@@forgemastermetal Dead End Kings was my intro to the band back in 2013, incredible album! seen them live in concert that same year what a great show (they opened for Opeth) follow up The Fall of Hearts just seem to resonate in a way that’s difficult to describe, I think a fair amount was to do with some very difficult times I was facing at the time
I wish I could enjoy the newer output by Katatonia just as much as you can. I just can't get into it. I guess it's related to when you entered the realm of their music. Anything post The Great Cold Distance, their sweet spot if you ask me. Always tried to give the records a few spins, even let them sit for a year or two and tried again...nothing...not much at best...the chemistry they had with the Normann brothers and Danny Liljekvist behind the drum kit was just magical and no amount of prog/tech/layers of sheer technical prowess will make up for the loss of the aforementioned guys. Listening to October Tide makes me sad, you can clearly hear what the current Katatonia lacks. Renkse and Nyström are both geniuses, don't get me wrong. But you need a firm frame and clear direction when aiming for perfection. And they provided it in heaps.
@@forgemastermetal If the '06 show was at Mark's, that's one of the two we played. My dad went and was up front for Daylight Dies, which I talked about at his memorial service. What a great fucking show.
I have Fall of Hearts as one of my favorite albums of all time. Old Heart fall is great, but what is most magical about it, is the album as a whole. Just listening from the start to the end. Katatonia created a feeling and atmosphere with the whole album, in a way few other bands are able to. You kind of have to be somewhat down to get the full experience of it, but then it the album fits like no other. Edit: Sky Void of Stars seems like a mix between Fall of Hearts and Dead End Kings and Great Cold Distance
Can’t be mad at the ranking in any capacity. Been a fan of the band since “…Cold Distance” and one thing I’ve noticed is that if you ask three fans to name their top three albums, you’ll get three different responses.
Katatonia is one of my favorite and personal favorite bands of all time. Tbh I don’t think they have a single weak album. And Great Cold Distance is one of my favorite albums. I definitely agree and REALLY disagree with some picks on this tierlist. I think Dance of December souls and Fall of Hearts are both some of their best albums lol. I think the sloppiness of Dance of December souls adds to this dark, cold, nasty atmosphere, And tbh I think Fall of Hearts has plenty of riffs and hooks that immediately caught my attention. I think that album also still has the emotional aspect of the music.
@@forgemastermetal Maybe the album that needs the most rotations to really sink in. Had it on my phone during a one week trip through Israel - it meant nothing to me at the beginning of this week but at the end of it, it had completely transformed for me and ever since it has a special place in this super-special discography.
Great video. I respect y’all’s opinions but I completely disagree on fall of hearts. To me it’s their most melodic album and I barely hear tool influence on it. Serien, old hearts falls, and decima are so melodic. Nothing wrong with having a different opinion though. I do agree with discouraged ones. Saw you drown is in my top 5 and the bonus track quiet world is amazing to.
Oh man I completely agree. Them saying that it's bad tool worship hurt. For one it doesn't feel like tool in the slightest and I don't even like tool that much so idk man it hurts a little seeing them shit on it
Great bands write fantastic albums that fans of all tastes can love. 💚 Katatonia is the perfect example of this and I have no doubt Fall of Hearts is a special album to you. Musics subjective my friend - it’s the beauty of it.
@@forgemastermetal That's true, and Katatonia doesn't really write bad albums anyway. And I'm glad you gave some love to TGCD. That album is getting me through some stuff now.
1. Gothic 2. Lost Paradise 3. Medusa 4. The Plague Within 5. Faith Divides Us 6. Obsidian 7. In Requiem 8. Icon 9. Shades of God 10. Draconian Times 11. Tragic Idol 12. Believe in Nothing 13. Symbol of Life 14. Host 15. One Second
Late to the game, but my rating as follows: S - Dead End Kings, Last Fair Deal Gone Down A - Brave Murder Day, Night is the New Day B - Discouraged Ones, The Fall of Hearts, The Great Cold Distance, Sky Void of Stars C - City Burials, Viva Emptiness D - Tonight's Decision, Dance of December Souls
Loved this so much, guys! I’m so on the same fence with both of you on particular albums. Dead End Kings and Discouraged ones would be my S tier picks too, but adding in Fall of Hearts, personally. Ben needs more scarfs, though.
Thanks for doing this guys, loved seeing your rankings! I’m with you too, for me I always love seeing other fans’ rankings. If someone loves an album that I have lower on my list, it always makes me want to revisit it and give it another listen. My rankings are pretty close to yours, I got into them around when Discouraged Ones came out, and was blown away listening to that one Brave Murder Day at the same time. For some reason, I’ve always been kinda lukewarm to Tonight’s Decision, and I think it could be after being introduced to the previous 2 back to back that my expectations were so high. I probably would have felt different if that one would have been my introduction to them. After that, TLFDGD I loved and felt like more of a progression to me than TD. I’m right there with you on The Fall Of Hearts and City Burials too. And I’m seeing so many people LOVING TFOH, not just here but in a lot of reviews. What are we missing? 😅 I’m about to listen to their albums from beginning to end again though, so maybe it will connect with me this time! But man, the new album is amazing! Fully pulled me back in after the last few. Hope to see more tier lists soon! Love your approach to these. I’m really chill like you guys and I’d be right there with you compromising and being “okay fine...move it to a C”😂
It’s so cool to find other die hard Katatonia fans out there. I love that everyone “finds” their Katatonia album. It’s funny - I need to give fall of hearts and city burials more tries. Who knows, my mind can always change. Glad to see you here my friend!
Interesting ranking. Great Cold Distance is a 10/10. Love the fall of hearts, surprised that album is a love it or hate it thing. Also an S tier album for me
I guess I am. Y’all are my favorite reviewers and it’s good to see different opinions. I also would place Night is the new day and last fair deal gone down in A tier and move dead end kings down a notch. But these lists always make me go back and re listen.
@@forgemastermetal you both said your points of view on that album, my comment is only one, directed to underline how is generally far from the "common sense" about that album. I never heard or read something like your words before. That's it. Your tier ranking, you choices of course. But if you public it don't answer "lmao"...in front of your own words too. Ciao
Been jamming to my one and only Katatonia album I have recently. Ive never listened to any other albums really but I was glad to see Dead End Kings in S tier because that album has got me interested in hearing some of their other stuff.
I can't believe you did Viva Emptiness dirty like that. Sure I might be biased as it was my introduction to the band so it has a special place for me, but it deserves to be higher. I think it's one of their best albums. Also, Fall of hearts of their best album, I was shocked with what you said lol
What's fascinating about Katatonia is that rankings could be literally upside down from listener to listener...I see that as a positive thing... showing how this band can hit in different manners...
Everything after Last Fair Deal Gone Down is my absolute favorite stuff from them.🤘🏻 It's all amazing as hell. Viva Emptiness, The Great Cold Distance, Night Is The New Day, the newer era is hard for me to rank, they are all A and S tier for me. The newest album is also just fantastic.🤘🏻😍Totally feel different about Discouraged Ones but hey, it's still good.👌🏻
My list S: Brave murder day, last fair deal gone down, Discouraged ones A: The fall of hearts, Viva Emptiness, Tonight's decision B: Night is the new day, Dance of December souls, Sky void of stars, City Burials, C: Dead end kings, The great cold distance. The great cold distance has some amazing tracks however it feels the least emotional album by them and I feel like the way they use heaviness and proggyness makes the album feel more impersonal, and katatonia is a very personal band for me.
Really glad to see you guys giving Dead End Kings the love it deserves! Seeing you put The Fall of Hearts in D tier really hurt though lol, it's probably my favourite. Conversely, Discouraged Ones has always been my least favourite, I'm now inclined to revisit it after you guys put it in S tier.
@@forgemastermetal just listened to Discouraged Ones. Yeah, I do like it a bit more now, but it just doesn’t reflect my favourite qualities of Katatonia. Jonas’ singing feels a bit primitive and the guitar riffs and chord progressions just feel very minimalistic and uninspired. Not that it’s a bad thing, the album embodies the melancholic atmosphere that they are known for almost perfectly. I’d say this is their most bleak and depressing album after Dead End Kings, in my opinion. So, yeah, it’s a perfectly good album but my favourite era of Katatonia is the stretch from Viva Emptiness to Sky Void of Stars.
