Review: Katatonia mixes the melodic and intense on latest album

Katatonia
Night Is The New Day
Peaceville Records

The Swedes “get” music. It’s their greatest export. Since the 1970s, Sweden has introduced the world to musical acts with international staying power - ABBA, Ace of Base, The Cardigans, Opeth, The Hives, The Sounds, Covenant and, of late, Basshunter, to name a few - and proven that no matter the genre - pop, rock, techno, metal - they do it best. Swedish quintet Katatonia is no exception. Birthed in the early ’90s, the band has reached critical acclaim in their homeland and abroad over the past decade and a half, and recently released their eighth studio album Nov. 2 (UK and EU; Nov. 10 for U.S).

Sixteen years together has brought them to this moment, one where light meets dark, the melodic meets the intense and the multi-dimensional meets the simplistic on Night Is The New Day. The 11-track album is beautifully orchestrated, with eclectic being the word to best sum up the tone of the progressive, dark rockers’ latest feat. It’s been three years since the band’s last release, and Night is well worth the wait.

By far the group’s most diverse recording to date, the album sweeps from fast, pulsing guitars and drums in “Forsaker” and “Liberation” to sweeping melodies and guitar bridges in “Nephilim,” “Inheritance” and “Departer,” all glued together by Jonas Renkse’s vocals. What Amy Lee did for Evanescence is the same thing Renkse does for Katatonia. Sleek and structured instrumentally, it’s his haunting vocals that leave each tune sticking to you long after the lyrics have ended. Vocals and instrumentals blended together, it’s hard to have one without the other, as together they fit seamlessly and propel the listener from one song to the next. The CD is more melodic and intricate with each tune - if that’s possible - weaving in and out of various sounds. It’s a well-oiled, controlled sound, yet just when you think you’ve pegged a song into a category, the quintet switches direction musically.

Night definitely will keep listeners’ ears piqued for what sounds will penetrate next. Brutal and sophisticated, the melodic dark rock songs are a step beyond what the band reached with The Great Cold Distance, and I, for one, cannot wait to hear what the band has up its sleeve for the next album.

Want a free track from the album? Sign up for the band’s mailing list and download an mp3 of “Forsaker”: http://www.nightisthenewday.com.