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