My favorite band ever, thanks for your review in every álbum, i began my Journey with the fall of hearts, mindblowing album, sistere is amazing, form the deluxe edition, and then i started listening to all the discography, now I listen to katatonia every single day
Welcome in, Forgemate! A LOT of our mates have been giving us hell for putting Fall of Hearts so low haha. It is what it is - we think we're very fair. We are also massive fans of this band and certain "eras" have more of a connection with us.
@@forgemastermetal to be transparent, Fall of hearts took time to grow on me. Dead end kings was my introduction to katatonia and was put in my life at a time that I needed it. No harm on your take of any album. Good that we actually have multiple albums of greatness to "argue" about. Much respect
A band with discography as diverse as Katatonia is bound to have different opinions as their fanbase is as diverse as their music. I've followed them since the release of Viva Emptiness, seen them live a few times in that chapter of their career and cried tears of musical/emotional joy countless times. Here's my tier list: S - Discouraged Ones, The Great Cold Distance A - Last Fair Deal Gone Down, Tonight's Music, Viva Emptiness B - Brave Murder Day, Dance of December Souls C - Night is the New Day, Dead End Kings D - the rest of their newer records I just hope they go back to their 4/4 depressive rock of the latter half of the 90s one day...
@@forgemastermetal Very special indeed, as there is no other Renkse in the world. The amount of legitimate emotion in his vocals and the way he manages to sound urgent and soothing at the same time. I loved him at his rawest on Discouraged Ones, he still had no idea what his voice was capable of back then. And Nyström? Wonderful chords and lead harmonies, nobody sounded like him, even Akerfeldt was asking for tabs. Hell, they even made in into Skyrim!!!
I know little to nothing about katatonia yet but old heart falls was one of my first album I listed by them and I honestly loved it thru and thru. Kinda surprised how you guys disliked it with such passion but each to their own right? I surely will dig deeper into their discography maybe that would change my perspective. Being fairly new to band does change how you conceive it, no memories or feelings attached to older albums and such... anyways, amazing video. Cant help but feel the need to see a paradise lost tier list now haha
@@forgemastermetal uhh thats a tough one. My top 5 would be something like 1. Draconian Times 2. Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us 3. Obsidian 4. The Plague Within 5. Tragic Idol It was definitely painful to rank them for me Id love to hear you guys' opinions too. Have massive respect towards older albums like gothic and lost paradise as they are like the pioneers of gothic doom especially gothic but I do think they matured their sound with time
@@robinsonishable I agree, it's a beautiful album. Dark,sad ,depressing . Easily my top 3 with Discouraged Ones and Great Cold Distance. Cheers from MX.
Every One has a special fav by KATATONIA. For me the second full length ( Brave Murder Day ) is an absolute masterpiece. Only the fellow doom band OCTOBER TIDE was try to reach this level of vibes with their first album ( Rain Without End ). The similarity of these 2 recordings is fun fact, 'cause Jonas Renske & Fredrik Norrman are members both of these bands.
I've been a fan of Katatonia since 1995 (though I didn't follow them in the 2000s), and two of my favorite albums by them are The Fall of Hearts and Dance of December Souls. And the next two are probably Dead End Kings and Night is the New Day. Compare to the other three, their debut album seems a bit off, but it was my favorite in the 1990s, and still is. In fact, I can't remember a time when it wasn't. It's different from any other of their subsequent albums, but that doesn't make it worse, even though I like their new direction - it makes it unique. It's relaxed and thick like honey, unlike anything else they've done, and that's exactly what makes it great for me as a listener, not a critic. :)
I'm about 1/2 though the new album, digging it so far. I feel like I've been missing out. There was a number of metal genres I missed when I was younger, namely this sweedish/melo doom. As I got older, I associated doom with funeral doom, not realizing that all doom is not funeral. Both the new Riverside album and the latest Neregar track are great!
Funeral doom is very binary for us. The melodic doom / goth scene, however, is one of our favorite subgenres. That blend of depressive, upbeat rock with crushing riffs is just to die for.
Coming from the most obsessed fan of the Katatonia, It comes from a person who listens to Katatonia the most according to Spotify data: Fall of Hearts is their best album. And it is not fucking close. S: Fall of Hearts A: Discouraged, Great Cold, Brave B:Last Fair, Viva, Sky Void C: Dead End, Night is the, Tonight’s D: Dance of, City Burials
Been listening to the band for over 20 years now beginning with BMD and this is my favourite group of all time (even surpassing Opeth now). And I'd rank the albums as follows: 12. Dance of December Souls 11. Tonight's Decision 10. Brave Murder Day 9. Discouraged Ones 8. City Burials 7. Dead End Kings 6. Last Fair Deal Gone Down 5. Night is the New Day 4. Viva Emptiness [3] The Great Cold Distance [2] The Fall of Hearts [1] Sky Void of Stars
Awesome!! Thanks for your contribution especially as a long time fan. Lots of mixed opinions on the fall of hearts. What makes it so high on your list?
Katatonia is my most favorite metal band of all time, and their new album Sky void of stars is pretty damn good although I've only listened to it for a few times !!! S tier for me are Last Fair Deal Gone Down & Discouraged One, and my least favorite is City Burials. BTW I enjoy watching this video a lot 🤘🤘
I wholeheartedly agree with that list. Some are interchangeable here and there, but I'm glad I'm not the only one ranking Dance and Fall Of Hearts in the D tier when they are such well-regarded albums.
Great Cold, Viva Emptiness, and Last Fair are my S tier I discovered Katatonia at a very difficult time in my life and the lyrics to songs like Criminals, My Twin, The Future of Speech, and July touched deep. Fall of Hearts is definite A tier that was tbe first new album to drop after I discovered them.
The new one could move up over time but likely wouldn't drop down at all. C 12. Discouraged Ones 11. Tonight's Decision 10. Dance of December Souls B 9. Viva Emptiness 8. City Burials 7. Last Fair Deal Gone Down A 6. Brave Murder Day 5. Sky Void of Stars 4. Dead End Kings 3. The Fall of Hearts S 2. The Great Cold Distance 1. Night is the New Day
I have listened to the new album at work today, but there are some catchy songs. And I was forced to look up the lineup, because I thought I heard the singer from Soen on one track. (And my ears didn't deceive me, it was him). I recently saw your video about Bloodbath, and thought if you have heard Tomas Åkvik and Niklas Sandin's other band called Lik? If you need more bands which consists of members from Bloodbath & Katatonia. (I think both have played live with both bands as well)
recent subscriber and love your work - the increasing amount of scarves were a nice touch hahaha my S tier is last fair deal gone down. first one i heard by them, got me through a hard time. i think that's just how katatonia works - like you say you find them when you need them.
Lol so many people commented on Ben’s scarf in our Obituary ranking so we had to make a goof out of it. Welcome to the channel and thank you for the kind words! Katatonia is easily on of the most special bands ever, especially to us.
Fall Of Hearts and City Burials in D?? Personally I love both of those,but different strokes for different folks I spose!...Glad Sky Void Of Stars ranked highly tho,I agree that's it a banger!....Talking of Doom,have you fellas checked out Famyne? They are an English band and their album from last year completely flew under the radar,but it's an incredible release,the vocals are awesome especially.
@Forgemaster Metal Reviews They popped up on recommendations on YT so decided to give em a listen and wasn't disappointed,in fact I ordered their cd straight away lol...Give em a listen,I think you'll be impressed
You had me agreeing for the most part, but I disagree with Fall of Hearts and City Burials being that low. But you did put Dead End Kings as an S where it should be so I'll let it slide 😆
I would add Palace of frost (from their demo) to my playlist, just because how disonant and weird it sounds. It blew my mind as a teenager. I just can't blame you guys for ranking December Souls at D. Katatonia's discography is so rich and solid I really like most of their work. Truly stellar band
Lol my tops are Last Fair Deal Gone Down, Great Cold Distance, and Fall of Hearts! And Dead End Kings is at the bottom with City Burials! But we are unified in our love of Katatonia.
