SKY VOID OF STARS

Katatonia

Progressive Metal

3.68 | 68 ratings

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Negoba
Prog Reviewer

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"

Negoba | 3/5 | 2023-2-13

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