SKY VOID OF STARS

One of Sweden's oldest and most consistent masters of dark prog metal release their 13th studio album since 1992.

1. "Austerity" (3:41) cool KARNIVOOL-like song and vocal performance. (I understand how wrong this reference is since Ian Kenny and his Aussie bandmates were barely out of diapers when Katatonia launched its career but my knowledge and familiarity of Karnivool's music preceded that of my Katatonia awareness.) Excellent guitar solo in the second minute. Great choruses. A top three song for me. (8.75/10)

2. "Colossal Shade" (4:29) opens like some 1980s power metal but then enters the 21st Century with some great effects and djenty guitar play. (8.75/10)

3. "Opaline" (5:00) through the first minute of this song I feel as if I should prepare myself for some kind of Linkin Park performance pyrotechnics, but the song turns out to be far more straightforward and melodic than I expected. (9/10)

4. "Birds (4:08) great performances from the rhythm section, weak vocal. (8.667/10)

5. "Drab Moon (3:59) is this KARNIVOOL? Hearing this song begs the question: Did Mariusz Duda hear Katatonia before gathering his musical credits? before he helped form RIVERSIDE? (8.5/10)

6. "Author" (4:17) now this is more like what I like in my atmospheric metal music! (I am, after all, a attested fan of all-things djenty.) By far my favorite song on this album! I love the extreme dynamic shifts and atmospheric keys, subdued vocal performance and djenty guitar sections. (9.5/10)

7. "Impermanence" (5:12) I hear a little Cy Curnin (THE FIXX) in this vocal performance. (8.75/10)

8. "Sclera" (4:45) nice sounding but so very simple--both compositionally and vocal/melodically. (8.5/10)

9. "Atrium" (4:08) as melodic as anything Ian Kenny and his KARNIVOOL mates have done. In fact, this is almost a straight-forward rock ballad! (8.75/10)

10. "No Beacon to Illuminate Our Fall" (6:08) again, it's the dynamic range of this song that brings me in--even though some of the heavier stuff is a bit repellent. That fourth minute is spell-binding. Unfortunately, it flows into the less-than-impressive chorus section. Still, this is probably my final top three song. (8.75/10)

Total Time 45:47

I do not find this music to be nearly as dark as others have written. In fact, I find it much more melodic and uplifting--reminding me quite a little of KARNIVOOL's wonderful 2013 minor masterpiece, Asymmetry. The excellent drumming and bass contributions to this album's music are always so solid, so noticeable. I've listened to Katatonia albums before but none have grabbed hold of me as well as this one. This might help inspire me to go back into their rather extensive discography.

B+/4.5 stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection.

Sweden's gothic rock-leaning prog metal legends Katatonia released their thirteenth studio album in January of 2023, after two very solid previous releases, 2016's 'The Fall of Hearts' and 2020's 'City Burials', seemingly following up and expanding that well-established on these aforementioned albums sound that depicts them as a mature metal band enjoying their prime years by writing epic and upliftingly dark prog-shaded songs that sit very well within the ears of the listener. 'Sky Void of Stars' continues this trend, and it has to be said that it comprises a very nice addition to their already-excellent catalogue - the album is like an organic blend of the previous two releases, kind of taking the grave nature of 'The Fall of Hearts' and mixing it with the seemingly uninviting but surprisingly comforting ether of the songs found on 'City Burials'.

With all of this said, it is worth mentioning that this is quite an enjoying album, I find it working very well as a whole, it has been very intelligently constructed and above all, it contains some very beautiful moments, where the band is certainly at the top of their game. While it might not be rivaling iconic records like 'Last Fair Deal Gone Down' or 'Brave Murder Day', this one is a gorgeous snapshot of where Katatonia is at the moment, in what I consider their most melodic and beautiful period, also a period where the band's name has certainly become synonymous with quality, if this has not been as strongly established before. Among the highlights of 'Sky Void of Stars' one shall find 'Austerity', 'Colossal Shade', 'Birds', 'Impermanence', 'Atrium', and the bonus track 'Absconder' - some of these truly have the potential of becoming classics of the Swedes' catalogue. A great new release for Katatonia by all means.

Solid Melodic Goth / Doom undercut by Overproduction

Katatonia have been at it for a long time, and have settled into their current sound which involves clean vocals, a wall of sound that includes multiple guitars and keys, mostly middle tempo songs, scattered prog elements, and a dark but not overly dreary flavor. In general, I enjoy goth metal, and yearn for good metal that lacks guttural vocals. I am a good target audience for this album.

Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting through the album the first time through. There is a same-ness to the textures and tone that was almost boring for me. The main reason for this is the very common modern pattern of overproduction. The drums sound like they've been heavily quantized and everything snapped to the grid. There is a lot of compression on the mix such that dynamics are minimal. The guitar tone is very scooped and disappears behind the drums except for a bit of textural wash. The wall o' reverbed, detuned guitars muddies the riffs - and riffs are the heart of metal!

The good news is that on multiple listens, my ear got accustomed to the production and started to pick out the riffs, the melodies, and even occasionally - groove. I could hear the little prog moments (there aren't a lot), and appreciate the changes in texture when they happened. I can honestly say that at this point, I enjoy this album.

Depending on the soundman, I could see this material being a lot of fun to see live. Live music can pull out dynamics and rhythm so much more than recorded versions. The elements are there in the compositions on "Sky Void of Stars," they just aren't delivered here to the degree that I'd like.

Favorite songs - "Austerity" "Colossal Shade" "Atrium"

"Sky Void Of Stars" is the thirteenth full-length studio album by Swedish metal act Katatonia. The album was released through Napalm Records in January 2023. It´s the successor to "City Burials" from April 2020. The album features the same quintet lineup who recorded the predecessor. Once again lead vocalist Jonas Renkse is the main composer of the material as guitarist Anders "Blackheim" Nyström is still suffering from writers block (I read an interview with Renkse where he confirmed this).

While the material on "Sky Void Of Stars" is generally slightly harder edged than the material on "City Burials" (only slightly though, as this is by no means a particularly heavy release), this album still features a similar atmospheric and melancholic alternative/progressive rock/metal style to the predecessor. Renkse´s melancholic and emotional vocals are the focus of attention, but the tracks also feature solid instrumental performances. Katatonia are true professionals and it´s audible in everything they do. While the band have tweaked and developed their sound over the years, it´s been a few years and albums since they´ve released anything surprising and honestly monotony has begun to set in. It´s almost like they´ve become too accomplished at what they do, and every new release therefore sounds too safe and formulaic. I think I remember saying this about "City Burials" too, but I´ll say it again here...

...the sound production choices are also similar to the sound found on "City Burials" and again it would be nice to hear Katatonia travel down a different sonic road and challenge themselves and their audience. I´m probably being a bit unfair here, as "Sky Void Of Stars" objectively is a high quality release, and if this is your entry point to Katatonia you´re likely to love it, but to us old fans, who have followed them and the development of their sound since the early 90s, it´s pretty obvious by now that they´ve stagnated and are rehashing tried and true musical ideas. And when they do try something a little different like they do on "Birds", it´s really not that different, as that song more or less sounds like a cover of Paradise Lost (a band Katatonia have always had some similarities to) with Renkse singing.

"Sky Void Of Stars" features a clear, professional, and detailed sound production, where everything is audible in the mix. It´s very polished and could have prospered from some bite and rawness, but that´s not how Katatonia want their music presented anymore. Despite my reservations towards "Sky Void Of Stars", it´s still a quality release from Katatonia, although it´s often a bit dull and lacking punch. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)