I wish I was a fan, would really love to go to that festival again.
Katatonia
- Thread starter Night Prowler
- Start date
I wish I was a fan, would really love to go to that festival again.
I saw that advertised. I can hardly think of a band better suited to this, their music of the past few years really lends itself to playing with an orchestra, and they have a new album coming out in May, which promises to be in the same vein. They currently class their genre as dark progressive rock/metal. I doubt they'll play anything from their earlier doom days.
Katatonia toured with a mostly-acoustic show a couple of years ago, Dethroned and Uncrowned, which I was lucky enough to catch at one of only two UK dates. The other show, at the very atmospheric Union Chapel in London, was recorded and filmed and released as an album and video last year, Sanctitude. I can definitely see them performing a similar set in Plovdiv, probably with the addition of some of the new material.
A trailer has also been released for the new album, The Fall of Hearts. What I've heard so far sounds similar to the last album, Dead End Kings.
Katatonia toured with a mostly-acoustic show a couple of years ago, Dethroned and Uncrowned, which I was lucky enough to catch at one of only two UK dates. The other show, at the very atmospheric Union Chapel in London, was recorded and filmed and released as an album and video last year, Sanctitude. I can definitely see them performing a similar set in Plovdiv, probably with the addition of some of the new material.
A trailer has also been released for the new album, The Fall of Hearts. What I've heard so far sounds similar to the last album, Dead End Kings.
Very nice, although it sounds like something Katatonia would do themselves rather than being covers that add something very different. They're mellow enough as it is, and fond of acoustic and orchestral reworkings of their own songs.
They shared it on FB:
Katatonia have a new album, City Burials, coming out on April 24.
I generally expect them to continue their journey away from metal to more mellow, electonic and acoustic material - they labelled themselves 'dark rock' a couple of albums ago and have some followers in prog/prog metal circles - but I'm not completely sure what direction the new album will take overall.
The first track revealed in January, Lacquer, is well crafted slow, melancholy and atmospheric four minute piece with lots of electronic stuff and nothing heavy creeping into it. By contrast, the second reveal, Behind the Blood, is much heavier and faster paced (well, for Katatonia, anyway), starting out all guitars and drums. Very nice verses, in particular, although the chorus isn't so memorable. It's not unlike Lethian from Dead End Kings, but more rocky.
I generally expect them to continue their journey away from metal to more mellow, electonic and acoustic material - they labelled themselves 'dark rock' a couple of albums ago and have some followers in prog/prog metal circles - but I'm not completely sure what direction the new album will take overall.
The first track revealed in January, Lacquer, is well crafted slow, melancholy and atmospheric four minute piece with lots of electronic stuff and nothing heavy creeping into it. By contrast, the second reveal, Behind the Blood, is much heavier and faster paced (well, for Katatonia, anyway), starting out all guitars and drums. Very nice verses, in particular, although the chorus isn't so memorable. It's not unlike Lethian from Dead End Kings, but more rocky.
So the new album, City Burials, has finally sunk in for me. As ever with Katatonia, they're not instantly accessible, and it took me a while to appreciate more than four songs.
While they have in part gone down the quiet, slow, and orchestral/electronic route with several songs, I was pleased to see they also blended in a tiny bit more proggy rock/metal influence this time a la Dead End Kings than with their previous album. I assumed this was because of guitarist Roger Öjersson (also of Tiamat), who joined the band in 2016, being put to greater use. The band lost guitarist Per Eriksson (formerly also of Bloodbath, currently with Ghost, as far as I'm aware) a few years ago. However, I did read that some of the swankier lead guitar moments are actually by Anders Nyström (who basically IS Katatonia alongside singer and songwriter Jonas Renkse), which surprised me.
The most accessible song has to be Behind the Blood - see vid above - but I can recommend Heart Set To Divide for beautiful, poignant lyrics and lovely discordant moments, while Neon Epitaph recalls some of their more alternative rock-ish material from the Viva Emptiness era.
While they have in part gone down the quiet, slow, and orchestral/electronic route with several songs, I was pleased to see they also blended in a tiny bit more proggy rock/metal influence this time a la Dead End Kings than with their previous album. I assumed this was because of guitarist Roger Öjersson (also of Tiamat), who joined the band in 2016, being put to greater use. The band lost guitarist Per Eriksson (formerly also of Bloodbath, currently with Ghost, as far as I'm aware) a few years ago. However, I did read that some of the swankier lead guitar moments are actually by Anders Nyström (who basically IS Katatonia alongside singer and songwriter Jonas Renkse), which surprised me.
The most accessible song has to be Behind the Blood - see vid above - but I can recommend Heart Set To Divide for beautiful, poignant lyrics and lovely discordant moments, while Neon Epitaph recalls some of their more alternative rock-ish material from the Viva Emptiness era.