Second review of the year and if this is any indication, it’s going to be a stellar year for album art and album titles. Katatonia is back with their recent obsession with the dark bird theme with this very Gotham-like landscape. Sky Void of Stars could basically be a summary of everything that Katatonia stands for. Bleak, melancholic soundscapes is the order of the day on this latest platter.
It’s really amazing to look at the trajectory of this band from their inception to the present day. Seriously, go put on Dance of December Souls and then listen to this latest album. How has the same band and creative duo of Jonas Renske and Anders Nystrom been responsible for both incarnations of the band. From primitive blackened death metal to this seriously polished and electronic looped flavored emo-influenced metal. It’s been one of the more interesting musical journeys out there. I’ve always said that if The Cure decided to make a metal album that it would sound a lot like Katatonia. This latest album follows right in line with the slew of recent releases from the band. It feels as though they found their comfort zone musically and are simply satisfied to reside in this softer realm of metal. Nothing really stands out in a seriously memorable manner on this one in comparison to previous releases, but it is still a solid listen from front to back. Consider this one simply in the domain of the good rather than the great.
3.5 flip flops out of 5
DISPATCHES FROM THE VOID 