Possible to hate Viva Emptiness, and like everything else?

[batmura]

Hi!

I just met a guy who's really into Katatonia and when we started talking he said how he loves the older stuff like Brave Murder Day and even the albums including Discouraged Ones and Last Fair Deal Gone Down. He, however, remarked that when he heard Viva Emptiness (which is the only Katatonia disc I haven't heard), he was so disappointed that he decided to take a break, even when everyone was raving about The Great Cold Distance.

Finally, months after its release, he did buy Great and loves it. Not as much as Last Deal but he says he's pleasantly surprised. And even though he tried getting back to Viva in case he hadn't understood it back in 2003, he says it still sounds as disappointing as ever.

So I was wondering what everyone thinks of this album? Is it a change from the classic Katatonia sound?

Any comments are welcome.

 

[BlueSky]

I love especially love viva and also all their stuff since discouraged. The older cds aren't my forte

 

[Sadguru]

Yep, VE so far is the only Katatonia album that truly disappointed me.

 

[Vincent J.]

VE doesn't disappoint me át áll, but it's still the cd from the 'new era' that I don't listen much to.
I don't really like the atmosphere on the album I think...

edit: it's like there something unnatural about it or something... hmmm

 

[Erik]

I deeply dislike almost the entire LFDGD album and worship every other Katatonia release (except the newest one which is cool but I've listened to it too little yet to form a proper opinion)

So it's quite possible, but VE rules

 

[Cerulean]

Ahhh yes, soulmates

I hate Viva Emptiness too, I'm afraid I simply can't listen to it anymore.
I do LOVE Complicity and Evidence, and Ghost of the Sun is allright although it does have some typical VE elements (the "I trusted you, you lied, it's all I hear blabla" part... *shrugssss*)
Songs like Wealth and Omerta make me want to kill.
I gave the band a pretty pissed off face when I was standing in front of the stage, and they started playing Wealth

 

[MadTinus]

It's definitely possible, VE is definitely my least favourite Kata-album, which is mainly because of the sound (production), which lacks warmth and depth, something which they fortunately re-obtained on the TGCD album.

There are some great song on VE though, like "Burn The Remembrance" and especially "A Premonition" ("Criminals" and "Omerta" are pretty nice too), but as said, surely my least favourite!

 

[paradoxile]

Lately I've been listening to VE after a long long break in which I concentrated on TGCD and LFDGD and I must say I fell in love with it once again...it's amazing...it's my 3 favorite Kata album after TGCD and LFDGD, for me it's way better than discouraged ones and tonight's decision.

tu du du du du du du du...why have you waited so long*humms*

 

[Zowi]

Also my least favorite. I don't hate it, it just doesn't really have that much of a special feeling to it, like the other albums have.. A Premonition and Burn the Remembrance (the intro omgsh) I do really like.. but.. well, it's the album I listen the least.

 

[i aint play this]

Lately I've been listening to VE after a long long break in which I concentrated on TGCD and LFDGD and I must say I fell in love with it once again...it's amazing...it's my 3 favorite Kata album after TGCD and LFDGD, for me it's way better than discouraged ones and tonight's decision.

tu du du du du du du du...why have you waited so long*humms*

.

Viva Emptiness is a great masterpiece to be honest, the songwriting is so varied and the heavy riffs are work of genius, the album relies less on the dark guitar leads, and this is what i makes it so special, it is more ''tense'' than the other albums, and the lyrics are far from cheesy, ALL of them are amazing story-telling(far more coherent than tgcd's lyrics if you ask me), and jonas delivers one of his most memorable vocal melodies to date...i love that album.

 

[Jinn]

well, VE was the album that got me into Katatonia, and so it holds that special little place in my mind, and I still like it better than oh, say, Discouraged Ones, but now when I listen to it it just doesn't hold me, and I'll skip to some songs and then go listen to something else.

Still a good album, but there is better stuff.

 

[Keltoi]

Viva Emptiness is the Katatonia album I play the least. I agree that there was just something in the sound that didn't click with me. There are some good songs on there that make it worth listening to again, but I much prefer the direction they went on TGCD.

 

[LifeDepraved]

I haven't been playing it a lot lately, but I still love the hell out of it. It's a hard hitter, some really heavy songs compared to the last three albums before it. I overplayed it so it might take some time before I can get a feel for it again.

 

[Aprilhäxan]

Viva Emptiness is my favorite, although I started from... well, not disliking it, but... some sort of a disappointment, too. Now I think it's a masterpiece. I know some people who like Katatonia really hate this album and I still don't understand why. Sleeper is one of the best songs I've ever heard.

 

[Discouraged_Tom]

My opinion: it's a good album, with killer tracks like Criminals, Will I Arrive, Evidence, Burn The Remembrance and more... but I think it lacks this special atmosphere which is known from LFDGD, DO mostly - I'm talking right now about new era stuff... something is missing on VE, something what holds me listening to this album few times in a row, something what makes me skip some tracks. I think I listen to VE for 3-4 times this year... it's as much as nothing. Probably my least favorite Kata album...

 

[Swany]

dunno... it's somehow a bit strange to read all this opinions... I remember some time ago almost everyone [I don't mean you who posted here] was just freakin' out on how cool VE is... ...
...it took me a long time to get into it... I was really disappointed in the beginning, somehow shocked... but then somehow I gave it another chance after trying it for a month... and then it got me and I still think it's a wonderful masterpiece.
Someone said he/she [sorry I'm too lazy to read everything again ] missed the warmth on that album... I think that was the thing that attracted me... and the fact that I find some songs somehow "strange" ... dunno why... but it's good as it is.
I don't listen to it that often anymore because of the fact that I used to listen to it very often in a time when my life was dealing with other things and my constant mood was different from now. The Great Cold Distance seems to fit better to my current "me" ... oh, this is so irrational *lol* ...

...but from that day back in '03 when VE hooked me... I still fukkin' love it! and it's worth a listen!

 

[MadTinus]

I know some people who like Katatonia really hate this album and I still don't understand why.

I don't like the sound, the sound lacks the warmth and depth that for instance made LFDGD so great.

I don't like this 'clang' sounding snare, the distorted guitarsound is too 'thin' (which actually goes for the entire sound i.m.o.), I'm not so technical but I'd say it lacks in the lower frequences. Just listen to LFDGD and TGCD, and you should hear the difference, there's much more warmth in the sound of those albums.

It's hard to explain in words, but that's what I don't like about it, apart from the fact that it contains a rather low percentage of really good songs, but that's personal.

 

[Cerulean]

The main problem for me with this album are the vocals and especially the lyrics...
I mean, I have immense respect for Jonas, but it went down from fucking good, real Katatonic lyrics (Brave Murder Day, Discouraged Ones) to 'doodoodoo why have you waited so long' and 'he went to far the fucker, it's not like I owe him money', I'm afraid I just can't stand this kind of stuff...

 

[Divatkreació]

Well if you ask me, the 'doodoodoo why have you waited so long' features the best lyrics Jonas has ever written even though my favorite albums are BMD, DO and TD

 

[MadTinus]

Someone said he/she [sorry I'm too lazy to read everything again ] missed the warmth on that album...

Guess that's me, see my post after yours .