TGCD is in a word FUCKING BRILLIANT!

[Migs]

I've heard it 12 times or so, and still didn't enter my heart.

 

[MountainDweller]

I haven't listened to it for at least a week now. I'm hoping if I go back to it in a few weeks that it'll surprise me somehow.

It has a few good songs, but way too many I can skip. I think Katatonia are great, but after hearing "My Twin" and "Dissolving Bonds", I really was expecting more of this. I don't know what happened, and I didn't think I could ever be disappointed in a Katatonia release. I just hope when I listen to it again later that I will see something I somehow missed in the many listens I had of it in the first week.

 

[Migs]

Mountain Dweller your feelings about it are the same as mine, like I was saying before more than one time here.

I was really excited after hearing the 4 tracks-single and expecting a completely different record. I was hoping that my views could change, but after more than 10 listenings I must say that there are just a couple of very good songs (not excellent, however), and are "Leaders" , "JUly" "In the white" & "soil's song" , some good tracks, "My twin" , "Rusted", a few "standard" songs (that could have been much better,IMO) "deliberation" & "Journey...) . The rest is leaving me completely unimpressed and with the feeling of a lack of inspiration.

 

[ether]

I think you should give it more time...
For me it´s slightly better than VE for example..I really digged it at first listening...but I undestand that the tracks on the EP were really fantastic and quite different from the whole album and promised maybe something else, therefore you could have been disappointed...
I really think that all the songs in this album are outstanding and I love the general atmosphere...
Well maybe it´s not so catchy as LFDGD and it´s quite a difficult album, but I´m loving it more and more I listen to it...that´s always been with Katatonia...and I´m looking forward to hearing those songs live.
I guess you should wait like a month to give a more accurate judgment.

 

[Aprilhäxan]

Maybe Ether is right, but I see pretty clear tendency here… We are probably of three kinds on this forum: the new fans who joined Kata fans army after VE and most of them see TGCD as a natural progression so they love the new album; the old fans who gladly accepted a turn to more heavy and complex sound on VE, and as everyone agree that TGCD is better than VE in many aspects, they think now TGCD is the best album ever written on this Earth (I’m with them); and old fans who hardly survived VE release and all these three years lived with a hope that the next one would be LFDGD part 2… They had a right to think so after “My Twin” release, but when they got the new album, they heard something different a bit. Of course they are disappointed. And I doubt it will help if they’ll listen it for a month or so… You probably need just to face the fact that modern Katatonia differs from Katatonia-2001. They explore new territories… find new ways… you have to take it or leave it… Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think we’ll hear their album sounding exactly like LFDGD or TD in the nearest future.

 

[Migs]

well, I still think that VE is the record of the decennium (better than the previous 2 albums), but I can't see in what aspects TGCD is better than VE.
The fact is that i can't see an evolution in this album as you were saying, to me this is not "exploring new territories" or "find new ways", to me is a step nearer to the mainstream, and maybe a chance to break in to new markets.

I'm in no way saying that it is a bad record! please understand But just a good one

 

[Aprilhäxan]

Well, you just broke my theory I think vocal parties on TGCD are better than on VE, more great melodies... And I don't see any steps closer to mainstream. But you don't have to justify yourself at all, people have very different views on music, and I guess noone will blame you if you won't like the new record after all...

 

[jptk]

well, I still think that VE is the record of the decennium (better than the previous 2 albums), but I can't see in what aspects TGCD is better than VE.
The fact is that i can't see an evolution in this album as you were saying, to me this is not "exploring new territories" or "find new ways", to me is a step nearer to the mainstream, and maybe a chance to break in to new markets.

I'm in no way saying that it is a bad record! please understand But just a good one

I think the opposite, it sounds alot less mainstream than viva and there has been a massive progression in terms of songwriting and musicianship

 

[doom_death]

Lyrics : I've noticed that this time the lyrics are much more complex and refined, BUT much less emotive. Those words describe something to which I found difficult to relate. For example, in VE , when I listen to each song I create a picture in my mind, but this time I can't relate to those lyrics at all.

Absolutely true!!! Songs and lyrics on the Viva emptiness was something amazing...and on TGCD there are only 2-3 songs that I can imagine some picture while listening to them... July,deliberation, and journey through pressure.

 

[doom_death]

And something more...'Viva Emptiness' has incredible feeling and atmosphere of some rural place...but little outside the town...I don't know do you know what I mean..just imagine that is about 8-9pm in summer and you are sitting somewhere without anyone near, and thinking what is sense of living this life....

But,ofcourse...TGCD is incredible album...as I say before, rating about 8/10,8.5/10...nothing less, nothing more...because there are some of Katatonia's best songs, but it's not overall so amazing album like older albums...

CHEERS

 

[Hypnos]

my song ratings for Viva and TGCD:

Viva:

Ghost Of The Sun 8,5/10
Sleeper 6,5/10
Criminals 9,5/10
A Premonition 10/10
Will I Arrive 8,5/10
Burn The Remembrance 9/10
Wealth 7,5/10
One Year From Now 7/10
Walking By A Wire 9/10
Complicity 8,5/10
Evidence 9,5/10
Omerta 9/10
Inside The City Of Glass 9/10

that makes in average: 8,6


TGCD:

Leaders 6,5/10
Deliberation 9/10
Soil's Song 9/10
My Twin 9/10
Consternation 8/10
Follower 7,5/10
Rusted 7,5/10
Increase 8/10
July 10/10
In The White 8,5/10
The Itch 7/10
Journey Through Pressure 9/10

that makes in average: 8,2

that proves my overall opinion, that Viva is slightly better than TGCD. of course i would give the albums more than 8,6 (for Viva) and 8,2 (for TGCD) concerning other aspects than just the single song-ratings, like sound, atmosphere, flow or artwork. my final rating is like:

Viva Emptiness: 9,5
TGCD: 9

 

[Migs]

another opinion of mine is that they where trying to deliver a record more live-oriented then the previous couple.
I might not be completely happy with this studio album but I think that the live performances will be better than ever, with more energy