Review by Ben for Katatonia - Last Fair Deal Gone Down (2001)

Over the years, this Swedish band has simply refused to rest on their laurels. Sure, there are certain ingredients that have remained built into their output since day one, with the desolate sadness and despair mixed with exquisite melodies prevailing throughout their existence. Yet they continue to evolve with every release and "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" is no exception. Just as "Discouraged Ones" witnessed Katatonia shedding their skin and branching out from the wondrously hypnotic doom /death of "Brave Murder Day" into a drearier suicidal rock outfit, "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" evolves further still with a level of professionalism and maturity not prevalent on prior albums.

Almost every aspect of the band improved for this recording and I consider it to be one of their very best albums. It may not be immediately obvious what the differences are that I speak of, but it comes down to the basics. The percussion for starters is far more varied and interesting than ever before, which transforms the somewhat repetitive nature of the more hypnotic sections into a totally different beast. Jonas' vocals are superior to prior releases, leaving the awkward uncertainness behind for a much more confident and convincing performance, without losing the vulnerabilities that define his style. The guitars are heavier, have a much better sound, and contain some truly breath-taking melodies ("I Transpire" for example). There is much more variation in this new Katatonia, no longer relying on similar moods for each of their tracks. The assumingly tongue in cheek "We Will Bury You" and "Sweet Nurse" for example break up the more typically Katatonia "The Future of Speech" and the magnificent "Tonight's Music".

As you can probably tell by now, I love "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" and while I will always miss their old "Brave Murder Day" sound, I simply cannot complain when every album they record is so consistently good. They continue to evolve while staying true to what made them so unique and emotionally affecting in the first place. Which is certainly a lot more than can be said about so many other bands that either remain stagnant or isolate their fan-base entirely over the years.