Album Rating: 3.0

Great review. I think you nailed it with how this turned out.



This album is not bad, but it's not great either. It feels below of what Katatonia is capable of, but then again there have been numerous lineup changes. I fear that Jonas has run out of ideas which is a bummer, but not out of the ordinary for a band that has been around for over 30 years. Winds of No Change might be the worst song Katatonia have released in a long time. The lyrics are just completely stupid.

Album Rating: 4.5

i'm a believer that there is no such thing as stupid or bad lyrics but i wont get into that. Thats a whole topic in of itself.



I think Wind of No Chang is a pretty cool track , it is doing something a little different.

It reminds me a little of Gojira, like that song they did at the Olympic Ceremony.



Its funny how on one hand many say its too similar to recent output, but then on the other hand, some criticising it for lacking the same qualities as earlier releases.



I think its taken the blueprint of katatonia but has adopted some changes, this album is heavier in the guitars for one, none of the songs are as immediate, they are perhaps a little more obscure in some ways, odd sort of choruses.



I think its just enough change for me, not to call it a City Burials part III for argument sake.



It isnt, in fact the last 3 whilst similar, are quite different to each other when you hone in on the details and invest into them more.



I guess in a nutshell its the same principal of non metal listeners who proclaim all metal music sounds the same. We know it doesnt.

And i say the same for the last 3 katatonia albums, just on a more micro level.

Album Rating: 2.5

A lot of this sounds ok in a vacuum but I cant help but find the execution lacking or just kind of aimless outside a few examples (temporal solo is cool and invigorating) These guys will always have a baseline quality to them, i think you just gain enough experience over time for that, but its also just not very exciting hearing another album that doesnt really deviate that much from their vast, vast discography. I think its less the band has changed and more my tastes have.

"If im having trouble sleeping tonight ill put this on."

Yeah I tried that yesterday, wasn't able though because of how distracting the drums are. Seriously, sometimes all you need it to just keep the damn beat, without portnoying all the way through the whole song.

listened to this yesterday, dont get all the negativity. its a good album.

Album Rating: 3.0

"i'm a believer that there is no such thing as stupid or bad lyrics but i wont get into that"



By all means feel free to elaborate

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

The problem flug is its boring. Its a decent enough album but its just so dull and the highlight moments are so few and far between, it feels like it the bands on auto-pilot

I just heard Atrium this morning from the last album and it's just another thing entirely. Something is missing on this one.

Album Rating: 4.0

I'm starting to like the previous album more after relistening some of it, Opaline and Atrium in particular are pretty great. I still think this album is in line with the usual quality they put out, though. Where SVoS was lively and anthemic, this one is proggier and darker. Just different shades of Katatonia.

Album Rating: 3.5

lively and anthemic are the last words i would ever use to describe sky void of stars lmao. i guess everybody has their bad nu katatonia album. imo its that one! i dont like a single song on it front to back outside of absconder which is a goddamn bonus track. this at least has the last two songs, but id honestly take nearly this whole album over anything there



think opaline is my least favorite katatonia song great cold distance onward

Album Rating: 4.5

Opaline is just so so good. I adore it.



But this album is overall much better than SVOS, i think everyone saying highlights are few and far between and similar just havent given it enough time.

It grows and grows, the songs become so Katatonia sounding, like its hard to imagine they were never there once.



There is nothing as instantly satisfying and cathardic as opaline or atrium, but it is actually a really cosnsitent album.



In The Event of gives goosebumps once you really get to know it, Departure Trails could of easily been on Night is the New Day, Temporal is a real satisfying oh so katatonia tune, the most akin to opaline and the like...

Warden has a killer chorus, and Efter Solen is really as good moody as anything else 'moody' theyve done.

Album Rating: 2.5

This is the first Katatonia album that I can't listen to all the way through. Winds of No Change is awful. Lilac and Temporal are the only songs that I go back to listen.

Album Rating: 3.5

tonights decision is hopefully always going to be their nadir *shudders*

After three listens, I find myself appreciating this album more than the last two. Those felt too much like they were written on autopilot, while this one brings a few fresher ideas to the table.

Album Rating: 4.5

"i'm a believer that there is no such thing as stupid or bad lyrics but i wont get into that"



"By all means feel free to elaborate"





Well i guess you need to ask yourself what you are after and wanting in terms of considered 'good lyrics'. Is it eloquent poetic words with depth and meaning?



Sometimes these qualities aren't required or called for some styles of music, they may even come across as pretentious or forced and the criticiser of the lyrics just ends up coming across as some righteous twat



I just dont place that much importance on lyrics having to be some sort of special, because what is this 'some sort of special' anyway. Whats that x quality?

That quality if you identify it may work for some songs and styles and not others,

Sometimes simple lyrics



Simple lyrics that get a basic message across have merit, sometimes the tune of the song doesn't warrant anything special, some songs are minimalist. Imagine Nirvana trying to incorporate some eloquent poetic diatribe, the rawness just calls for basic lyrics.

Lyrics can be as vague or as descriptive as they need to be. Simple childlike lyrics can have their place, not everything has to be intellectual. It just wouldn't suit some bands and styles.



Sometimes i like lyrics where the meaning seems easy to glean, sometimes i like them when their meaning appears elusive.



So therefore i came to the conclusion calling out so called bad lyrics is folly and overrated, and rather call out great lyrics and point out the qualities i like of those, but doesn't mean lyrics without these are bad.



Sometimes I will find examples i guess you could say are bad, where you could call it out, perhaps a forced rhyme, where a word has been put in which seems obvious is just there to rhyme and it doesn't really fit in with the context of the song or its meaning.



But even then i think so what, maybe the rest of the line was ok, and they just needed it for the flow of the song.

Some lyrics definitely can come across cheesy too, but again i guess in depends in the context of the song and it may be a deliberate decision to have some basic cheesy lines.

Album Rating: 4.5

I guess lyrics are subjective, and given the above, if you consider lyrics have merit in all its forms, and not everything needs to have depth and be penned by a master wordsmith, then to criticise it after that makes the criticiser seem like a know it all twat?



So therefore I place little importance on lyrics - good lyrics which I consider good are a great bonus.

If its the subject matter of lyrics you're against or points they are trying to make then that's something else again. They aren't bad lyrics, they are just not topics or subjects you like.



I write songs and sometimes the vocal melodies i come up with just suit more basic structure which doesn't allow long descriptive well written passages. So you need to get a message across in few words, within a simple structure.



And then you have the issue of a third verse would be great to say that extra bit to get the message across, but the song itself does not need a third verse, it should go into a final chorus after the solo etc and then fade out. Just as an example.

these guys are still going lol

Album Rating: 2.0

Depends what you mean by still going

Album Rating: 4.5

he means and still going strong.



Well thats what i think any sensible person should be saying.

Review pretty much describes how I've felt about Katatonia since Dead End Kings