Beast Within

If you're not an enthusiast for gothic-tinged synthphonic metal featuring an Operatic Female Vocalist (TM), Finland's (it's always the Nords with this stuff) Katra is definitely not your bag. Katra made this kind of music for people who love this kind of music, and is unashamed about it. In fact, Katra is not even ashamed about appealing to a low common denominator: the album cover features only Katra herself, meaning this is a showcase for the vocalist, for whom the band is named, and hence there is very little presence of a 'band' in this band. Katra is, moreover, presented as sexualized. She's strikingly thin, has long, flowing hair, and is thiiiiis close to showing you her cleavage.

OK, whatever. Are the songs any good?

There are a few winners, here: should-have-been-the-lead-single 'Forgotten Bride' has a killer pre-chorus leading into a solid, serviceable hook. The song is awash in dramatic keyboards, and the guitars chug along with enough attitude to flesh out the sound. The melodicism of this track is really impressive, and top-tier acts would jump at the chance to use them.

Unfortunately, that's the only song that really makes my mind jump. But there are some good-but-not-great tracks here that genre enthusiasts will find worth a listen: 'Storm Rider' does a good job of building tension with a slightly counterintuitive melody. 'Swear' has a catchy hook that I haven't forgotten after first hearing it 15 years ago. 'Mist of Dawn' is a pretty closer -- or penultimate track, if we want to count the disposable cover that concludes the record. But as long as we were going to go with the cliched end-the-record-with-a-ballad tactic, I've heard much worse than 'Mist of Dawn'.

One of the key problems with this album is that it stands or falls heavily on the ability of Katra's vocal prowess and individual charisma to keep us enchanted. And while she is certainly talented and competent, there's still a workmanlike quality to this record, a sense that this is not her natural wheelhouse; that maybe she'd be better off as a pop star in another world but found that the metal world was easier to break into for a reasonably attractive woman of significant but not exceptional talent. Her voice can't match genre greats like Tarja Turunen, Floor Jansen, and Simone Simons. It's questionable whether she's even at the level of, say, Edenbridge's Sabine. She's not untalented by any means, but she's got absolutely nothing about her that we haven't heard before. She could get away with it if she had really good songs -- say, an album full of songs on the level of the few I mentioned above. But she doesn't have that, either. So what does she want us to do? The band is apparently still together, but they haven't released anything since 2010, when they dropped an album inferior to the debut. There is not much of a rationale for Katra as a band to exist; they bring nothing new to the table and are not good enough at being an imitation act. Katra needs either better songs or build on her existing talents.

Still, a 65%, for me, doesn't indicate a flop. This record will (for a day or two, at least) entertain others like me, who find this sort of music pleasing. Not that I turn to it more than here and there; I lump this album in with an album like, say, Oratory's 'Beyond Earth', another enthusiasts-only album by an obscure band that's just good enough to be memorable here and there. But there's enough here that I'm bothering to write about it almost 15 years after its release, after it's been essentially forgotten. So if you're into symphonic metal with women singers, I guess I have no choice but to recommend giving it a shot.

I haven’t heard the original version of the songs from the Finnish release (Katra), so that has no bearing on my review. I originally discovered Katra through finding the music video for the title track on YouTube. I found enough tracks (through YouTube) that I liked off Beast Within to go ahead and buy the CD.

The songs mainly fall in the three to four minute time range and move along at a decent pace. The album is especially strong through the first five songs, with the title track being my favorite of the five. The second track (“Forgotten Bride”) contains my favorite lead work out of any song. Things slow down with track six (“Promise Me Everything”) and the next five songs (starting at “Mystery”) don't quite get back up to the level of the the first five. "Mystery" has an interesting intro, but loses momentum once the vocals start in. "Storm Rider" is an example of a song with good ideas that just doesn't come together well. There's some good riffs (and a very good lead portion) in it, but so much of the song is the same chugging riff that it gets old. The closing track, “Kuunpoika”, is the only song with Finnish lyrics and probably my favorite track on the disc. It also needs to be mentioned that it's Katra’s cover of “Hijo De La Luna” originally by Mecano (with Spanish lyrics).

I’m a fan of Katra’s voice and while she has done a good job of assembling solid musicians for this release, it’s clear the vocals are the focus. Guitars and keyboards tend to switch off prominence, with intros and lighter parts leaning more heavily on the keys and guitars kicking in for heavier parts. The title track and “Storm Rider” have both guitar and key lead portions, but there isn’t much interplay between the two. Tracks are typically bass driven when the guitars aren’t doing a lot and the drums are solid, but don’t have any opportunities to really stand out. Given that the two tracks Katra has songwriting credits on (according to the liner notes) are "Beast Within" and "Swear", I'd like to see her take more of a lead in the songwriting department. I think that would result in a stronger end product.

I recommend giving a couple songs (especially “Beast Within”) a listen online. If you like the tracks you hear, then this would be worth getting.

I've read on various places that Katra is the new shooting star of gothic metal, and I must say I agree about the shooting star, but not about gothic metal, as there is so much more to Katra. And in this review I will explain why. This review can be considered as a review of both ''Katra'' and ''Beast Within'', as it's basically the same album, or a comparative ciew of both.

