Wikipedia

The Catalyst (album)

The Catalyst is the seventh studio album by Swedish heavy metal band Amaranthe. The album was released on 23 February 2024 through Nuclear Blast and was produced by Jacob Hansen.[1][2] It is the first album to feature Mikael Sehlin on harsh vocals.

The Catalyst
Studio album by
Amaranthe
Released23 February 2024 (2024-02-23)
Studio
  • Hansen (Ribe, Denmark)
  • Amaranthe (Gothenburg, Sweden)
  • iStudio (Helsinki, Finland)
Length38:33
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerJacob Hansen
Amaranthe chronology
Manifest
(2020) 		The Catalyst
(2024)
Singles from The Catalyst
  1. "Find Life"
    Released: 6 October 2022
  2. "Damnation Flame"
    Released: 27 June 2023
  3. "Insatiable"
    Released: 26 September 2023
  4. "Outer Dimensions"
    Released: 16 November 2023
  5. "Re-Vision"
    Released: 11 January 2024

Background and promotion

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On 8 June 2022, Wilhelmsson announced his exit from the band, saying that he wished to spend more time with his family and began to dislike touring over the years. He also said that he was planning on releasing solo material in the near future. The band announced they would be joined by two special guests as his replacements at their summer shows of that year.[3] On 6 October, Amaranthe released the first single "Find Life".[4]

On 27 June 2023, Amaranthe released the second single for "Damnation Flame", in which they revealed the identity of their new harsh vocalist, Mikael Sehlin.[5] The band later announced the album itself and release date.[6] On 26 September, the band unveiled the third single "Insatiable".[7] On 16 November, they premiered the fourth single "Outer Dimensions".[8] On 11 January 2024, Amaranthe released the fifth single "Re-Vision".[9] The music video for the title track "The Catalyst" was released 23 February 2024, coinciding with the album release.[10] On 24 September 2024, Amaranthe released the official video for "Interference".[11]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Blabbermouth.net9/10[12]
Distorted Sound6/10[13]
Metal Hammer     [14]

The album received generally positive reviews from critics. Dom Lawson from Blabbermouth.net gave the album 9 out of 10 and said: "No one does it better than Amaranthe, and The Catalyst is the greatest record they have made yet. If you need cheering up, and Satan knows most of us do, this is beyond essential listening."[12] Phil Cooper of Distorted Sound scored the album 6 out of 10 and called the album "an excellent addition to their existing catalogue [...] but it's not an album that breaks new ground for them."[13] Metal Hammer gave the album 3.5 out of 5 and stated: "2020's Manifest pushed their boundaries towards a heavier, djentier sound, and on their seventh album Amaranthe have glided into yet another new guise that promises to be 'more adventurous than ever'."[14]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Olof Mörck and Elize Ryd, except where noted

Standard Edition
No.TitleLength
1."The Catalyst"3:40
2."Insatiable"2:59
3."Damnation Flame"3:33
4."Liberated"3:06
5."Re-Vision"3:04
6."Interference"3:14
7."Stay a Little While"3:36
8."Ecstasy"2:58
9."Breaking the Waves"3:18
10."Outer Dimensions"3:05
11."Resistance"2:56
12."Find Life"3:04
Total length:38:33
Bonus Disc[15][12] and Japanese Edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Fading Like a Flower" (Roxette cover)Per Gessle2:54
14."Insatiable" (acoustic version) 2:21
15."Damnation Flame" (orchestral version) 3:30
16."Breaking the Waves" (acoustic version) 2:44
Total length:11:29
Japanese Edition only
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
17."The Dragonborn Comes" (Malukah cover)Jeremy Soule and Malukah2:03
Total length:2:03

Personnel

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Amaranthe

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  • Olof Mörck – guitars, keyboards, synthesizers, mixing
  • Elize Ryd – clean vocals (female), mixing
  • Morten Løwe Sørensen – drums
  • Johan Andreassen – bass
  • Nils Molin – clean vocals (male), mixing
  • Mikael Sehlin – unclean vocals

Additional musicians

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  • Alexandre Battandier – backing vocals
  • Cătălina Popa-Mörck – flute

Additional personnel

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Charts

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Chart performance for The Catalyst
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[16] 22
Australian Physical Albums (ARIA)[16] 71
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] 9
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 52
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[19] 21
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 3
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[21] 46
Scottish Albums (OCC)[22] 58
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 6
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[24] 26
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[25] 19
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[26] 5

References

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  1. ^ "Amaranthe To Release 'The Catalyst' Album Next February". Blabbermouth.net. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  2. ^ "News: Amaranthe Announce New Album The Catalyst at Wacken Open Air". New Noise Magazine. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  3. ^ Kennelty, Greg (June 8, 2022). "AMARANTHE Parts Ways With Vocalist Henrik Englund Wilhelmsson". Metal Injection. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  4. ^ "Amaranthe Release a Video for Their New Single "Find Life"". MetalSucks. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Amaranthe Announces New Vocalist, Shares 'Damnation Flame' Single". Blabbermouth.net. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Amaranthe To Release The Catalyst Album Next February". Blabbermouth.net. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Amaranthe release new music video for 'Insatiable'". Distorted Sound. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Amaranthe Shares New Single 'Outer Dimensions' From Upcoming Album The Catalyst". Blabbermouth.net. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Amaranthe – release new single/video 'Re-Vision' from upcoming album The Catalyst". All About the Rock. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  10. ^ "AMARANTHE Releases Music Video For 'The Catalyst' Title Track". Blabbermouth.net. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Amaranthe Debut New Music Video For "Interference"". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Lawson, Dom (22 February 2024). "AMARANTHE The Catalyst". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  13. ^ a b Cooper, Phil (19 February 2024). "ALBUM REVIEW: The Catalyst – Amaranthe". Distorted Sound Mag. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  14. ^ a b Wright, Holly (20 February 2024). ""The album's biggest talking point is its ability to deliver in the face of a major line-up change." Amaranthe's The Catalyst sees one of metal's most unique bands smoothly sail into their next chapter". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Amaranthe – The Catalyst". Ever Metal. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  16. ^ a b "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 4 March 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1774. Australian Recording Industry Association. 4 March 2024. pp. 8, 10.
  17. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Amaranthe – The Catalyst" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Amaranthe – The Catalyst" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Amaranthe: The Catalyst" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Amaranthe – The Catalyst" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  21. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2024-03-04/p/5" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Amaranthe – The Catalyst". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  26. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
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