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Rapture > Futile > Reviews
Rapture - Futile

One of My Greatest Decisions - 98%

DominusMortem, March 19th, 2019
Written based on this version: 1999, CD, Spikefarm Records

Rapture is a little hidden gem that holds a special place in my heart. I first discovered doom metal when I was 16 years old. Having been listening to death metal since I was younger, doom was a great refresh and in the long run, ended up being a favorite subgenre of mine. I recall Katatonia's "Brave Murder Day" and Rapture's "Futile" being my first exposure. While "Brave Murder Day" is great, I had gained more of an affinity to Finland's little known Rapture. I had never heard anything like them and the sound stuck more with me than "Brave Murder Day" had. It just felt to me that Futile emphasized doom and how it felt.

Futile has its own unique sound, one that made it stick out amongst other doom metal albums. While Futile's sound is similar to mid-point Katatonia and to early October Tide (both groups had/have Jonas Renske, so no surprise), the overall sound still differs. Futile has a "lighter" and a colder sound to its guitars, and the drums keep a good pace while blending in with the bass. The instruments are balanced and do not overpower one another. The album is not as jagged in tone as Katatonia's "Brave Murder Day", nor as energetic in pace as October Tide's "Rain Without End", but Futile still has strong potency like the aforementioned albums. One of the best aspects of Futile and Rapture in general are the vocals. The vocals are very clear and easy to understand whereas some other doom metal artists are a little trickier. There is also a nice and sparing usage of clean vocals, and even better is that they are in songs where they really shine alongside the instruments.

If Futile were a picture, it'd be one of a dark misty forest, one far from civilization. Isolated, depressive, and lyrically creative are the best ways to summarize this album. The tracks "While the World Sleeps" and "The Fall" are the best examples of how this album is a special album in the scene. While the band members were a little young and inexperienced at the time in 1999, the album is very impressive for a debut and I believe that it greatly contributes to the doom metal scene that was flourishing in mid to late 90s Scandinavia.

Katatonia never sounded so go! - 100%

grimdoom, May 3rd, 2008

Rapture is an interesting enigma in the Doom Metal world. They took their sound from Katatonia, but calling them clones wouldn't be appropriate. They more or less expanded on the work Katatonia did on 'Brave Murder Day'. This is a good thing since Katatonia doesn't play this style of Metal any more.

The production is excellent! The songs are packed full of sorrow and suicidal despair. The guitars are the epitome of melodic as they are constantly harmonizing. There are no less than three guitar tracks per song; one rhythm and two leads.

The bass follows the guitars closely but does add accents every so often for good measure. The drums are beyond simplistic, but they are played so effortlessly & with such precision that you can tell his holding back. The drums mix the beats up periodically to keep things interesting.

The vocals are the only down side to this as they sound forced. They would perhaps be better suited for Black Metal than Doomdeath. The songs are moderately slow and don't stagnate. They are very atmospheric and emotional.

This is a highly recommended band for those into Doomdeath and/or those who miss Katatonia's mid period. This is very down tempo Metal and not for the weak.

Excellent melodic, extreme debut!!! - 89%

WitheringToSerenity, September 30th, 2004

Rapture were certainly a pleasant surprise being a fan of music that contains a mixture of extreme elements and lethal doses of melody. Not sure how to appropriately classify Rapture. If not doom metal then think melodic death metal but slower. On more of a dual guitar attack middle pace with guitar melodies that vary in speed but are much more hypnotizing than your average harmonic death metal band. To call it gothic metal would be a stretch despite being extremely catchy for extreme music. Comparisons or accusations of a watered down, accessible version of Katatonia's Brave Murder Day are bound to come up. The influence in all aspects is obviously their however make no mistake. The albums don't sound similar enough to be branded as anything more than influenced.

They do an excellent job in keeping the album from repeating itself too much. Throw in some great acoustic work ever few songs and alternate clean vocals a few times. The lyrics are minimilastic but surprisingly good. The majority are vocals are presented in growls but they are certainly not the strongest growls but they are not mediocre for sure.

I think the obvious main thing that makes Rapture is the melancholic atmosphere they manage to create guitar(lead especially). Particularly the lead guitars because the rhythm guitars are tight but not the greatest and lower mixed in the production. This adds immensely to the atmosphere and the contrast between incredible guitar harmonies and guttural vocals. If you like that type of music you should enjoy this album(or already have it).

The album as a whole is mostly consistent(lost few points) and well worth the 15 dollars paid in my opinion. Not particularly original, but still manages to sound new and more importantly is some very good music. Not groundbreaking but I find it to be excellent. If the words melodic and extreme are your fancy, then you should have already looked this up.

Favorites: To Forget, Futile, Someone I (don't) Know