Amaranthe's 'The Catalyst' - Album Review

I think that it is fair to say that my relationship with the Swedish pop metal act Amaranthe has been rather up and down. I would consider myself a fan, but their catalogue has varied significantly in quality in my opinion - which is strange to say when there has been little variation in their sound and approach since the early days. Speaking of the early days, I was on board from the off. The band's self-title debut album from 2011 and 2013's The Nexus were albums I listened to an awful lot around their respective releases. Overtly poppy metal has become more popular since these two albums dropped, but there was not much else out there at the time which mixed bona fide pop with power and melodic death metal influences. Amaranthe and The Nexus still feel pretty fresh, then, with the hooky songs, fiery guitar playing, and excellent vocal interplay standing out as the band's selling points. Sadly, though, I do not think that anything which the band have put out since 2013 has been anywhere near as good. I do not actively hate any of their albums, but the three which followed The Nexus certainly felt like big steps down for different reasons - with perhaps 2016's Maximalism (which I briefly discussed here) being their weakest effort overall. The albums which sat either side of Maximalism, 2014's Massive Addictive (which I reviewed here) and 2018's Helix (which I also reviewed here), were better - but I have not returned to either very often, and the band did not impress either of the times I saw them live, too. I had somewhat written the band off, then, but I am not one to give up that easily - so I picked up 2020's Manifest (which I reviewed here) on its release. Perhaps the album's upbeat vibe was just what I needed during the pandemic, or perhaps the band had upped the game again somewhat, but I was pleasantly surprised with Manifest - and it is easily my favourite thing that the band have done since The Nexus. Despite one rather embarrassing song, the album just felt natural and fun - and it was one I returned to quite a bit throughout 2020 and 2021. It restored my faith in the band - so much so that I was actually looking forward to the release of their seventh album The Catalyst, which dropped at the end of February. The Catalyst follows another line-up change, with harsh vocalist Henrik Englund having left the band in 2022. Following some live shows with stand-ins, Mikael Sehlin (Degraded; Engel; Paralydium) was unveiled as the band's new harsh vocalist last year - joining Amaranthe's trademark three-pronged vocal attack alongside founding member Elize Ryd and Nils Molin - the latter whom performs on his third album with the band here. The rest of the band remains the same as it has since essentially the off - with guitarist Olof Mörck once again driving everything alongside Ryd. Sehlin's recruitment has not significantly changed Amaranthe - but he does seem to be utilised a bit more here than has sometimes been the case with the band's previous harsh vocalists, which gives The Catalyst a bit of a heavier feel. Englund had also been responsible for some rather silly lyrics on the last couple of albums, too, and I for one will not miss songs like GG6 or BOOM!1 going forward.

I am pleased to say, though, that The Catalyst is another very solid album from Amaranthe - picking up from where Manifest left off. The songwriting feels tight and there are quite a few tracks which jump out from the off due to their big hooks. The title track, which opens things up, is one such piece - and it is likely one of my favourite individual tracks from the band since those first two albums. Pulsing synths set the tone, hinting at the upbeat music which is to follow, but the vibe is a bit more epic and atmospheric than has often been the case with Amaranthe - so when Morten Løwe Sørensen's drums kick in and the song gradually builds around his percussive approach things feel a bit more expansive. Normal service returns as soon as Sehlin unleashes the first of his growls, though, and a chugging Mörck riff starts the song proper - and the verses see all three vocalists taking in turns, with Sehlin's ragged whispers and growls punctuating the cleans of Ryd and Molin. A sparkling synth melody helps to add extra depth, but the track is mostly a groovy power metal anthem - with an explosive poppy chorus which could be the album's best moment overall. The melodies stick in the brain from the off thanks to a dancy backing - whilst a heavier breakdown section and a winding guitar solo allow for brief changes of pace towards the end. Insatiable is more of a mid-paced track, with the driving energy of the previous track reined in to allow for a more groove-based approach. The synths feel more industrial here, with Mörck's guitar adding a Rob Zombie-esque strut as colder melodies flash out of the speakers. There is more of a mechanical and metallic tone throughout, then, but the vocal interplay is as varied as ever - albeit with a bit more of a focus on harsh vocals during the verses this time. A vocoder is also utilised during something of a breakdown later on, and this is something which is revisited a few times throughout the album. I do not recall one being used extensively on the band's previous albums, so the vocoder allows The Catalyst to stand out - but the song's chorus once again provides the main hook. Lead single Damnation Flame goes for more of a typical power metal approach with a fast harpsichord melody which whips up something of a gothic atmosphere - which is weaved nicely with the band's trademark up-tempo pop sound. This was the song which introduced Sehlin to the band's fans, but perhaps the standout vocalist here is Molin. Ryd tends to take most of the spotlight, but Molin's slightly thespian vocal approach here works nicely - and the song is a bit grander and expansive than is typical for Amaranthe, with a symphonic metal feel during the chorus and a string-led waltzy instrumental section. The hooks are still present, but the gothic trappings here are welcome and it suits the band nicely. Liberated returns to something much more typical, with a busy synth hook dominating from the off. Mörck's guitar tone is less crunchy here, with the band's melodic death metal side reined in a little. Sehlin still growls throughout, but he tends to sing against a colder synth backing - with Ryd and Molin dominating during the much more upbeat chorus. Mörck still riffs throughout the song, too, but his guitars have less bite here than they have during the previous three songs - but his solo is the longest and shreddiest on the album so far, making up for the less prominent riffing.

