enough to spark an interest in me.

E.g. Far Too Long is an amazing song, but the fact that it's mid tempo leaves me wanting something more, and I was hoping to hear a few speedier tracks on your full record, because you never know when a song will hook you. All it take for me to become a fan of Theocracy was Ichtus and On Eagles' Wings. I honestly can't find a song that matches the feeling I've had when I first heard On Eagles' Wings.

On the other hand, I Am Change is an excellent faster track, but it lacks the emotional oomph I felt with Far Too Long, and logic dictates I'm bound to find a song or few that contain both elements on the full record

What really pains me is I like the two new songs more than the rest of your stuff, some of which had a really Nevermoreish feel to it and just didn't click with me.

 

[Met-Al]

Hey, Aletheus!

I can follow what you're saying here. The previous singer for our band seemed to have a love-him-or-hate-him quality to his voice, which I think is what may have given you the Nevermore vibe. I always found the band's music to be very interesting, particularly because they touched upon so many different niches within the melodic metal spectrum. However, I feel that the original vocalist didn't quite understand how to get his voice to fit all of these different musical sides. I must point out, though, that his technique was flawless. Each time I saw the band live, he was spot on.

As for the Queensryche comparison, I'll take it as long as you're referring to the releases from 1983 to 1994. That stuff is my bread and butter! It's a shame that they never clicked with you, as I feel that their music had so much to offer (and now that they have Todd LaTorre on vocals, they have something to offer once again!). I've always loved bands that take chances with their music without forgetting their roots, and for the first decade of their career, Queensryche definitely fit that bill.

It seems that outside of the growly and screamy stuff, you tend to like your metal big and fast. There's nothing wrong with that. I love pumping my fist to bands like Helloween, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, and both versions of Rhapsody. Though we never reached the more insane speeds of these bands on this Katagory V album, we definitely had a few speedy tunes thrown in for good measure. We just happen to have plenty of mid-tempo numbers, a ballad, and a crazy instrumental included as well! As much as we love speedy power metal, we'd get bored just as fast as the music if that's all we played!


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

 

[Met-Al]

...and there you have it, folks.

On behalf of the band, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this campaign. Whether you pitched in $15 or $350, you gave us that much more hope toward realizing our dream. Unfortunately, despite your support, we weren't able to raise enough money to give this album a proper release. However, we decided from the beginning of this campaign that it would be all or nothing. Therefore, since we didn't raise the amount of money needed to get this album in your hands, you will all be refunded.

A huge thank you goes out to Deron Blevins for essentially allowing me to (I hate this term) spam numerous band forums on Ultimate Metal. You had the authority to boot me off and tell me to get bent. However, you were supportive enough to let me spread the word throughout this online community. To top it off, you made a contribution to the fund! That was mighty awesome of you.

For anyone interested, bassist Dustin Mitchell has written a press release regarding what the future holds for the members of Katagory V that you can read on our Facebook page. Thanks again for all of the support.


Albert

 

[Aletheus]

Once again, this is just downright WRONG.

I just learned of you guys, and it really stings to see you go like this, mainly because of a lack of exposure in a hectic today.

I saw the similar posts you made on Firewind's forum, but that place is dead and I didn't feel the need to post anything there, but in retrospect it's a serious shame more people weren't involved in this. A damn shame.

 

[Met-Al]

Thanks, Aletheus. Everyone in the band is pretty bummed about it, too. I guess it just wasn't meant to be.


Albert

 

[poundingmetal74]

I sincerely hope you at least put the album up on itunes, bandcamp, etc. for people to download. Make it available in SOME capacity. Why just have it sitting around? That way, you can at least recover some of the cost; I'm certain a good chunk of people who donated will want to get it digitally.

 

[Met-Al]

Hey, Brandon!

We certainly haven't ruled out the possibility of releasing the album digitally, but we want to make sure that we choose the best option possible. Considering the royalties that are paid out from Itunes services, you might as well give the music away. Bandcamp seems to be the way to go. However, the whole thing just seems pretty anti-climatic. We're sticklers for having a physical product, even if it means pressing a very small run. In this day and age, if you release the music digitally first, you might as well not even have a physical release because the album will be pirated as soon as it's made available. Whatever happens, I'll certainly keep you posted.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

 

[SeaStorm]

Update for those interested: the band decided to release it digitally on May 1. Trailer:

 

[poundingmetal74]

Just picked it up. Am 3 tracks in and totally loving it so far!

BTW, Al, have you ever heard of the Salt Lake City band Visionary? They had a few albums, including one called Strange but Familiar Shoes. Very much in the classic ryche / Katagory V vein. Killer band.

 

[Dustin]

Just picked it up. Am 3 tracks in and totally loving it so far!

BTW, Al, have you ever heard of the Salt Lake City band Visionary? They had a few albums, including one called Strange but Familiar Shoes. Very much in the classic ryche / Katagory V vein. Killer band.

Thanks for picking up the album Brandon! Glad you are digging it so far - hopefully it surpasses the previous albums concerning production and songwriting

Not sure if/when Al will pop in here so I will field the Visonary here since they are from Salt Lake and Albert is from Chicago

Visionary (also a former Nightmare Rec band) are good friends of ours. They were the ORGINAL progressive/power metal band from Utah back in the early 90's and paved the path for other bands from our scene like Katagory V, Sonic Prophecy, Disforia, Shadowseer, Visigoth, ect. Their main sognwriter/guitarist Steve Yates - one of the nicest most humble guys I have ever met - has been working on a studio project the last three years with ex-KatV guitarist Curtis Morrrell and Ex-Visionary/Hourglass bassist/vocalist Michael Turner. They have been having a hard time keeping a drummer around, so it's taking a long time to get the project of the ground, but the material I have heard thus far is very solid.

Visionary's debut album is a bit raw, and unrefined but was a pinnacle release for a band coming from Utah. Their 2nd album however, "Strange but Familiar Shores", is very underrated and overooked. I personally love that album!