Пригорща зірок (HANDFUL OF STARS)

How to rip off Katatonia's 'Brave Murder Day' and get away with? The clue to the answer must be that Katatonia was too much ahead of their time for success, or that fans of this style simply don't care.

Right from the start, 'Downfall of the Epoch' settles for the groove and signature riffing style that Katatonia developed on their 1996 blackened doom metal classic. That album also served as an inspiration for Agalloch so you may be reminded of Agalloch as well when listening to this. The tempo breaks down to a medium paced section that sounds a bit post-rock-ish but not as much as for instance Agalloch's 'Ashes Against The Grain'. The melodies here are too static for that. It's an acceptable song but it screams theft out of every pore.

The remainder of the tracks don't deviate too much from the formula, they may be somewhat faster or slower but the basic ingredients remain the same. The melodies are fairly average and the album becomes dreary fairly quickly. The vocalist never reaches the anger and threatening tone that Akerfeldt reached on that certain Katatonia album that I keep mentioning. Well it's not my fault, they're asking for it.

A lifeless clone of something that someone else did just perfectly 15 years ago. It's done with such lack of flair and skill that it hurts my ears. As it shows on the cover, one star.