CITY BURIALS

The trend of extreme and progressive metal acts abandoning or taming their heavier impulses or more progressive ambitions for the sake of listenability is well established. When done tastefully, the progressive metal community is generally receptive. The spirit of prog, and even metal to an extent, demands continuous evolution. And prog fans are, or at least should be, wiling to accept when artists have made changes in their artistic direction.

No band has done this more tastefully than Katatonia having basically abandoned their early extreme doom metal roots for a more prog infused alternative metal sound. With City Burials, the group seems to distill their alternative sound even further' perhaps too much.

Unfortunately, City Burials merely retreads over the same territory already covered in previous releases all while stripping it of any novelty that could have possibly crept in. Jonas Renkse's attractive vocals are front and center but they fail to produce memorable hooks. The backing to Renske's vocals, despite multiple dense and cleanly produced layers of sound and instrumentation, don't seem to amount to all that much. As a listener, I can't help but feel lost in its monotony. In a word, this record is boring.

KATATONIA is an epic black / doom band a bit death and gothic when they were born in 1991! 21st album with live performances, 11th studio album, 4 years after their last delivery, he has worked to get the THEATER OF TRAGEDY, MY DYING BRIDE, PARADISE LOST or ANATHEMA, RETROSPECTIVE even more recently recognized. A good metallic rock with progressive connotations and dreamlike melancholic variations sprinkled with freshness. A more nervous album, less prog, more direct, lively and powerful, emotional according to Jonas. "City Burials" represents a catalyst for its creators, with a collection of titles constructed from the fragments of an ever-changing life. The finely played chords move away from the original KATATONIA sound to retransmit the band's journey, its doubts, its thoughts and its rebirth with this heavier old school metal opus and its touch of classicism. An album full of atmosphere and spleen due to the musicians' thoughts retranslating their fragile emotions about wear and the passage of time here and there. The LP and CD versions have a plus in the form of bonus tracks.

"Heart Set To Divide" starts the album with a crystalline voice, an ethereal, half-hovering, half-melancholy vibe until an energetic but controlled break; no shedding, just the tempo set to signify the band's paw; light synths, riffs, clear vocals and finally a good tune in the current doom prog; "Behind The Blood" follows with a very sharp solo from the start, then the energy of the heartbreaking title which gives the second main source of the group. "Lacquer" follows for a spleen, ambient, plaintive track, slow and bewitching tempo, already allowing to cut the atmosphere by a fracture, a shuddering track which should explode even more live in my opinion, also symphonic limit and the voice of Jonas well put forward with the different oppressive keyboards; It's pure, enjoyable, it's atmospheric.

"Kidney" then for a stronger, more languid track with Anders and Roger's guitar surrendering the notes; the well-placed battery allows the progressive break to break out at best, it's nervous and latent at the same time, the final climb can send you into a trance, be careful, the immersion is more than predictable! Note the progressive scents that emerge throughout the album without real sequences or precise breaks, the notes are bewitching, melancholic and form a musical space-time where the title seems to take on more length. "The Winter Of Our Passing" comes back to a tune in line with what I listened to at home a few years ago, also at PARADISE LOST for its heady and wonderful sound at the same time.

Already "Vanishers" signs half of the album, title here again more airy, raw, clear, a little tranquility for a romantic and atmospheric ballad in the tradition of a great ANATHEMA with its small end in decrescendo; to note Anni BERHHARD who comes to lend her voice on it with delicacy. "City Glaciers" for the biggest title, 5'30 "of gothic rhythm and variations giving a serene, calm and hypnotizing atmosphere, spleen also on a melodic and nervous side; a rhyme that also reminds me of RETROSPECTIVE at times. "Flicker" more metronomic, more choppy, with more synths too, almost oppressive and an oriental solo on the guitar, a good dense title, rhythmic with a final rise that suits me, one of my favorites.

"Lachesis" arrives for the small psyche, airy, piano interlude bringing Jonas' rocky voice to an aged and crisp soundtrack. "Neon Epitaph" for a somewhat agreed-upon opus, not bad in itself, but quite predictable; however the voice is more worked and plays with the various instruments. "Untrodden" already ends the album with a title reflecting all the knowledge of the group: clear, languid, plaintive and warm voice, syncopated rhythm peering towards pure rock, towards heavy and heavy rock with here a dreamlike guitar solo, this which is still a little lacking on the rest of the titles; an extended track full of a depressive and happy atmosphere.

Here, the chronicle of the titles is quite fast in fact, given the rather simple titles taken one by one, these same titles which, without connection between them, form a continuity by the intensity launched over the notes, by the force of the syncopated rhythm at times, limpid and icy of the other; a concept by the atmospheric environment lavished by these seasoned musicians and who begin to synthesize the substance of their dreamlike experiences to transcribe it here. An album for fans of cold and icy prog metal, that good sound that warms up with its abyssal and ethereal side, fresh and suffocating, playful and depressive, a KATATONIA that gets better with age, who would have believed that after more than 30 years of activity?

