Review by Tara on March 19, 2017.

Finnish death/black metal masters Lantern return with their second full-length release II: Morphosis, a rather fitting title considering the the band has grown from an eager and enthusiastic duo to a full fledged five piece ensemble. This album has a very overall unique feel and sound that will be pretty hard for anyone else to top in 2017.

If you're familiar with Lantern's Below album, you will immediately take notice to the fact that this is no longer a solely old school death metal inspired band anymore. The mix on Morphosis has a very modern and clean sound but is still able to capture the essence of the old school influence.

Middle of the album tracks three ('Hosting Yellow Fungi') and four ('Cleansing of the Air') are the two stand outs, both effectively showcasing Lantern's ability to play metal that is technical, full of atmosphere, darkness and total despair.  They almost blatantly soak themselves in elements of old school death metal but wind up doing so in a way that isn't outdated or interesting. The usage of death metal tremolo, black metal chords and full tilt drumming combined with a thrash metal influenced attack on guitar through leads and intricate accuracy are what make Lantern truly stand out above the rest.

With this just being their second album, Lantern have taken a massive leap into well deserved metal noteriety. It's absolutely amazing to see  how they've progressed in such a short amount of time. I won't be surprised if Morphosis makes it into some top 10 of 2017 lists this year!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Jacobo on May 26, 2004.

I have never been a big fan of compilations. I find them boring because they usually offer nothing new to the listener. But this time things are different. Katatonia has changed so much throughout the years that newer fans who may have ignored the band's past will now get an idea of how Katatonia once sounded.

Brave Yester Days is a 2-CD compilation that starts with "Midwinter Gates," a song from their Jhva Elohim Meth... The Revival EP, and finishes with "Scarlet Heavens" from the Saw You Drown EP. You won't find any songs made after 1998's Saw You Drown EP, only Old-Katatonia stuff.

Brave Yester Days made me realize that even though I really love today's 'catchy' Katatonia, I really miss the band's old school sound. Songs like the emotional "Gateways of Bereavement" (specially in the painful "I love you" scream), "Without God," "Black Erotica," "Love the Swap" and the incredible "Murder," where we have Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth) singing, took me on a journey I had not experienced for some time. I got so excited that I started playing Dance of December Souls, For Funerals to Come and Brave Murder Day in my car for a two hour drive. My only minor complaint is that CD 2 contains, "Untrue," an (understandably) unreleased track. It is an ethereal sounding song that just wants you to press the skip button.

This compilation is a great way for newer fans of the band to learn all about the Doom/Black past of this incredible and innovative Swedish band. Comparing the Katatonia of yesteryears to that of today is astounding and almost amusing. For an old fan like me, the fun part is rediscovering these tunes and realizing what they really meant to me and to a lot of the metalheads at the time.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 6
Originality: 10
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Jacobo on May 26, 2004.

I have never been a big fan of compilations. I find them boring because they usually offer nothing new to the listener. But this time things are different. Katatonia has changed so much throughout the years that newer fans who may have ignored the band's past will now get an idea of how Katatonia once sounded.

Brave Yester Days is a 2-CD compilation that starts with "Midwinter Gates," a song from their Jhva Elohim Meth... The Revival EP, and finishes with "Scarlet Heavens" from the Saw You Drown EP. You won't find any songs made after 1998's Saw You Drown EP, only Old-Katatonia stuff.

Brave Yester Days made me realize that even though I really love today's 'catchy' Katatonia, I really miss the band's old school sound. Songs like the emotional "Gateways of Bereavement" (specially in the painful "I love you" scream), "Without God," "Black Erotica," "Love the Swap" and the incredible "Murder," where we have Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth) singing, took me on a journey I had not experienced for some time. I got so excited that I started playing Dance of December Souls, For Funerals to Come and Brave Murder Day in my car for a two hour drive. My only minor complaint is that CD 2 contains, "Untrue," an (understandably) unreleased track. It is an ethereal sounding song that just wants you to press the skip button.

This compilation is a great way for newer fans of the band to learn all about the Doom/Black past of this incredible and innovative Swedish band. Comparing the Katatonia of yesteryears to that of today is astounding and almost amusing. For an old fan like me, the fun part is rediscovering these tunes and realizing what they really meant to me and to a lot of the metalheads at the time.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 6
Originality: 10
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.8 out of 10