I really like this new album, after City Burials i was afraid they would never release a great record again but thankfully they did. Anyway right now this is my ranking with 1-4 being on A tier, 5-8 on B tier and 9-12 on C tier. There is no S tier because they never release a true masterpiece that made the history of music and no D tier because they never release a subpar record. 1) Last Fair Deal Gone Down 2) The Great Cold Distance 3) Discouraged Ones 4) Brave Murder Day 5) Night is The New Day 6) Sky Void of Stars 7) Viva Emptiness 8) The Fall of Hearts 9) Dead End Kings 10) Dance of December Souls 11) Tonight's Decision 12) City Burials
1. Night is the New Day 2. The Great Cold Distance 3. Brave Murder Day 4. Viva Emptiness 5. Fall of Hearts 6. Sky Void of Stars 7. Last Fair Deal 8. Dance of December Souls 9. Discouraged Ones 10. Tonight's Decision 11. Dead End Kings 12. City Burials Would love to hear them do what Paradise Lost have done and mix their early death doom with what they've been doing more recently. Growls and cleans, heavy and light. Would be great. Also, I disagree that Night is heavier than Cold or Viva. No chance. But those three albums back to back to back were flawless.
Have you guys ever covered Lykathea Aflame on the channel? If you haven’t why not & can you….please & thank you 😂 Thanks for keeping me company at work this weekend on 12hr shifts🤘🤘🤘
I got into Katatonia via Tonight's Decision and Last Fair Deal, but you are right about what you say about those records. The great songs are incredible but there is some filler that I've noticed since revisiting. THANK YOU for mentioning Day off Brave Murder Day and Rainroom is a banger.
Sky void of Stars is awesome, I cannot stop listening. I'm not sure I completely agree with the ranking, but I do for the most part. I mean that's really subjective, The Great Cold Distance is so enveloped emotionally for me, that I love going back to it to feel that same passion, so that one would be my S. Comparing Night is the new Day to Opeth's Watershed is a complete miss. Watershed is the first step to a downward spiral for Opeth, stopped listening to them after that, whereas Night is the New Day is a very, very solid album. I go back to it quite a bit, but the thought "hey, let's listen to Watershed" has never appeared in my mind for the past 15 years. I was, and maybe still am, a solid Opeth fan, it was my fav band for years and then Watershed came and things have never been as good.
I only listened to everything from The Great Cold Distance untill their new release. Became aware of them because Akerfeldt and after this video I got inspired to check out the older stuff. For The Great Cold Distance and Night Is The New Day are the S tier ones. And I really rank the new one pretty high. And hope the see them in 3 weeks because its sold out.
Interesting list. I think Katatonia are one of the few bands where almost any of their albums could objectively be number 1. New album definitely has the potential to break into my top 5 albums of theirs. Favourite: Last fair deal gone down/Dead end kings ( probably ) Underrated: Fall of hearts ( seems to be the one album you either love or hate, but it would probably make my top 5 ) Overrated: The great cold distance ( still pretty great, but lacking a little variety imo ) Favourite
Appreciate your insight, Mike! If you can't tell, we have a lot of love for this band, so it was harder than usual to call anything a "slump". We are musicians ourselves (Brandon said his doom riffs rip off Katatonia - ditto for me, too) & find that experience helps when trying to find an objective view point. At the end of the day, though, music is art! It's an entirely subjective format and we understand there are emotional connections with albums that we can only try to be empathetic with.
@@forgemastermetal absolutely agree. I think personal attachment/preference applies to this band more than most as they have been so consistent in each different direction they've taken imo ( they remind me of _Anathema_ in that regard ). If I made a list in three months there would be a fair chance every album would be in a different position lol.
My favourite is Night is the New Day. Followed by Last Fair Deal and The Fall of Hearts. Sky Void of Stars is very solid, which may end up in my top 5 after some more listens 🤘
This has to be one of the hardest rankings to do. I had to re-listen both Discouraged Ones and Tonight’s Decision because it’s been forever! Also I had to remind myself why the great cold distance was so good by reading the lyrics again. Here is my ranking: S tier: Dead End Kings, The Great Cold Distance A tier: The Night Is The New Day, Sky Void of Stars B tier: Brave Murder Day, Discouraged Ones, Tonight’s Decision C and D I have the same! This was torture! My favorite song on DO is Scarlet Heavens btw!
Haven't heard the new album yet but my ranking goes as follows: 11) City Burials 10) Discouraged Ones 9) The Fall Of Hearts 8) Night Is The New Day 7) Dead End Kings 6) The Great Cold Distance 5) Viva Emptiness 4) Dance Of December Souls 3) Tonight's Decision 2) Brave Murder Day 1) Last Fair Deal Gone Down * I love Katatonia and all of their phases. Even if i sometimes get nostalgic for their Death-Doom days, i understand the need to evolve and the search for newer sounds. And it worked for them as i have LFDGD as my favorite album by them. Excited to hear what Sky Void Of Stars offers!
Whoa, interesting list man. The first album I heard from them was BMD over 20 years ago. And by far Discouraged Ones, Tonight's Decision, BMD and DoDS are all the weakest albums imo. Sky Void of Stars is #1 for me followed by Fall of Hearts.
Good reviews, I agree with most except for Dance of December Souls, which I adore and would put at like...A... and Brave Murder Day which I love just as much. Huge fan of Great Cold Distance and Dead End Kings too, so I concur with those. Sky Void of Stars is pretty cool too.
I am on a lone island here, but IMO this new album is not only masterpiece its their best work of their entire catalog. Every song is unique and original. There is zero filler and every moment has something that pulls you in. The choruses are catchier than ever, the mood is as dark and gloomy as ever, the vocals and production are better than ever. The percussion on this album is outstanding. This is some of the best drum work I have heard to.compliment the mood of a mid tempo song. The first three tracks and atrium can stand against anything they have ever created. Phenomenal record and its my S tier for this band.
Man, was this great! Now I'll need to revisit Discouraged Ones and Night is the New Day, bc they never grabbed me as much. Maybe I'm missing something!! It's great how so many people have different albums at the very top or bottom of their lists. Shows how brilliant this band is. Fall of Hearts I like a lot, probably timing with my life at that point.
Good video, I think personally you guys were too hard on City Burials and a little high on Dead End Kings. Although The Racing heart is one of my favorties.
Splitting hairs just a bit. I love Sky Void of Stars, a fantastic return, but I'm with Brandon that Night is the New Day belongs ahead of it. And maybe because Last Fair Deal has sentimental value as my first Katatonia album, I might put that at B tier just a hair ahead of Brave Murder Day. Otherwise, primo list gents, I give it 5 scarfs
Admittedly I feel Last Fair Deal Gone Down didn't get that much of a fair deal (pun intended). Granted a lot of this is coming from personal experiences with each album and I remember Last Fair Deal being such an important component of my self care and healing when I was in a very rough spot. Outisde of that, I think this marks a pivotal moment with Katatonia career that developed the standard of what makes a good Katatonia album. The song writing is catchy but still holds a lot of heaviness and variation in technique to where I think it's the perfect balance. Plus, in terms of outright classic tracks, I think this album stands out above most of the others. Sweet Nurse, Chrome, Clean Today, Don't Tell A Soul, Teargas, Tonight's Music. I find myself singing those songs constantly. Personally I'd have it trade spots with Discouraged ones on this list. Otherwise I would say this tier list was very spot on.
Interesting. I adore Katatonia but my ranking is VERY different. S: Brave Murder Day, Night Is The New Day A: Last Fair Deal Gone Down, Viva Emptiness, City Burials B: Tonight's Decision, Discouraged Ones, Dance of December Souls, Dead End Kings C: The Great Cold Distance, The Fall of Hearts, Sky Void of Stars No D tiers for me, they never put out an album that low.
