Search - Rapture :: Songs for the Withering

Must-buy for fans of Opeth and Katatonia

Jordan Itkowitz | Phoenix, AZ United States | 02/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Take the odd, sinister riffs of KATATONIA'S Brave Murder Day and pair it with the more melodic sensibilities of their more recent output, and you have this terrific album by Finland's Rapture. Their first LP, Futile, had a very strong BMDay thing going on anyway, but this one ups the ante with great production, chugging riffs and gasp, dare-I-say, catchy choruses? (Just play Nameless once and see if you don't reach for the repeat button before track 2 even starts.) It's definitely a more accessible album than Futile, but don't worry, they haven't watered it down either. Some songs are straight-ahead Discouraged Ones/Tonight's Decision material, no death growls at all, but the others sound like they could've been growled by Mikael Akerfeldt himself. My only complaint is that I'd like to see some more complex arrangements and structures on future material (in other words, push the OPETH edge). These songs definitely have room to stretch out - but I'm not docking the album a star for this, since I enjoy it so much."

Better than the debut

C. Garces | Plantation, Florida United States | 03/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great album. 9 amazing tracks that flow lightly from song to song. The lyrics are beautifull and compliment the music perfectly. This music is the type you put on when its a grey rainy day and your staring out the window. It sounds selfish, and if the band reads this they probably would hate me, but I think its awesome that they arent HUGE megastars yet, absolutly no commercial influence in this music, in an era full of bands like The Darkness, Offspring and Good Charlotte, its great to see bands that sound and come straight from the heart. The first 3 tracks "Nameless", "Gallows" and "Two dead names" are something that sound so melancholic it gives you the chills. "Two dead names" sounds like somehting that could be on Opeths "Damnation" album. This band does have a big Katatonia influence, but I think they hold their own and pull of thier own particular sound, in other words, they arent a clone and deserve your hard eraned bucks!!"

An intense experience of melancholy...

Conner | Texas | 01/31/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm usually not a big fan of the death/doom sound (too many damn My Dying Bride clones!), but when I first heard Rapture, I was taken aback. The band undeniably have a direct mid-period Katatonia influence, with up-tempo drum beats and inherently emotional riffs and lyrics, but the band also have some oft-overlooked clean vocals, adding a beautiful and majestic touch to the bleak and depressing atmosphere already on this album. Musically, the band is quite above average, creating some great dual-guitar interaction and crafting some truly awesome riffs. There are also some excellent acoustic atmospheric moments with clean vocals that provide a nice break from the depressive attack of the album. Depression is the keyword here. Check it out if you're into the up-tempo, mid-period Katatonia sound, or if you're just looking for some well-crafted, emotional music."