Description

2024 press on black vinyl

October Tide was the side project of Katatonia members Jonas Renske and Fredrik Norrman. Jonas said the reason for which he decided to dissolve this side project was that too many good ideas were being used in this band that would be best used in their main band… and it shows. What we have here is 39 minutes of pure early-Katatonia-like sorrow. At times it kind of reminds me of their demo era, at times of Dance of December Souls, at times of Brave Murder Day… but it’s still different from all of these releases. The guitar riffs are beautiful and memorable, heavy at times, melodically soaring at others, all the time with a melancholic feel to them, but still keeping an almost upbeat sound (see the beginning of ‘All Painted Cold’). There’s also the use of acoustic guitars, as well as tempo and structure changes. Oh, yes, and there’s the use of a violin and some keyboards too, which adds up to the atmosphere very nicely. Another thing that is pretty amazing are Jonas vocals here… they sound nothing like in Katatonia (even in their demo/debut era). Instead of screaming his lungs out, he uses a low, raspy, pain-ridden ghoul-like growl and they sound awesome. This is a must have for any fan of Katatonia’s early works, who felt desolated knowing they’ll never see another Jhva Elohim Meth, Dance of December Souls or Brave Murder Day ever again, and for fans in general of melodic doom/death metal. I also advise to check out their Grey Dawn album, as it’s very good too.

Track listing:
1. 12 Days Of Rain
2. Ephemeral
3. All Painted Cold
4. Sightless
5. Losing Tomorrow
6. Blue Gallery
7. Infinite Submission