When you have a band with such an expansive and diverse discography over 30 years, you're going have an array of opinions on album rankings. I think that while it's complete madness that Last Fair Deal Gone Down and Viva Emptiness are ranked at a 'C' tier, I still respect your opinion and understand not every person is going to see eye to eye on the same albums. I would like to add one more thing as a side note: I've noticed that Opeth fans, as a whole, are the absolute most fragile, insecure fans on the planet. Any degree of criticism whatsoever results in tantrums and defensive screaming rants lecturing people on how the band can do no wrong. To me, it's highly immature if you are a fan of band but can't agree to disagree on musical taste.
Totally agree with you. Katatonia is a band that can write albums that every fan of the band will identify and love differently. I think that’s a big reason why they’re so great.
Weird how I mostly agree with 11 out of 12 and TOTALLY disagree with the last one. The Hall of Farts is one of my absolute favorite albums ever and I would even kick Dead End Kings down to A for it.
Wow, I simply cannot believe you guys placed Discouraged Ones as an S tier. I mean, to each their own I guess, but this showcased Jonas' vocals in their infancy stage. He's like a completely different vocalist now there is just no comparison. The songwriting was still top level, but I will say this....if they re-recorded this album by today's standards THEN and only THEN would I consider it an "S" rank. For now, I think it's like a B (low B) tier. Somewhere like a C+. Oh well, still love this album, man. Relention is my fav from it. ANd also, no way in hell is Viva Emptiness a C album (I mean Ophelia, Criminals, Evidence, Burn the Remembrance, etc). Some of their finest songwriting. But hey, it's your opinion and that's fine. This one is an A for me along with TGCD (which I find funny since one of you guys considered it as being significantly inferior to TGCD.) Ghost of the Sun is superior to Leaders. In fact, TGCD actually has two of a few of my most least liked Katatonia songs (Leaders + Consternation.) But it also has two of some of my most liked Kata songs like My Twin and In The White. Edit: Also please note.....Old Heart Falls and Decima are #2 (7M+ plays) and #3 (5M+ plays) MOST played tracks from Kata's entire career (and 2 of them being off an album you guys say has no hooks.) My Twin is #1 being the only track that is 10M+ plays. My personal favourite track off the album is Residual (in my top 10 Katatonia tracks.) I think this album put them more on the map than even TGCD, for sure.
Have you even listened to Last Fair Deal? What do you mean Dispossession, We Must Bury You and Tonight's Music are only stands outs??? Teargas?? Future of Speech? Sweet Nurse???????????
Nice review!! Love the channel. Been a big Katatonia fan since the 90’s. I’m a little confused about The Fall of Hearts, which I absolutely loved. Was in my top albums of 2016. The new album sounds and feels almost identical to me. But you guys have such a different rating. I guess that’s why it’s called art. Keep up the great work!
Thanks! Yeah albums are weird. Sometimes it’s just not the right time in your life for a record to hit you. I never close the door on albums. Who knows, maybe Fall of Hearts will hit me someday.
The Fall of Hearts is my S tier, an absolute masterpiece imo
Some mixed opinions about that one. What makes it stand out for you?
@@forgemastermetal Dead End Kings was my intro to the band back in 2013, incredible album! seen them live in concert that same year what a great show (they opened for Opeth) follow up The Fall of Hearts just seem to resonate in a way that’s difficult to describe, I think a fair amount was to do with some very difficult times I was facing at the time
I wish I could enjoy the newer output by Katatonia just as much as you can. I just can't get into it. I guess it's related to when you entered the realm of their music. Anything post The Great Cold Distance, their sweet spot if you ask me. Always tried to give the records a few spins, even let them sit for a year or two and tried again...nothing...not much at best...the chemistry they had with the Normann brothers and Danny Liljekvist behind the drum kit was just magical and no amount of prog/tech/layers of sheer technical prowess will make up for the loss of the aforementioned guys. Listening to October Tide makes me sad, you can clearly hear what the current Katatonia lacks. Renkse and Nyström are both geniuses, don't get me wrong. But you need a firm frame and clear direction when aiming for perfection. And they provided it in heaps.
Agreed
Yup, best album they put out to date. S tier!
Opening for them was one of the greatest experiences in my life. Last Fair Deal and Great Cold Distance are S tier for me.
That’s a hell of an accomplishment!
Dude last fair deal is so incredible. I dont feel the way i do about this album with anyother band.
Dude, great taste! For me, TGCD and Fall of Hearts are S. I'd put LFDGD as A.
@@forgemastermetal If the '06 show was at Mark's, that's one of the two we played. My dad went and was up front for Daylight Dies, which I talked about at his memorial service. What a great fucking show.
That's fucking awesome dude! I love LFDGD. That album changed my life. Ranking this band is so hard because I love every album they've released.
I have Fall of Hearts as one of my favorite albums of all time. Old Heart fall is great, but what is most magical about it, is the album as a whole. Just listening from the start to the end. Katatonia created a feeling and atmosphere with the whole album, in a way few other bands are able to. You kind of have to be somewhat down to get the full experience of it, but then it the album fits like no other.
Edit: Sky Void of Stars seems like a mix between Fall of Hearts and Dead End Kings and Great Cold Distance
Absolutely agree. FALL OF THE HEARTS is just one very emotional trip!!!
I agree, it's my favorite Katatonia album!
Can’t be mad at the ranking in any capacity. Been a fan of the band since “…Cold Distance” and one thing I’ve noticed is that if you ask three fans to name their top three albums, you’ll get three different responses.
And that’s a really cool thing for a band!
I like this completely played straight running gag with the scarves 😂
Hahahah yeah, we had to talk about it ahead of time so Brandon wouldn't break character.
I had SUCH a hard time NOT laughing as it progressed, lol. -Brandon
I love how they get more and more outrageous. That was a nice surprise
Looking forward to your katatonia ranking trenches. If you even do one lol
Katatonia is one of my favorite and personal favorite bands of all time. Tbh I don’t think they have a single weak album. And Great Cold Distance is one of my favorite albums. I definitely agree and REALLY disagree with some picks on this tierlist. I think Dance of December souls and Fall of Hearts are both some of their best albums lol. I think the sloppiness of Dance of December souls adds to this dark, cold, nasty atmosphere, And tbh I think Fall of Hearts has plenty of riffs and hooks that immediately caught my attention. I think that album also still has the emotional aspect of the music.
I’m not sure why Fall of Hearts never hit me. Musics weird lol
@@forgemastermetal Maybe the album that needs the most rotations to really sink in. Had it on my phone during a one week trip through Israel - it meant nothing to me at the beginning of this week but at the end of it, it had completely transformed for me and ever since it has a special place in this super-special discography.
Great video. I respect y’all’s opinions but I completely disagree on fall of hearts. To me it’s their most melodic album and I barely hear tool influence on it. Serien, old hearts falls, and decima are so melodic. Nothing wrong with having a different opinion though. I do agree with discouraged ones. Saw you drown is in my top 5 and the bonus track quiet world is amazing to.
Appreciate your comment, Eric! Music is totally subjective and we expect disagreements. Thanks for the dialogue, Forgemate!
Oh man I completely agree. Them saying that it's bad tool worship hurt. For one it doesn't feel like tool in the slightest and I don't even like tool that much so idk man it hurts a little seeing them shit on it
Fall of Hearts is their best album imo
Oh, man! The Fall Of Hearts is my S tier by far and also one of my favorite albums of all time. This D tier broke my heart hahahaha
It’s awesome that everyone falls in love with different albums in their catalogue.
My heart broke, when you put Fall of Hearts in D tier. 💔
Great bands write fantastic albums that fans of all tastes can love. 💚 Katatonia is the perfect example of this and I have no doubt Fall of Hearts is a special album to you. Musics subjective my friend - it’s the beauty of it.
@@forgemastermetal That's true, and Katatonia doesn't really write bad albums anyway. And I'm glad you gave some love to TGCD. That album is getting me through some stuff now.
You broke my heart with the ranking of The Fall of Hearts. 😢 That’s my favorite record.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
We need a new Paradise Lost album so you guys can list their discography. Would love to see it!
Yes we do! What’s your top 5 Paradise Lost records?
