NIGHTMARES AS EXTENSIONS OF THE WAKING STATE

So the masters of gothic, 'dark-progressive' rock are back with their thirteenth studio album - 'Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State' is the latest installment in the discography of Katatonia, as the mighty Swedish band has been steadily releasing new material over the last couple of years. Yet this new record happens to be their first without longtime guitar player and founding member Anders Nystrom, who is replaced by Nico Elgstrand and Sebastian Svalland, following the departure of the group's second guitarist the year before. And the main question here would be how has this change affected the band's music? With Nystrom being somewhat detached from the stylistic ventures of the group's more recent material, this new album really feels like a continuation of 'Sky Void of Stars' and 'City Burials' - given the title of the new album, the music can get very dark, dream-like and moody, occasionally featuring a lot of ambient, mellower moments.

As much as 'Nightmares' is a guitar-driven album, there really are no big, prominent riffs, unlike the band's 2023 release. It seems that among all the ominous soundscapes, complex emotionality and drab dreamscapes, there is a general lack of infectious hooks, and the album ultimately becomes uneventful every now and then. Still, it has to be said that the sound and the production on 'Nightmares' are rock-solid as usual, and the presence of punctuative, haunting keyboards and effects and tribal-like jabs of percussion are quite enjoyable elements of the overall sound, contributing to that gloomy, dream-like feel and image that this album aptly pursues. The vocal work of Jonas Renkse is excellent all throughout, and you can occasionally catch glimpses of an Opeth-y influence in the guitar work, especially on the heavier tracks. Opener 'Thrice' is a dark, muscular song that sets a promising tone for the record, while other really strong number on here include 'Wind of No Chage' (kind of satanic and ritualistic sound), 'Lilac' (with its alternative edge), 'Departure Trails' and 'The Light Which I Bleed' (darker and mellower, with a greater use of electronics and ambience) and the Swedish-language track 'Efter Solen', more of solemn hymn of introspection.

'Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State' does indicate that Katatonia are in a state in which they feel comfortable with their style and have little to no intention of exploring sounds and moods that are significantly different from what one would expect from them. And with this in mind, this new album offers a fine collection of new material with enjoyable aspects to it - nevertheless, in the context of their catalogue as well as their most recent output, this is not their best work, neither in terms of scope, nor in terms of substance.

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