Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars (2023)

This 2023 is starting with a bang with tons of new releases from well established bands, luckily for us, Katatonia was also one of them. Being huge fans of the band, “Sky Void of Stars” is just your typical excellent release, filled with crafty vocal arrangements and sorrowful melodies. Featuring ten tracks and 45 minutes of magic, this release will please any fan of the band’s more modern Alternative Rock/Metal side.

Opening with the epic “Austerity”, Jonas Renkse belts out his signature vocal melodies alongside crafty guitar work from Anders Nyström and Roger Öjersson. The band’s moody tunes like “Colossal Shade”, “Opaline”, and “Birds” are filled with excellent melodic passages alongside well-timed tempo changes and brilliant drumming. The band is a well-oiled machine when it comes to perfectly mixing melancholy with heavy guitars and catchiness.

Some of our favorite tracks include the highly melancholic “Drab Moon” and “Sclera”, alongside “Impermanence” and its killer guitar leads. As any fan of the band knows, mood and ambiance is all that matters with Katatonia, and every single track of this release has plenty of both. Saving one of the best for last (if you don’t count the bonus track), “No Beacon to Illuminate Ouf Fall” perfectly combines atmospheric keyboards alongside very ‘headbangable’ guitars.

As a whole, “Sky Void of Stars” is one of the best releases from Katatonia in recent times. While we always have a special place in our heart for “Dance of December Souls” and “Brave Murder Day”, their heavier stuff, this album has nicely evolved from the melancholy and more alternative sound of “Viva Emptiness” and “The Fall of Hearts”. If you are a fan of highly emotional and more ‘easy going’ Metal music, this is an album that you should definitely explore.

Label: Napalm Records

Release: February 5th, 2023

Genre: Alternative/Gothic Rock/Metal

Country: Sweden