@@forgemastermetal
1. Draconian Times
2. Shades Of God
3. Obsidian
4. Gothic
5. One Second
1. Gothic
2. Lost Paradise
3. Medusa
4. The Plague Within
5. Faith Divides Us
6. Obsidian
7. In Requiem
8. Icon
9. Shades of God
10. Draconian Times
11. Tragic Idol
12. Believe in Nothing
13. Symbol of Life
14. Host
15. One Second
Night Is The New Day is my introduction to this band. Also one of my favorites.
Strong pick! Have you seen them live yet?
@@forgemastermetal sadly no.
Late to the game, but my rating as follows:
S - Dead End Kings, Last Fair Deal Gone Down
A - Brave Murder Day, Night is the New Day
B - Discouraged Ones, The Fall of Hearts, The Great Cold Distance, Sky Void of Stars
C - City Burials, Viva Emptiness
D - Tonight's Decision, Dance of December Souls
Loved this so much, guys! I’m so on the same fence with both of you on particular albums. Dead End Kings and Discouraged ones would be my S tier picks too, but adding in Fall of Hearts, personally. Ben needs more scarfs, though.
Glad you could join us! We know they're one of your favs, too!
Thanks for doing this guys, loved seeing your rankings! I’m with you too, for me I always love seeing other fans’ rankings. If someone loves an album that I have lower on my list, it always makes me want to revisit it and give it another listen.
My rankings are pretty close to yours, I got into them around when Discouraged Ones came out, and was blown away listening to that one Brave Murder Day at the same time. For some reason, I’ve always been kinda lukewarm to Tonight’s Decision, and I think it could be after being introduced to the previous 2 back to back that my expectations were so high. I probably would have felt different if that one would have been my introduction to them. After that, TLFDGD I loved and felt like more of a progression to me than TD.
I’m right there with you on The Fall Of Hearts and City Burials too. And I’m seeing so many people LOVING TFOH, not just here but in a lot of reviews. What are we missing? 😅 I’m about to listen to their albums from beginning to end again though, so maybe it will connect with me this time!
But man, the new album is amazing! Fully pulled me back in after the last few.
Hope to see more tier lists soon! Love your approach to these. I’m really chill like you guys and I’d be right there with you compromising and being “okay fine...move it to a C”😂
It’s so cool to find other die hard Katatonia fans out there. I love that everyone “finds” their Katatonia album. It’s funny - I need to give fall of hearts and city burials more tries. Who knows, my mind can always change. Glad to see you here my friend!
That Idle Hands hoodie warms my heart. I've followed Unti Others since their old name too!
I still have it. Never getting rid of it. 😊
Interesting ranking. Great Cold Distance is a 10/10. Love the fall of hearts, surprised that album is a love it or hate it thing. Also an S tier album for me
Are you more into their progressive sound?
I guess I am. Y’all are my favorite reviewers and it’s good to see different opinions. I also would place Night is the new day and last fair deal gone down in A tier and move dead end kings down a notch. But these lists always make me go back and re listen.
@@jesseblair83 Enjoy your revisits, as well as the new album!
My exact sentiments also. Both my S-tier albums.
Fall of Hearts in "D"; "no memorable riffs" and "skiptable"...🤦🤦🤷🏼♂️
Gods forbid we have differing opinions lmao
@@forgemastermetal you both said your points of view on that album, my comment is only one, directed to underline how is generally far from the "common sense" about that album. I never heard or read something like your words before. That's it. Your tier ranking, you choices of course. But if you public it don't answer "lmao"...in front of your own words too.
Ciao
Yeeeeeeees finally someone who understands how absolutely amazing Dead End Kings is, letsfreakingooooo!
We stand with you!
Hello Guys! Katatonia never release bad album. And the New album Sky Void of Stars is kicking me Crazy.. One best album of this year. Even is January.
If 11 out of 12 albums are essential listening, I'd consider them one of the best bands of our age.
@@forgemastermetal That"s True.. I think that Katatonia is those 10 bands in metal who had a great diskografia .
Used this list today to sort my Katatonia playlist at work - was a great mix - thanks guys!
Been jamming to my one and only Katatonia album I have recently. Ive never listened to any other albums really but I was glad to see Dead End Kings in S tier because that album has got me interested in hearing some of their other stuff.
I agree with this Katatonia list.. Spot on. I get the scarf reference. Too funny. Well played. Cheers from Australia.
The scarf gag is actually based on a comment from our last tier video hahaha.
I can't believe you did Viva Emptiness dirty like that. Sure I might be biased as it was my introduction to the band so it has a special place for me, but it deserves to be higher. I think it's one of their best albums. Also, Fall of hearts of their best album, I was shocked with what you said lol
I think it’s cool this band is diverse enough that we can all fall in love with different records. The band itself is amazing. Not much else to say.
What's fascinating about Katatonia is that rankings could be literally upside down from listener to listener...I see that as a positive thing... showing how this band can hit in different manners...
Everything after Last Fair Deal Gone Down is my absolute favorite stuff from them.🤘🏻 It's all amazing as hell. Viva Emptiness, The Great Cold Distance, Night Is The New Day, the newer era is hard for me to rank, they are all A and S tier for me. The newest album is also just fantastic.🤘🏻😍Totally feel different about Discouraged Ones but hey, it's still good.👌🏻
Katatonia is a band that the albums can hit hard based on what’s going on in your life. Cheers!
My list
S: Brave murder day, last fair deal gone down, Discouraged ones
A: The fall of hearts, Viva Emptiness, Tonight's decision
B: Night is the new day, Dance of December souls, Sky void of stars, City Burials,
C: Dead end kings, The great cold distance.
The great cold distance has some amazing tracks however it feels the least emotional album by them and I feel like the way they use heaviness and proggyness makes the album feel more impersonal, and katatonia is a very personal band for me.
Thanks for sharing! Great list.
@@forgemastermetal thanks, been getting into your channel recently and I think the two person thing really compliments this style of content.
Really glad to see you guys giving Dead End Kings the love it deserves! Seeing you put The Fall of Hearts in D tier really hurt though lol, it's probably my favourite. Conversely, Discouraged Ones has always been my least favourite, I'm now inclined to revisit it after you guys put it in S tier.
This is one of those bands that personal connection plays a huge role I think. Curious your thoughts on Discouraged Ones after a revisit!
@@forgemastermetal just listened to Discouraged Ones. Yeah, I do like it a bit more now, but it just doesn’t reflect my favourite qualities of Katatonia. Jonas’ singing feels a bit primitive and the guitar riffs and chord progressions just feel very minimalistic and uninspired. Not that it’s a bad thing, the album embodies the melancholic atmosphere that they are known for almost perfectly. I’d say this is their most bleak and depressing album after Dead End Kings, in my opinion. So, yeah, it’s a perfectly good album but my favourite era of Katatonia is the stretch from Viva Emptiness to Sky Void of Stars.
Cool ranking guys! I got to see them on Dead end tour with paradise lost and it was Daniels birthday too! It was just absolutely fantastic!
Awesome! Did they do anything special for his birthday?
@@forgemastermetal they had a penis as a background with his name haha
Lmao awesome
@@forgemastermetal they used a projector for different backgrounds towards the end of the show but they played leaders during a Daniel special.
My favorite band ever, thanks for your review in every álbum, i began my Journey with the fall of hearts, mindblowing album, sistere is amazing, form the deluxe edition, and then i started listening to all the discography, now I listen to katatonia every single day
Thanks for sharing!!
I am completely new to Katatonia. But now I know what I can start with. Thanks guys.
That's exactly why we do this! Which record do you think you'll start off with?
Dude, enjoy, this band rules.
While i personally disagree with the placement of Fall of Hearts, I 110% agree with Dead End Kings placement. Earned my Sub!!!
Welcome in, Forgemate! A LOT of our mates have been giving us hell for putting Fall of Hearts so low haha. It is what it is - we think we're very fair. We are also massive fans of this band and certain "eras" have more of a connection with us.
@@forgemastermetal to be transparent, Fall of hearts took time to grow on me. Dead end kings was my introduction to katatonia and was put in my life at a time that I needed it.