Thankfully, Katatonia's hiatus announced in 2018 did not last very long. In Autumn 2019 the band let fans know they were back in the studio to record a new album. Fast forward to April 2020 and the new album, City Burials, is out. So, how is it? Certainly not an easy album to get into. The first time I listened to it, I was actually scared: I loved everything the band has done since 2001 Last Fair Deal's Gone Down, with the exception of 2009's Night Is the New Day, and that was a sad day for me. I did not want to repeat the experience with City Burials.

And in many ways City Burials reminded me of Night Is the New Day. It may be a coincidence, but the band decided to work on City Burials when they were touring Night Is the New Day in its entirety in 2019, so I wonder whether the fact that they were playing those songs night after night somehow influenced the creation process of City Burials. Another parallel between the two albums is that many of the songs on Night Is the New Day were written by Renkse, who wrote the totality of the songs on City Burials. The consequence of this is that the two albums share one uneasy characteristic: the search for melodies that are not easy to absorb immediately. Vocalist Jonas Renkse never goes for the straightforward melodic solution, neither in the verse not in the chorus of these 11 songs. Rather, he tries and finds something unusual, oblique, unexpected. The result is an album that only grows on you with repeated listening (and I mean many repetitions of active listening!).

Another similarity between City Burials and Night Is the New Day is the fact that both albums are quite heterogeneous in the style of the songs on them. Several songs on City Burials are quite far removed from metal: Lacquer, Vanishers, Lachesis are built on layers of subtle electronic arrangements, with very subdued guitars, and an alternative-pop quality to the vocals (on Vanishers Jonas is accompanied by alt-rock singer Anni Bernhard, with stunning results). In many ways all these songs reminds me of the song Departer on Night Is the New Day, another similarity between the two albums. But then we have also songs that are much heavier - probably the heaviest stuff the band has put out in a long time: Behind the Blood, for example, or Untrodden with its fast and shimmering guitar solo. Other songs are more in the style of the latter albums (Dead End Kings and The Fall of Hearts), with their melancholic overtones and unpredictable structure (another reason why the album is not easy to absorb).

Thankfully, I think that City Burials is much better than Night Is the New Day: the quality of some of the songs here is amazing (Heart Set To Divide, Behind the Blood, Lacquer, Vanishers, Untrodden are all masterpieces and among the best songs Katatonia ever made). Other songs are somewhat a step behind in quality, although in many cases they have their moments of greatness (Rein, The Winter of Our Passing, City Glaciers). In all cases the spotlight is on Renkse's vocals, which here reach new levels in terms of emotion and quality. He has improved so much from the days of Discouraged Ones!

I feel that the second part of the album is a bit weaker than the first 6/7 songs (Flicker and Neon Epitaph don't do much for me). This is a slight unevenness that perhaps could have been rectified by producer Jacob Hansen. I also feel that the production is a bit too "light". This works well in some of the more subdued tracks, but in other songs I miss a bit more heaviness and aggression. But especially more guitars: I really miss more of Nystrom's usually mesmerizing guitar leads and riffs.

But overall this is a strong album, slightly different from the previous two albums Katatonia have released, mellower, more electronic and less metal (think about the collaboration between Renkse and Bruce Soord, The Wisdom of Crowds), but still retaining all their trademark gloom and melancholy.

"City Burials" is the 12th full-length studio album by Swedish metal act Katatonia. The album was released through Peaceville Records in April 2020. It´s the successor to "The Fall Of Hearts" from 2016 and features the same lineup who recorded the predecessor. Katatonia have a long history of changing their sound and musical style. They started out playing death/doom metal, then toyed with goth/alternative rock/metal, then started playing hard edged riffs and rhythms again, and then for a period mellowed out a bit more, although their music still featured heavy riffs and rhythms. They´ve had a relatively consistent sound on the last couple of releases though...

...and on "City Burials" they pretty much continue down that same melancholic heavy alternative rock/metal path they´ve also travelled on the last couple of releases. It´s the trademark sound of Katatonia, with dynamic use of mellow melancholic sections and heavy riff oriented sections with Jonas Renkse´s soft, emotional, and melancholic vocals and lyrics on top. It´s as bleak and melancholic as ever (ok, maybe not quite as bleak, but just as melancholic) but it´s unfortunately also a little too much by the numbers. There´s nothing wrong with the quality of the songwriting, the musicianship, or the very well sounding production job, but "City Burials" is Katatonia playing it completely safe, and I had hoped that the adventurous souls of the two mainmen behind the band Renkse and Anders Nyström (guitars, keyboards, and backing vocals) had felt the urge to try something different again. Twist their sound in a new direction and not just release another similar sounding album to the last couple of releases.

