Bands that have been around for very long periods of time tend to go through their fair share of changes within their ranks. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest had to change singers, for fuck sake. Swedish doom legends Katatonia have been down that road before, but the departure of founding guitarist Anders Nyström was pretty concerning.
The arrival of the band’s new record “Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State,” their 13th full-length, brings intrigue based on how things will proceed without one of their leaders and if it’s for the good. Nyström wanted to revisit the band’s earlier years and heavier sound while co-founder and vocalist Jonas Renkse preferred staying the course with the more shadowy, gothic sound. Nyström split and now we have this 10-track effort, and the results are not as I hoped. It feels like maybe Nyström had a point as these tracks lack punch and kind of just float through the ether. It’s not a bad album per se, and the rest of the band—guitarists Nico Elgstrand and Sebastian Svalland (both newcomers), bassist Niklas Sandin, and drummer Daniel Moilanen—sounds fine. It just doesn’t grab you. It feels more like dark background music than something that’s going to shake you awake. It’s gloomy, and not the good kind, and it lacks a spark. I don’t know that I’ve ever felt that way about a Katatonia album, even the weirder ones. It feels unchallenging.
“Thrice” opens and punches before instantly pulling back, going gothy with strong singing from Renske, which is hardly a surprise. Guitars gush as things get a little burlier, Renske calling, “Let go of the confining shackles,” which sounds like a pretty telling line. “The Liquid Eye” drips in, clouding over the verses before a really strong chorus strikes, guitars glistening, slipping between the clouds. The singing is smooth as things get a little punchier, retreating and just sort of ending. “Wind of No Change” has the bass winding and the guitars crunching, the chorus sweeping, Renske singing, “Here comes our elder kin, appearing where we lay in sin, and answer to your names, and sing praise hail Satan.” Cool keys numb as the ashes rise, moving off into dusk. “Lilac” has an electro feel that meanders through the fog. Guitars slink and trudge, the chorus cutting, feeling catchy enough. Orchestral synth bathes with light, the sounds flushing, deliberately dissolving into the dirt. “Temporal” trickles in, hanging in the air, the singing numbing before the chorus swells. Guitars stain, bringing on strong soloing before the fires turn back to dark, the vocals pulling you back in before the light drains from the room.
“Departure Trails” slinks in, cold and dreary, chills making your body ache. Synth glides as dark dreams are conjured, the verses feeling like a sleepwalk through the fog, going in and out of clouds dropping ice. “Warden” has guitars liquifying and glazing, continuing the temp drop that has built from the songs previous to this one. Soft vocals mark the verses as the chorus gets a bit crunchier, showing some life as newer colors kick in, creating a final rush. “The Light Which I Bleed” begins with liquifying guitars, gently falling words like a light drizzle, the chorus picking up and adding a little muscle. Dramatic synth dives like daggers, gothy gasps pushing blackness through your veins, eventually disintegrating into the dark. “Efter Solen” is a ballad sung in Swedish, and it translates to “after the sun.” It’s quiet and hazy, probably the most different style of song on the record. Gentle elegance unfurls, beats echoing, sounds helicoptering, belting as murmurs ricochet. Closer “In the Event of” brings back some much-needed crunch, keys glazing as delicate singing smears your wounds. A dreamy haze thickens, guitars stinging, the singing gushing as the foundations crumble, choking out all light and vision.
“Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State” isn’t a bad album by any means, once the colder fall days are here this will hit harder. Katatonia certainly picked their path with this record, which is not unexpected. The record just doesn’t stand out. After a few listens, I don’t really remember much about it. That’s really rare for a Katatonia record. It feels too slow and dreary, too samey, kind of uninspired. Sticking to your guns is admirable, but if you’re running out of ammo, retooling for a new run probably is a good idea.
For more on the band, go here: https://katatonia.com/
To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://napalmrecordsamerica.com/katatonia
Or here (Europe): https://napalmrecords.com/
For more on the label, go here: https://label.napalmrecords.com/katatonia
Meat Mead Metal 
great review of the Katatonia album, I definitely agree, I think it’s a responsible posture of a critic to tell it like it is, specially in a world full of plugs and paid critiques, I love Katatonia, one of my all time favorites, but they just aren’t the same without Anders, it’s a pity, the album is mediocre at best, very sad about it,
Hey thanks and thanks for reading. It gives me no pleasure saying that about a band I’ve long loved. But it feels punchless. Like they’ve lost their way a bit.