No harm on your take of any album. Good that we actually have multiple albums of greatness to "argue" about. Much respect
Night is the New Day is my favorite. Every song is good and catchy. Their most beautiful melodies are on that album, and that's saying something.
A band with discography as diverse as Katatonia is bound to have different opinions as their fanbase is as diverse as their music. I've followed them since the release of Viva Emptiness, seen them live a few times in that chapter of their career and cried tears of musical/emotional joy countless times.
Here's my tier list:
S - Discouraged Ones, The Great Cold Distance
A - Last Fair Deal Gone Down, Tonight's Music, Viva Emptiness
B - Brave Murder Day, Dance of December Souls
C - Night is the New Day, Dead End Kings
D - the rest of their newer records
I just hope they go back to their 4/4 depressive rock of the latter half of the 90s one day...
You’re a true Katatonia fan my friend. Totally agree that this band is so so special and it’s cool to see peoples lists so different.
@@forgemastermetal Very special indeed, as there is no other Renkse in the world. The amount of legitimate emotion in his vocals and the way he manages to sound urgent and soothing at the same time. I loved him at his rawest on Discouraged Ones, he still had no idea what his voice was capable of back then. And Nyström? Wonderful chords and lead harmonies, nobody sounded like him, even Akerfeldt was asking for tabs. Hell, they even made in into Skyrim!!!
I know little to nothing about katatonia yet but old heart falls was one of my first album I listed by them and I honestly loved it thru and thru. Kinda surprised how you guys disliked it with such passion but each to their own right? I surely will dig deeper into their discography maybe that would change my perspective. Being fairly new to band does change how you conceive it, no memories or feelings attached to older albums and such... anyways, amazing video. Cant help but feel the need to see a paradise lost tier list now haha
Thank you! Once Paradise Lost has a new album we’ll def do a ranking. How do you rank PL records?
@@forgemastermetal uhh thats a tough one. My top 5 would be something like
1. Draconian Times
2. Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us
3. Obsidian
4. The Plague Within
5. Tragic Idol
It was definitely painful to rank them for me Id love to hear you guys' opinions too. Have massive respect towards older albums like gothic and lost paradise as they are like the pioneers of gothic doom especially gothic but I do think they matured their sound with time
Viva Emptiness is S Tier hands down. Night is the New day was my introduction to the band
@@robinsonishable I agree, it's a beautiful album. Dark,sad ,depressing . Easily my top 3 with Discouraged Ones and Great Cold Distance. Cheers from MX.
Every One has a special fav by KATATONIA. For me the second full length ( Brave Murder Day ) is an absolute masterpiece. Only the fellow doom band OCTOBER TIDE was try to reach this level of vibes with their first album ( Rain Without End ). The similarity of these 2 recordings is fun fact, 'cause Jonas Renske & Fredrik Norrman are members both of these bands.
Fantastic records!!
I've been a fan of Katatonia since 1995 (though I didn't follow them in the 2000s), and two of my favorite albums by them are The Fall of Hearts and Dance of December Souls. And the next two are probably Dead End Kings and Night is the New Day. Compare to the other three, their debut album seems a bit off, but it was my favorite in the 1990s, and still is. In fact, I can't remember a time when it wasn't. It's different from any other of their subsequent albums, but that doesn't make it worse, even though I like their new direction - it makes it unique. It's relaxed and thick like honey, unlike anything else they've done, and that's exactly what makes it great for me as a listener, not a critic. :)
I'm about 1/2 though the new album, digging it so far. I feel like I've been missing out. There was a number of metal genres I missed when I was younger, namely this sweedish/melo doom. As I got older, I associated doom with funeral doom, not realizing that all doom is not funeral. Both the new Riverside album and the latest Neregar track are great!
Funeral doom is very binary for us. The melodic doom / goth scene, however, is one of our favorite subgenres. That blend of depressive, upbeat rock with crushing riffs is just to die for.
@@forgemastermetal Along similar gothy lines, the debut VV album is great!
When discouraged one's was released, not many of my friends were happy about it
Why?
Because everybody loved brave murder day and dance of December souls
I loved Discouraged Ones.
Coming from the most obsessed fan of the Katatonia, It comes from a person who listens to Katatonia the most according to Spotify data:
Fall of Hearts is their best album. And it is not fucking close.
S: Fall of Hearts
A: Discouraged, Great Cold, Brave
B:Last Fair, Viva, Sky Void
C: Dead End, Night is the, Tonight’s
D: Dance of, City Burials
Spotify data is only one piece of the puzzle, but that's an interesting take.
Been listening to the band for over 20 years now beginning with BMD and this is my favourite group of all time (even surpassing Opeth now). And I'd rank the albums as follows:
12. Dance of December Souls
11. Tonight's Decision
10. Brave Murder Day
9. Discouraged Ones
8. City Burials
7. Dead End Kings
6. Last Fair Deal Gone Down
5. Night is the New Day
4. Viva Emptiness
[3] The Great Cold Distance
[2] The Fall of Hearts
[1] Sky Void of Stars
Awesome!! Thanks for your contribution especially as a long time fan. Lots of mixed opinions on the fall of hearts. What makes it so high on your list?
Katatonia is my most favorite metal band of all time, and their new album Sky void of stars is pretty damn good although I've only listened to it for a few times !!! S tier for me are Last Fair Deal Gone Down & Discouraged One, and my least favorite is City Burials. BTW I enjoy watching this video a lot 🤘🤘
Thanks so much for tuning in!!
I wholeheartedly agree with that list. Some are interchangeable here and there, but I'm glad I'm not the only one ranking Dance and Fall Of Hearts in the D tier when they are such well-regarded albums.
Thanks for your input!!
Great Cold, Viva Emptiness, and Last Fair are my S tier I discovered Katatonia at a very difficult time in my life and the lyrics to songs like Criminals, My Twin, The Future of Speech, and July touched deep.
Fall of Hearts is definite A tier that was tbe first new album to drop after I discovered them.
The new one could move up over time but likely wouldn't drop down at all.
C
12. Discouraged Ones
11. Tonight's Decision
10. Dance of December Souls
B
9. Viva Emptiness
8. City Burials
7. Last Fair Deal Gone Down
A
6. Brave Murder Day
5. Sky Void of Stars
4. Dead End Kings
3. The Fall of Hearts
S
2. The Great Cold Distance
1. Night is the New Day
Thanks for sharing! Looks like you like their more proggy stuff.
@Forgemaster Metal Reviews they don't have a bad album but I'd say I love every album in the top 7 and enjoy the rest but don't revisit often.
Gotcha!
I have listened to the new album at work today, but there are some catchy songs. And I was forced to look up the lineup, because I thought I heard the singer from Soen on one track. (And my ears didn't deceive me, it was him).
I recently saw your video about Bloodbath, and thought if you have heard Tomas Åkvik and Niklas Sandin's other band called Lik? If you need more bands which consists of members from Bloodbath & Katatonia. (I think both have played live with both bands as well)
Yeah, the last thing I spun from them was pretty mediocre. I did notice they dropped an album back in 2020, though. Gonna have to scope that one!
recent subscriber and love your work - the increasing amount of scarves were a nice touch hahaha my S tier is last fair deal gone down. first one i heard by them, got me through a hard time. i think that's just how katatonia works - like you say you find them when you need them.
Lol so many people commented on Ben’s scarf in our Obituary ranking so we had to make a goof out of it. Welcome to the channel and thank you for the kind words! Katatonia is easily on of the most special bands ever, especially to us.
Fall Of Hearts and City Burials in D?? Personally I love both of those,but different strokes for different folks I spose!...Glad Sky Void Of Stars ranked highly tho,I agree that's it a banger!....Talking of Doom,have you fellas checked out Famyne? They are an English band and their album from last year completely flew under the radar,but it's an incredible release,the vocals are awesome especially.
Music is totally subjective! Never heard Famyne - gonna have to scope that one! How did you hear about them?
@Forgemaster Metal Reviews They popped up on recommendations on YT so decided to give em a listen and wasn't disappointed,in fact I ordered their cd straight away lol...Give em a listen,I think you'll be impressed
You had me agreeing for the most part, but I disagree with Fall of Hearts and City Burials being that low. But you did put Dead End Kings as an S where it should be so I'll let it slide 😆
This one is all about compromise haha They are one of our favorite bands
Ben, have you been fully consumed by the scarves yet? I'm half worried, half mesmerized.