Alas "City Burials" is more of the same, and maybe that´s perfectly fine for some listeners, but I´ve come to a point where I´ve begun to find it all a bit tedious, and my alarm bells are starting to sound loud and clear that Katatonia have completely stagnated. It´s probably one of the worst critiques you can give an artist, but I´m afraid it´s warranted here. Very few artists have survived making the same album over and over again and I hope Katatonia realise that change is needed for the next album. But for all my disappointment and an attention which wanders while listening to the album, it is as mentioned above still a quality release, and it´s mostly in the context of the band´s discography that "City Burials" disappoints. Katatonia are still able to make some of the most heartfelt, melancholic, and darkly beautiful music on the scene and they do occasionally shine on "City Burials" ("Behind the Blood" is one of the highlights, as it´s a bit different from what we´re used to hear from the band). A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

Katatonia don't really sound the same on any of their albums because they are always changing their ever-evolving sound to what they see fit. Bands who do this aren't doing it to annoy people, (although they might unintentionally annoy some individuals) they do it because they don't feel pressured by anyone to keep playing the same thing over and over again just because their fans like it. True fans of bands who do this enjoy all the different musical styles that a band changes to on their albums. I feel this way with Katatonia. I like all the different sounds they play. It's not like Katatonia does a complete 360 on us and changes to playing emo or something like that.

City Burials is the latest studio offering by the Swedish band Katatonia. The album was released at the best possible time for an album to be released, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. What the band gave us is progressive rock and metal that is melodic, has lush and beautiful keyboards, and overall enjoyable sounds that are sure to please anyone, maybe even someone who doesn't like metal. Katatonia have been playing progressive music with skill for a while now, and it pleases people to hear such good sounds coming from a band that played Cookie Monster stuff in their early days.

Katatonia is definitely one of those bands where they sound so different on their early albums from their later albums that you can fool other people and even yourself by not thinking they're the same band. I recommend this to fans of the band who like everything they make, (AKA a real fan of the band) and people who like dark, melodic, and pretty metal. If you want to hear the bands proggier stuff, I say you listen to their previous album, The Fall of Hearts, and then come to this one. You won't regret listening to either off those albums, trust me.

Swedish rockers Katatonia deliver a striking collection of melancholic and atmospheric art rock songs on their eleventh studio release - 2020's 'City Burials', the band's first album after their short 2018-19 hiatus. The brainchild of band leader Jonas Renkse, this haunting album has to be not only one of their most experimental and sonically enticing outputs, but also one of the most finely produced and modern-sounding offerings from Katatonia's already broad catalogue. Each of the eleven songs on this excellent studio album contribute to the overall gripping darkness that encapsulates 'City Burials', also solidifying the impressions one might get from the starkly unsettling but absolutely gorgeous album art photography, which happens to be the work of the very talented Lasse Hoile, known for his work with Steven Wilson over the years.

Quite elegant in its sound, 'City Burials' impresses with the majestic use of the keyboards, the prevalent (and occasionally exotic) ambience and the unnerving electronic sensibility, all of these aspects contributing to the very gloomy but enticing audio treat that is unfolding before the listener. A drastic departure from the more stripped-down rock attitude of its predecessor, 2016's 'The Fall of Hearts', it seems like Katatonia have really taken their time to reflect upon what the band could do more in terms of songwriting, and how they could expand the scope of their music, making 'City Burials' a very bold move that signifies how truly progressive the Swedes still are.

Not a single poor composition here, each one of the forty-eight minutes of this record is wisely used, resulting in one of the most focused rock albums of the year. Opener 'Heart Set to Divide' is a very strong rocker that might serve as a link between the band's previous release and this new one, as it sets a grim tone for the rest of the album. 'Behind the Blood', on the other hand, impresses with the swiveling guitars and the almost-tribal drum sounds. The band follow this up with 'Lacquer', another phenomenal song, that almost has an art-pop edge, then comes 'Rein', one of the heavier songs on 'City Burials' and one of the strongest choruses, too. Just four songs in, and the album is already severely impressive - the atmosphere, the variety, the lyrics, and the songwriting, all on a very high level. Other highlights are certainly 'The Winter of Our Passing', 'Flicker' and 'Neon Epitaph', but as it was mentioned before, each song on this album is just too good.

'City Burials' is very innovative, very far-reaching and forward-thinking, very emotional and quite well-written, or in a word, excellent. It might a couple of years, or maybe even a decade or so, for this album to truly be appreciated for what it is, but Katatonia have certainly achieved something special here, as this should rank among their best works, as this beautiful dark record is highly recommended!