The album ''Beast Within'' is the international version of her debut album ''Katra''. I was quite surprised by the quality of that album and was looking forward to hear ''Beast Within'', expecting no qualitative decrease with it. Also, I thought it would be nice to finally hear what that mesmerizing lady was singing about. Songs that I liked the most on ''Katra'' were ''Luominen'', ''Sahara'', ''Nin Vesi Virtaa'' and ''Tietäjä''. On ''Beast Within'', all are to be found except ''Tietäjä'' (too bad), which was featured on Eurovision and I dont know why she didn't win (as I hate Eurovision and dont watch, I wasn't aware of the fact). Enough history and reminiscences, on to the album.

Although described as gothic metal, I wouldnt put it in that category exclusively. There are other influences, which add extra flavor and depth to the music and are more prevalent than the gothic ones. Also, the album got an award from metal storm for the best atmospheric album. And the atmospheric component is the most prevalent, daresay. From start to finish, we deal with various atmospheres - mainly middle-eastern and egyptian ones. Obvious on titles ''Grail Of Sahara'' and ''Flow'' (respectively re-recorded ''Sahara'' and ''Nin Vesi Virtaa')', and noticeable on other titles as well. Another influence is that of classical music, but not symphonic, as symphony is bombastic,and this is not bombastic. Classical arrangements abound on this album and they are very rich, throughout the songs, keyboards weave tender and sad melodies, mainly with piano, but other instruments are used as well. A third influence is that of folk music. Classical and oriental melodies meet folky on! es, which is mostly featured in forgotten bride. All this is blended together in such a fashion that it creates beautiful soundscapes, the music breathes, thrives and everything flows smoothly, nothing seems out of place, nor any part drowns the other. The music shifts the mood many times, from narrative, epic, to melancholic, sad and heartfelt to something straightforward rocking without losing its expressive quality, nor failing to achieve its aimed emotional impact; various atmospheres either lull the listener into dreamy moods with ''The Grail Of Sahara'', poise to headbanging with ''Beast Within', which has an aura of unease and unrest about it,' and ''Swear'', which is far more brighter, and ''Storm Rider'', an aggressive rocke;. then stir melancholy within the listener with''Forgotten Bride'' and ''Fade To Gray'', and finally move him to tears with ''Scars In My Heart'' and especially ''Mist Of Dawn, a slow, brooding ballad, which is the most atmospheric of all songs! , due to its movie score music. Worth mentionning are the guitars, whi ch make the metal part of the album. Audible throughout the whole album, they add necessary heaviness, featuring beautiful solos in few songs and even leads, as in ''Beast Within'' and ''Swear'', the most rocking tunes, as previously said. So, the instrumental part of the album being so good,it sets the expectations high for the vocals.

Aye, I kept the best part untold: Katra's vocals. Obviously classicaly trained, she displays her skill artfully, a mesmerizing voice of a mesmerizing woman, may I say, she transfers all emotions created by the music to the listener with ease. She usually sings in alto range, but is capable of hitting high notes. While her voice has not the power of imposing itself on the listener like Tarja, Leeni-Maria or Carmen can, it is lyrical and gentle, an inherent quality of Katra's voice, and suits the music, an inherent quality of Katra's voice, most noticeable in ballads. The apparent ''lack'' of power is just a difference, not a downside, as it purveys Katra her own personal mark and sets her apart of other vocalists, making her heartfelt delivery shine.

A few words about the lyrics. While not using complicated words, nor being overly poetic, some lyrics are very intelligently written, as for ''Scars In my Heart''. Lyrics dealing with ancient Egypt (''Grail Of Sahara'', ''Flow'') convey some mystic feel, and we have even some philosophical views in ''Mystery''. The rest of the lyrics deals with emotions. Of special mention is ''Forgotten Bride'', which reminds of some folkloric theme, as it is about a woman whose man went to war and never returned and she still waits for him. While all lyrics end with hope, two songs have a negative view on life. ''beast Within'' is about a spiteful woman who was betrayed and nurtures now a ''Beast Within'' ; ''Fade To Gray'' is about a couple who lives together, but both are lonely, so they eventually ''decay to a shade''. Such trivial subjects are dealt with in an interesting way, so lyrics are a strong part of the songs.

Now, comparing her performance on ''Katra'' with that on ''Beast Within'', I must say that Katra succeeded in recreating the emotional impact of her debut. Almost. She sounds better in finnish, even we don't understand a word. There is a certain insecurity in her english, but I'm sure experience and further albums will help her. Maybe because english is not her native tongue. But, this fact doesn't lower the listening experience too much, it is negligible, as she succeeds to convey the emotions successfully. Obviously, her voice is the highlight of the album, also her look. She is not hot, but gracious, a charisma floats around her. She reminds me of some odalisk often, maybe due to what she wears and because of songs like ''Sahara''. What I appreciate is that she seduces in a discrete, feminine way, and doesn't use sexual means (like other vocalists try, we all know them and thus I will not mention them), this seduction is part of her intrisic cham.

I'd recommend this album to every metalhead, as it is consistent in quality, beautiful, maybe not very inovating, but its wide range of musical ideas will surely find many listeners, of which many will just want to see if she can sing, if nothing else, I am sure of this.