I am part man, part scarf. - Ben
I definitely think Brave Murder Day should be S. It's genre-defining. It's all-time great. It has Akerfeldt.
Great album! I get why it’s your S
Fall of Hearts is my favorite Katatonia album followed by TGCD and LFDGD
Those initialisms are going to break my brain hahaha
@@forgemastermetal I just got a bit lazy lmao
Dead End kings got me trough my deep depression I still listen to it this day just to uplift me …hell I got to bed often with on play
So glad to hear it helped you through that time.
I would add Palace of frost (from their demo) to my playlist, just because how disonant and weird it sounds. It blew my mind as a teenager.
I just can't blame you guys for ranking December Souls at D. Katatonia's discography is so rich and solid I really like most of their work. Truly stellar band
Palace of Frost is a reach into the catacombs!!! Nice pick.
Lol my tops are Last Fair Deal Gone Down, Great Cold Distance, and Fall of Hearts! And Dead End Kings is at the bottom with City Burials! But we are unified in our love of Katatonia.
I love your Ranking guys! The New album is Definitely an A 🔥👍👍🤘🤘
Heck yeah! Got a favorite track?
@@forgemastermetal Austerity, the more I listen to this album I’m sure there will be more favorites, so many catchy melodies
I also really like Birds , the whole album is Great 🔥🤘🤘
I really like this new album, after City Burials i was afraid they would never release a great record again but thankfully they did. Anyway right now this is my ranking with 1-4 being on A tier, 5-8 on B tier and 9-12 on C tier. There is no S tier because they never release a true masterpiece that made the history of music and no D tier because they never release a subpar record. 1) Last Fair Deal Gone Down 2) The Great Cold Distance 3) Discouraged Ones 4) Brave Murder Day 5) Night is The New Day 6) Sky Void of Stars 7) Viva Emptiness 8) The Fall of Hearts 9) Dead End Kings 10) Dance of December Souls 11) Tonight's Decision 12) City Burials
Very cool to see Discouraged Ones in your A tier.
This Punishment off of Tonight's Decision is one of my favorites.
The Fall of Hearts is a Masterpiece. Tool worship? Lazy? Ridiculous comments, but opinions none the less.
I wish more people were like you in the comments lol
1. Night is the New Day
2. The Great Cold Distance
3. Brave Murder Day
4. Viva Emptiness
5. Fall of Hearts
6. Sky Void of Stars
7. Last Fair Deal
8. Dance of December Souls
9. Discouraged Ones
10. Tonight's Decision
11. Dead End Kings
12. City Burials
Would love to hear them do what Paradise Lost have done and mix their early death doom with what they've been doing more recently. Growls and cleans, heavy and light. Would be great.
Also, I disagree that Night is heavier than Cold or Viva. No chance. But those three albums back to back to back were flawless.
You may disagree!
@@forgemastermetal here's to the beauty of disagreement!
Have you guys ever covered Lykathea Aflame on the channel? If you haven’t why not & can you….please & thank you 😂
Thanks for keeping me company at work this weekend on 12hr shifts🤘🤘🤘
That’s a band I haven’t heard mentioned in a while. I’ll think about how we can include them in a list. Cheers mate! Hope your shift ends soon.
Finally Discouraged Ones gets the place that it desrves
Such an important album
Good idea adding a second S. I'm sure there will still be battles to be had!
We'll never agree on EVERYTHING haha.
My Favourite album would be Brave Murder Day and the Great cold distance... Both different in their style but absolutely adore
I got into Katatonia via Tonight's Decision and Last Fair Deal, but you are right about what you say about those records. The great songs are incredible but there is some filler that I've noticed since revisiting. THANK YOU for mentioning Day off Brave Murder Day and Rainroom is a banger.
Sky void of Stars is awesome, I cannot stop listening. I'm not sure I completely agree with the ranking, but I do for the most part. I mean that's really subjective, The Great Cold Distance is so enveloped emotionally for me, that I love going back to it to feel that same passion, so that one would be my S. Comparing Night is the new Day to Opeth's Watershed is a complete miss. Watershed is the first step to a downward spiral for Opeth, stopped listening to them after that, whereas Night is the New Day is a very, very solid album. I go back to it quite a bit, but the thought "hey, let's listen to Watershed" has never appeared in my mind for the past 15 years. I was, and maybe still am, a solid Opeth fan, it was my fav band for years and then Watershed came and things have never been as good.
Favorite album of theirs depends on which one I am listening to at the time! New album sounds great too!
Hahaha correct answer
I only listened to everything from The Great Cold Distance untill their new release. Became aware of them because Akerfeldt and after this video I got inspired to check out the older stuff. For The Great Cold Distance and Night Is The New Day are the S tier ones. And I really rank the new one pretty high. And hope the see them in 3 weeks because its sold out.
I hope you get to see them too. They’re amazing live.
Interesting list. I think Katatonia are one of the few bands where almost any of their albums could objectively be number 1. New album definitely has the potential to break into my top 5 albums of theirs.
Favourite: Last fair deal gone down/Dead end kings ( probably )
Underrated: Fall of hearts ( seems to be the one album you either love or hate, but it would probably make my top 5 )
Overrated: The great cold distance ( still pretty great, but lacking a little variety imo )
Favourite
Appreciate your insight, Mike! If you can't tell, we have a lot of love for this band, so it was harder than usual to call anything a "slump". We are musicians ourselves (Brandon said his doom riffs rip off Katatonia - ditto for me, too) & find that experience helps when trying to find an objective view point. At the end of the day, though, music is art! It's an entirely subjective format and we understand there are emotional connections with albums that we can only try to be empathetic with.
@@forgemastermetal absolutely agree. I think personal attachment/preference applies to this band more than most as they have been so consistent in each different direction they've taken imo ( they remind me of _Anathema_ in that regard ). If I made a list in three months there would be a fair chance every album would be in a different position lol.
My favourite is Night is the New Day. Followed by Last Fair Deal and The Fall of Hearts. Sky Void of Stars is very solid, which may end up in my top 5 after some more listens 🤘
Awesome! Have you seen them live yet?
@Forgemaster Metal Reviews Not yet, I'm seeing them for the first time next month in Manchester! Been a huge fan since 2015 🖤
Great ranking guys. Could´ve gone a little softer on the fall of hearts (i love that album). Especially shifts gets me everytime.
Everyone has been giving me a lot of push back on how hard I was about The Fall of Hearts haha. Lots of people dig that one! It's not for me. - Ben
This has to be one of the hardest rankings to do. I had to re-listen both Discouraged Ones and Tonight’s Decision because it’s been forever! Also I had to remind myself why the great cold distance was so good by reading the lyrics again. Here is my ranking:
S tier: Dead End Kings, The Great Cold Distance
A tier: The Night Is The New Day, Sky Void of Stars
B tier: Brave Murder Day, Discouraged Ones, Tonight’s Decision
C and D I have the same!
This was torture! My favorite song on DO is Scarlet Heavens btw!
It was definitely a challenge for us as well
Some more scarves, please. Dance of December Souls is the "S" for me.
Ben has become a scarf.
Agreed! Dance of December Souls doesn't get enough love; Amazing album
Loved this listing guys. All music taste is subjective but you guys are fair as fuck and can sense your love for the band. Keep it up ✌️💪
We try to be as fair as possible, despite the subjective nature of critiques. Glad you could tell we love this band because we absolutely do!
Haven't heard the new album yet but my ranking goes as follows:
11) City Burials
10) Discouraged Ones
9) The Fall Of Hearts
8) Night Is The New Day
7) Dead End Kings
6) The Great Cold Distance
5) Viva Emptiness
4) Dance Of December Souls
3) Tonight's Decision
2) Brave Murder Day
1) Last Fair Deal Gone Down
*
I love Katatonia and all of their phases. Even if i sometimes get nostalgic for their Death-Doom days, i understand the need to evolve and the search for newer sounds. And it worked for them as i have LFDGD as my favorite album by them. Excited to hear what Sky Void Of Stars offers!
