Recorded at the infamous Sunlight Studios in Stockholm with noted producer Tomas Skosberg and featuring the throaty vocals of Opeth's Mike Akerfeldt. 18 plus minutes of material previously unreleased on any Katatonia album... more ». Tracks, 'Nowhere', 'At Last' &« less
Recorded at the infamous Sunlight Studios in Stockholm with noted producer Tomas Skosberg and featuring the throaty vocals of Opeth's Mike Akerfeldt. 18 plus minutes of material previously unreleased on any Katatonia album. Tracks, 'Nowhere', 'At Last' &
CD Reviews
(reviewed by the mentally sick)A hidden gem!
Jose A. Foray | Mesa, AZ USA | 09/01/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is what Katatonia should of sounded on Brave Murder Day and For Funerals To Come. Probably (In My Honest Opinion)the saddest of early Katatonia. The guitar work on this three song piece, and this piece alone, really strikes you in the heart. Depressing with no hope, a beautiful, usually underrated piece in all of this genre.
I have found this on the eastern European edition of Brave Murder Day as bonus tracks. And if you cannot find the Sounds Of Decay ep, buy the Brave Murder Day import. A must have for anyone who has any of Katatonia's recordings!"
Unbelievable, one of my favorite katatonia records
Justin | New Jersey | 04/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"this 20 minute EP, also recorded with Opeth's Akerfelt on vocals, is stylistically similar Brave Murder Day, but i think there are a few differences that make this release very worth while.
Atmosphereically i always felt early on Katatonia gathered influence from death doom and black metal and mixed them in a way that rendered its own sound. As with Brave Murder Day, this recording has the minimal spaced out feel, crunchy guitars, a mid pace, and death metal vocals. this record stays more on the death metal side; most black metal influence is gone, but some of the freezing melodic feeling of 'true' black metal is here. the lead guitar is more prevelant now, and this allows the recording to be very emotionally strong. while brave murder day was more numb than this record (not that this isn't numb sounding), Sounds of Decay is even more despondant in its melodies.
the opening track 'no where' is one of my absolute favorite katatonia tracks, along with 'rain room,' 'gateways of berevement,' 'quiet world,' and the 'sleeper.' the leads here are quite complex, shifting all over, while the rest of the band drones out in mid paced minimalism. the lead guitar touches the absolute brink of despondancy, and the lyrics will attest to it, but the vocals are rather low in the mix, adding more to the rhythm guitars and bass than they do to the flow of the songs, leaving the lead guitar to control everything. the same is basically true for 'at last,' and 'inside the fall,' while the final track 'untrue' is a bit weird, mostly clean guitar, but then blasting in for a few moments with growling and distorted guitars.
over all, if you like early katatonia, especially brave murder day, you need to get this. in fact, brave yester days is worth getting just because it includes this EP and Saw You Drown.
finally i'd just like to add that katatonia was always a band that changed a lot, this recording sounds almost nothing like the more black metal influenced Dance of December Souls, so those who cannot understand how they switched to clean vocals should listen a bit harder."
Great Album
Luke Wieder | Highland Park, IL United States | 07/05/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Much like the cd "Brave Murder Day" by Katatonia they are greted by the lead singer of Opeth and this is only 3 tracks but it is 3 tracks that are amazing and should be listed by anyone who likes good metal."
Katatonia's farewell to death / doom and a worthy one at tha
Ben Stubbs | Australia | 08/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Featuring the same line-up as the classic "Brave Murder Day" full length, this was always going to be great. For those of you out there who love the aforementioned album and wish the band hadn't taken the softer depressive rock that they chose to take, you should hunt down this EP immediately. In particular, opener "Nowhere" is just awesome, taking the hypnotic desolation of the "Brave Murder Day" album and adding some more melodic sections that could have come from the "Dance of December Souls" period. Actually, it wouldn't surprise me at all if these tracks were written in between those two albums.
The other tracks, "At Last" and "Inside the Fall" do not match the opener for quality, but they are both worthy in their own right. Mikael's vocals are great as usual and the guitar work just beautiful (although there are a couple of slightly dodgy sounding solos here or there). Even though I love the bands modern material, I really miss this sound. It's fortunate that the Finnish band Rapture took it upon themselves to carry it forward.
Apparently, there was a fourth track called "Untrue" recorded during this session but left off the EP for some reason. It did appear later on the "Brave Yester Days" compilation and I can't help thinking it would have been a great finish to this release. The digipack and slipcase versions of "Sounds of Decay" have become quite rare these days and can sell for a fair bit, so if you're interested, it may be more value to buy the "Brave Yester Days" compilation as it contains the complete EP and a whole lot more.
As a farewell to the death/doom Katatonia, "Sound of Decay" is a fitting near 20 minute goodbye and should hold its place in any Katatonia fan's collection in whatever format."
The final cry of Katatonia's old era
Ryan K. Fry | Sherman, TX | 04/18/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This EP was originally released in 1997 and is now out of print. Opeth's frontman, Mikael Akerfeldt, substitutes vocals for Jonas Renkse, who was in the process of regaining his voice from all of the abuse he'd put it through a year earlier. The electric and bass guitars are all produced top notch and are undisputedly the most prevalent instruments on this EP.
The most impressive song on this release is definitely the closing track, "Inside the Fall". With the song's various stages and course changes, even passive listeners are drawn in with ease; it's also an excellent piece for aspiring guitarists to study. It should be noted that an amazing outtake from these sessions, "Untrue", was released in 2004 on the band's two disc retrospective, Brave Yester Days.
After this EP, Katatonia decided to take a new musical direction in order to expand their sound. Although the band wanted to harness what they perceived as a wider, more accessible sound, the situation with Jonas' voice was undoubtedly also taken into consideration during this critical time of transition.
You most likely won't find this EP at a reasonable price on its own, but fear not as it can be found in its entirity on the aforementioned retrospective, Brave Yester Days."
Track Listings (3) - Disc #1