Katatonia
Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State
Napalm Records
Making gloom uplifting for three decades now Katatonia are back with another slice of their uniquely tasting Scandinavian pie. This is of course a grand sounding set of songs encompassing stylish timing changes, layered writing and purposeful vocals. There’s a lovely ebb and flow to both the songs and how they are arranged. In a way Katatonia are reimagining the way heavy music used to be written. There’s a retro feel to some of the more delicate passages that most of the rest of the music industry seems to have forgotten. The production and framework is however bang up to date. So what we get is an album that soothes. It’s something to sit down and listen to appreciatively, something that you can explore. ‘Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State’ is a finely crafted work that will stand the test of time.
Review by Gary Trueman