I for one can put my hand on my heart and honestly say that I never saw the success ‘The Great Cold Distance’ enjoyed coming. To that point Katatonia had always been on the radar as a player in the world of Doom Metal but ‘that’ album shot them stratospherically high on a crescendo of public and press adulation and like so many the bands greatest challenge was not creating a great album but to follow it up.  

‘Night Is The New Day’ has been a long time in coming, or at least it feels like a long time in the making and the first thing I have to tell you readers is you won’t be disappointed. Katatonia’s career to date has been one of constant evolution, from the early heavy Doom influenced ‘Dance Of December Souls’ to this their eighth full length release. The album has more in keeping with its predecessor than the bands early material with dare I say it interludes into the mainstream, yet never does it look to alienate the core fan base with its progressive sound.

The album opener ‘Forsaker’ is instantly recognisable and blends the majestic melancholy of Renkse’s vocals with Nystrom powerful riffing with aplomb. The bands use of synths is far more pronounced than perhaps before but never do they carry the song; used more to punctuate the heaviness they serve as the perfect foil in achieving balance. It is this balance between the abrasive ‘traditional’ Doom elements of the bands music and the often dream like quality of the slower moments that gives the album its sombre oppressive vibe.

Katatonia’s use of pace is one of the key ingredients to their success. Any Doom music by definition is supposed to be paced at the speed of a sloth but Katatonia have taken the whole genre, ripped up the user guide and re-written all the rules. With every song coming in less than 5 minutes the cosmic atmosphere builds the mood and all too quickly your CD player is telling you the album is over, which is the only disappointment you’ll hear uttered in connection with ‘Night Is The New Day’. An absolute must, end of!!!!!