Thanks for sharing your list, mate!!
Whoa, interesting list man. The first album I heard from them was BMD over 20 years ago. And by far Discouraged Ones, Tonight's Decision, BMD and DoDS are all the weakest albums imo. Sky Void of Stars is #1 for me followed by Fall of Hearts.
Last Fair Deal and Brave Murder Day S tier for me, discouraged ones almost S tier
Nice!!
Good reviews, I agree with most except for Dance of December Souls, which I adore and would put at like...A... and Brave Murder Day which I love just as much. Huge fan of Great Cold Distance and Dead End Kings too, so I concur with those. Sky Void of Stars is pretty cool too.
Nice! Thanks for leaving your list.
Great ranking!!
I totally agree with that!!
💀🖤💀🖤💀🖤
Thanks Darkside! What do you think of the new record?
@@forgemastermetal
The more i'm listen to the more i like it!! Great Album!! Love it!!
I am on a lone island here, but IMO this new album is not only masterpiece its their best work of their entire catalog. Every song is unique and original. There is zero filler and every moment has something that pulls you in. The choruses are catchier than ever, the mood is as dark and gloomy as ever, the vocals and production are better than ever. The percussion on this album is outstanding. This is some of the best drum work I have heard to.compliment the mood of a mid tempo song. The first three tracks and atrium can stand against anything they have ever created. Phenomenal record and its my S tier for this band.
Wow! Mega kudos for your great write up. It's definitely better than City Burials.
"that scarf is certainly a CHOICE" 🤣🤣🤣
Lol yeah - we had to make a goof out of that
Man, was this great! Now I'll need to revisit Discouraged Ones and Night is the New Day, bc they never grabbed me as much. Maybe I'm missing something!! It's great how so many people have different albums at the very top or bottom of their lists. Shows how brilliant this band is. Fall of Hearts I like a lot, probably timing with my life at that point.
Good video, I think personally you guys were too hard on City Burials and a little high on Dead End Kings. Although The Racing heart is one of my favorties.
We are hard asses because we love this band lol
Splitting hairs just a bit. I love Sky Void of Stars, a fantastic return, but I'm with Brandon that Night is the New Day belongs ahead of it. And maybe because Last Fair Deal has sentimental value as my first Katatonia album, I might put that at B tier just a hair ahead of Brave Murder Day. Otherwise, primo list gents, I give it 5 scarfs
Hahaha love your rating!!
I would also put Discouraged Ones at S tier! 🖤🖤🖤
Yuuupppp
Admittedly I feel Last Fair Deal Gone Down didn't get that much of a fair deal (pun intended). Granted a lot of this is coming from personal experiences with each album and I remember Last Fair Deal being such an important component of my self care and healing when I was in a very rough spot. Outisde of that, I think this marks a pivotal moment with Katatonia career that developed the standard of what makes a good Katatonia album. The song writing is catchy but still holds a lot of heaviness and variation in technique to where I think it's the perfect balance. Plus, in terms of outright classic tracks, I think this album stands out above most of the others. Sweet Nurse, Chrome, Clean Today, Don't Tell A Soul, Teargas, Tonight's Music. I find myself singing those songs constantly. Personally I'd have it trade spots with Discouraged ones on this list. Otherwise I would say this tier list was very spot on.
Thanks for watching and for your great comment!!
Got to see them play Prognosis in Eindhoven last year - they stole the festival for me playing 2 sets
One of their best !
Yes it is! What’s your top 5?
Interesting. I adore Katatonia but my ranking is VERY different.
S: Brave Murder Day, Night Is The New Day
A: Last Fair Deal Gone Down, Viva Emptiness, City Burials
B: Tonight's Decision, Discouraged Ones, Dance of December Souls, Dead End Kings
C: The Great Cold Distance, The Fall of Hearts, Sky Void of Stars
No D tiers for me, they never put out an album that low.
Nice list! No wrong answers here.
When you have a band with such an expansive and diverse discography over 30 years, you're going have an array of opinions on album rankings. I think that while it's complete madness that Last Fair Deal Gone Down and Viva Emptiness are ranked at a 'C' tier, I still respect your opinion and understand not every person is going to see eye to eye on the same albums. I would like to add one more thing as a side note: I've noticed that Opeth fans, as a whole, are the absolute most fragile, insecure fans on the planet. Any degree of criticism whatsoever results in tantrums and defensive screaming rants lecturing people on how the band can do no wrong. To me, it's highly immature if you are a fan of band but can't agree to disagree on musical taste.
Totally agree with you. Katatonia is a band that can write albums that every fan of the band will identify and love differently. I think that’s a big reason why they’re so great.
Weird how I mostly agree with 11 out of 12 and TOTALLY disagree with the last one. The Hall of Farts is one of my absolute favorite albums ever and I would even kick Dead End Kings down to A for it.
Never NOT going to call it The Hall of Farts now.
Discouraged Ones is my favorite of all time
Yes!! Do you have a personal connection with it, too??
@@forgemastermetal yes I do
Why don’t we have Flying cars yet?!?!
Sky Void of Cars!!!
Wow, I simply cannot believe you guys placed Discouraged Ones as an S tier. I mean, to each their own I guess, but this showcased Jonas' vocals in their infancy stage. He's like a completely different vocalist now there is just no comparison. The songwriting was still top level, but I will say this....if they re-recorded this album by today's standards THEN and only THEN would I consider it an "S" rank. For now, I think it's like a B (low B) tier. Somewhere like a C+. Oh well, still love this album, man. Relention is my fav from it.
ANd also, no way in hell is Viva Emptiness a C album (I mean Ophelia, Criminals, Evidence, Burn the Remembrance, etc). Some of their finest songwriting. But hey, it's your opinion and that's fine. This one is an A for me along with TGCD (which I find funny since one of you guys considered it as being significantly inferior to TGCD.) Ghost of the Sun is superior to Leaders. In fact, TGCD actually has two of a few of my most least liked Katatonia songs (Leaders + Consternation.) But it also has two of some of my most liked Kata songs like My Twin and In The White.
Edit: Also please note.....Old Heart Falls and Decima are #2 (7M+ plays) and #3 (5M+ plays) MOST played tracks from Kata's entire career (and 2 of them being off an album you guys say has no hooks.) My Twin is #1 being the only track that is 10M+ plays. My personal favourite track off the album is Residual (in my top 10 Katatonia tracks.) I think this album put them more on the map than even TGCD, for sure.
I'm a diehard Katatonia fan and was agreeing until TLFDGD, man that album is not half baked in any sense. C tier? God damn, that album is phenomenal
It's all subjective, mate.
Dead end kings for me. Good list guys. 🖤
Strong pick! What makes it stand out for you?
I hadn’t heard them for a while before I listened to the track leech.
A mate played it in his car. I went and grabbed the CD 😳 that same day
The production on this is spot on too. Drums especially 🖤👌
Yessss
Have you even listened to Last Fair Deal? What do you mean Dispossession, We Must Bury You and Tonight's Music are only stands outs??? Teargas?? Future of Speech? Sweet Nurse???????????
I'm totally with you. That album is one of my favorites. Brandon and I don't always see eye to eye! Take The Fall of Hearts, for example. Haha.
I am not sure what is the definition of "heavy" for the guy on the left?? Great Cold distance heavy!!!
Last fair deal and tonights decision are 2 of my all tine fav albums.
Strong picks! Why do you like those so much?
@@forgemastermetal the atmosphere and almost catchy feel of last fair deal,and the tone and foreboding feel of tonights decision.
Nice review!! Love the channel. Been a big Katatonia fan since the 90’s. I’m a little confused about The Fall of Hearts, which I absolutely loved. Was in my top albums of 2016. The new album sounds and feels almost identical to me. But you guys have such a different rating. I guess that’s why it’s called art. Keep up the great work!
Thanks! Yeah albums are weird. Sometimes it’s just not the right time in your life for a record to hit you. I never close the door on albums. Who knows, maybe Fall of Hearts will hit me someday.