Amaranthe are, for some, a difficult band to get into. They encapsulate a wide variety of genres from pop metal to the darker side of melodic death metal.
While they started out heavier back on their self-titled 2011 debut focusing on the more guitar orientated side, they’ve progressively dived further into more synth-lead material. And on The Catalyst, nothing could be more on the button. Opening with the title track you’re hit with a flurry of synth and guitar based riffs with Elize Ryd, Nils Molin & Mikael Sehlin (making his first album appearance) all taking stage as their triple vocalist lineup. Before the album was released they made a point of saying that The Catalyst will be more orchestrally driven, and they make an impact with keyboardist, synth & guitarist Olof Morck taking charge with this initiative bringing the band from the heavier side to the more chorus-lead band they are today.
Damnation Flame pushes the album to the forefront of the symphonic metal scene with its chorus, guitar hooks and machine gun drumming from Morten Lowe Sorensen that makes the song turn into more of a rave than a mosh pit. But it works in the band’s favour, as they’re more focused on making a more singalong party album than anything else.
It’s not until track seven however where we reach a big change of pace. The keyboard led atmospheric of Stay A Little While hits harder than most of the songs on the record. Ryd’s powerful vocal range was made for slower songs like this. Molin harmonizing side-by-side with Ryd makes the song go from slow ballad to classic rock, 80s soundtrack complete with Morck’s guitar solo that scratches the itch perfectly before the song culminates with Ryd & Molin together soaring high. This song in a live setting would bring out the lighters, phone flashes and waving arms complete with at least one person in attendance wailing with tears.
Ecstasy brings the album back to life with a great chorus and guitar based rhythm. At the end of the album we’re treated with a cover of Fading Like A Flower, performed originally by Roxette. And while Find Life would have been the perfect song to end on, Fading Like A Flower is a pick me up from the rest of the album as it gets you bobbing your head and singing along without realization. The Catalyst has marked a turn for Amaranthe, from being a riff based band to the synth-lead giants that will cause them to appear at festivals and arenas around the world for quite some time.