We are the Catalyst
Monuments

Swedish modern metal duo We are the Catalyst are giving us their debut album Monuments, they do have an EP released last year in the baggage as well. Then of course the two members of the duo Cat and Kenny were both part of One Without who released two albums and some EP and singles, a band we have written a fair bit about at Hallowed. So what about this new constellation formed from the remains of One Without because Kenny and Cat felt the need to do something different from what they had previously done both musically and ideologically. That leads ut to We are the Catalyst and their debut album.

I don’t know how this differs from One Without musically because it is the same style of music built in the same way. Modern metal with plenty of keyboards, female vocals in a little bit of a haunting style, catchy choruses and chugging modern riffs. Modern styled soundscape, just a modern production that can be described as both inventive and unimaginative at the same time.They do what they do well, good sound and all but most modern bands sound quite similar, this band has a somewhat unique musical style though so they do have things going for them. Compared with One Without I think we can describe it as a bit more positive in style, One Without was a bit darker.

This album has a lot of things that are appealing but the near one hour playing time is not one of those, I don’t know why they felt the need to pack the album full with thirteen tracks. I think ten or so would have been wiser and less daunting to go through several times. It is interesting in many regards but as an avid listener and fan of One Without I have a hard time distinguishing it from what One Without did, maybe this has a more upbeat and positive vibe but you will be hard pressed to really tell the difference. I think this is a bit more complex and encompass more musical diversity than what One Without did but as I stated, there isn’t much difference. Perhaps it is in the lyrical department.

This is a good album, Cat is a great vocalist and the band has all the tools in the metallic toolbox and they should be able to make something brilliant. This just isn’t it. It doesn’t really fly, they make something exciting but manage to make it sound a bit indifferent. But there are some highlights, like the opener Fight For Air which is a song that everyone who is drowning should use as a soundtrack. Then I also like the eighth track A Life A Lie which is the best track on the album. Those tracks are really good but they don’t hinder the album from ending up feeling a bit mediocre especially considering the quality of this duo. I can say that you should check it out if you enjoy One Without or female fronted modern metal, it is a solid debut that promises more for the future than it delivers in the presence.

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