Re-Vision, like the opening track, opens with some flashy synths and a programmed drum groove - but the vocoder referenced earlier soon joins in and the track morphs into a proper pop anthem with snaking guitar rhythms and wordless melodies created by the vocoder. Like the previous song, Mörck's guitars are less biting here - but the groove they create is very infectious. The vocoder melodies are extremely cheesy, but I actually think that they work quite well. Thankfully the band have not over-egged them throughout the album - meaning that their leading role here feels somewhat novel. It feels very mainstream pop in nature, but Amaranthe have often included big nods to chart pop - and it has generally served them well. Sehlin's growls adds some heaviness alongside the guitar grooves, though, but this is probably the least heavy of the rockers here - with another chorus which is up there with the album's best that mixes Molin's anthemic drive with the aforementioned vocoder hooks. Interference sees Mörck's guitars back in a bigger way, although the track is not as guitar-driven as it perhaps seems. The opening is pretty organic-sounding thanks to a big riff, as is the chorus which sees some pretty high notes from Ryd and Molin, but other parts of the song are much more synth-driven - with nu metal programming backing parts of the verses which Sehlin growls in a somewhat rapped rhythm. This semi-rapped approach has been used by the band before, and I have not generally been much of a fan of it previously, but it does not sound too out of place here - perhaps as it is relatively underused. The song's chorus is so hooky, though, that it is hard to get too upset by the nu metal trappings. Amaranthe's albums tend to include at least one pretty straight ahead ballad, and Stay a Little While is The Catalyst's effort. Delicate piano melodies form the basis of the verses, whilst subtle strings add some depth. Ryd tends to dominate vocally, her poppy and floaty voice suiting the track nicely, although Molin also plays a big part. His more over-the-top delivery does tend to dominate when the two sing together, but the two singers still harmonise well. The track does get a little heavier as it moves along, but the piano dominates throughout. Mörck does add some guitar weight to later verses and renditions of the chorus - but the track never really shifts too far from its more low key arrangement. Mörck does add a pretty lengthy guitar solo, though, and it is one of his most straight ahead guitar moments on the album - as it packed full of ballad emotion and melodic leads. Ecstasy gets back to a more upbeat sound following the ballad, but it is not one of the album's heavier pieces. Spacey synths open the track up and they dominate throughout. Mörck's rhythms add weight, but this is not a piece that feels very guitar-driven at all - with Sørensen's drumming and the pulsing keyboards dominating throughout. The overall approach does not change all that much throughout, although the chorus feels much brighter - with some explosive pop hooks breaking out of the colder backing elsewhere, before a growled breakdown and a shredded guitar solo add some additional excitement. The vocoder is used again here occasionally, too, although very sparingly - but I like how its use has been sprinkled throughout the album to act as a bit of a link between a few of the different songs.

Breaking the Waves feels a bit more atmospheric overall, with much more space in the mix which really allows Ryd's excellent vocals to breathe. She is generally the singer which gets the most screentime on each album, but this song feels set up to allow her to shine - at least early on. The opening verse is rather sparse, with pulsing synths and less of a guitar focus creating something of an industrial base for her to sing over. Strings add a warmth, though, so this is not as cold-sounding as some of the songs here. The symphonic metal flourishes referenced earlier are referenced again here, too, and the song sounds a bit more cinematic than is often the case for Amaranthe. It does bulk itself out as it moves along, though, with Molin turning the second verse into more of a power metal anthem - but a more epic, slow-burning chorus moves away from the band's usual in-your-face pop approach in a way which works pretty well. Outer Dimensions very much returns to the band's core sound, though. It opens with a short segment from the later chorus, but a fast-paced Mörck riff kicks in and the track becomes another pretty up-tempo power metal anthem with sparkling synth hooks and plenty of groove from the guitars. The song is perhaps less musically interesting than some of the other tracks here, but it is certainly a vehicle for big hooks. The chorus here is another candidate for the album's best - and it feels stratospheric thanks to the big vocal harmonies throughout and the conviction of both Ryd and Molin. It is hard not to get swept along with it all thanks to the infectious hooks which are present throughout - and it is choruses like this which remind me why I fell hard for Amaranthe back in 2011 when their first album dropped. Resistance is similar, but ups the pace further - harking back to how the album opened with its title track. Mörck's guitar has much more bite here, and Sehlin has more of a presence, too, after a couple of tracks which featured less growling. There is quite a good balance between clean and harsh vocals during the verses, which allows the song to have a heavier feel. The pace only ups this heaviness, too, and the track feels pretty venomous at times - with some genuine melodic death metal vibes present. The chorus is bouncy and upbeat, too, but I think what stands out the most for me here is the hard-driving nature, the fast-paced riffing, and Sehlin's growls - with the track likely the heaviest on the album overall. The album then comes to a close with Find Life which opens slowly with buzzing synths - before a groovy riff kicks in, and the track becomes a generally mid-paced rocker. Arrangement-wise, though, it is more varied than is often the case for Amaranthe. Sørensen's drumming is more percussive than usual, with the verses built around his busy playing - whilst the synths and guitars add colour. This approach allows the vocals to shine, though, and Ryd and Molin trade lines in a natural way around this grooving drum pattern. The chorus feels bigger, with more of soaring symphonic metal vibe than something more anthemic, whilst Mörck's guitar solo is more laid back and progressive-sounding - with fluid melodies bringing the best out of him. It ends without much of a bang, too, which is strange for Amaranthe - but the more expansive song still feels like a fitting closer, particularly given that a much heavier song preceded it. The Catalyst, then, is another very enjoyable album from Amaranthe - and it is great to see that the current run of form which started with Manifest continues. I think this album may well be stronger overall than Manifest, and the title track is already one of my favourite Amaranthe cuts. It is great to see the band really trying again and I hope that there is more of this to come going forward.

The album was released on 23rd February 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Damnation Flame.