he day has come to dive into the most beautiful realms of melancholy, as Swedish grand seigneurs of gloom, KATATONIA, have finally unveiled their Napalm Records debut and new studio album, “Sky Void of Stars”.
With “Sky Void of Stars”, KATATONIA have already enthralled critics and fans worldwide – resulting in extensive streaming and video views as well as various cover stories. On top, the album ranks at #1 on several soundchecks like German Rock Hard and Legacy Magazine.
With a captivating, story driven music video for hypnotizing “Opaline”, the entity around founding members Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström not only emphasizes the release, but also teases their Twilight Burials EU & UK tour with Sólstafir and SOM – kicking off today in Tampere, Finland. The video shows impressions from the band’s latest US tour and prepares fans for a unique live experience to remember. “Opaline” embraces KATATONIA’s intense, genre-bending style, significantly shaping the scene while still staying true to their own musical values.
Daniel Moilanen says about “Opaline”: “‘Opaline’. A bleak, yet thunderous anthem for our empty sky. A dim gaze upon a time deliberately fleeting like the migratory bird. A final single and a taste of the future?”
KATATONIA previously said about the album: “Our 12th album, ‘Sky Void of Stars‘ is a dynamic journey through vibrant darkness. Born out of yearning for what was lost and not found, the very peripheries of the unreachable, but composed and condensed into human form and presented as sounds and words true to the KATATONIA signum. No stars here, just violent rain.”
Emerging from the gloom, KATATONIA is a beacon of light – breathing their unique, never stagnant, atmospheric sound through this new 11-track offering, all written and composed by vocalist Jonas Renkse. Album opener “Austerity” provides a courting introduction to the album. Crashing through the dark, it convinces with memorable, mind-bending rhythms as it shifts with elaborate guitar riffs that perfectly showcase the musical expertise and experience of the band.
Topped off by the dark, conjuring voice of Renkse and mesmerizing lyricism, the gloomy mood for the album is set. Songs like down- tempo “Opaline” and moody “Drab Moon” fully embrace their melancholic sound while fragile “Impermanence” is accented by the original doom metal roots of KATATONIA. Like a dark star, these pieces relume the dreariness, creating an ambient auditory experience with memorable hooks while still inducing the crashing sounds of hard guitar riffs and pounding drums. The experimental mastery of the quintet and their atmospheric approach is purely vivid, making this album a thrilling sensation. With “Birds”, the artists show off their explosive potential with a quick and energetic sound, proving their genre-defying style.
KATATONIA is one of a kind in a state of perpetual evolution. Significantly shaping the genre while still staying true to their own musical values, they orbit the musical universe – leaving their imprints on the scene. Projecting their sound to the endless realms, “Sky Void of Stars” shines bright in metal and beyond.
“Sky Void of Stars” Album Artwork
“Sky Void of Stars” Track List:
- Austerity
- Colossal Shade
- Opaline
- Birds
- Drab Moon
- Author
- Impermanence (feat. Joel Ekelöf)
- Sclera
- Atrium
- No Beacon to Illuminate Our Fall
- Absconder (Bonus Track)
“Sky Void of Stars” is now available for purchase in the following configurations:
* Ltd. Deluxe Wooden Box (incl. Mediabook + Digipack Atmos Mix BluRay + Crow Pendant + Star Chart Artprint + Pin) – Napalm Records exclusive
* Die Hard Edition 2LP Gatefold Ink Spot / FOREST GREEN (incl. Slipmat, Patch, 12 pages poster) – Napalm Records exclusive
* 2LP Gatefold DARK GREEN – Napalm Records exclusive
* 2LP Gatefold MARBLED TRANSPARENT/DARK GREEN – OMerch exclusive
* 2LP Gatefold MARBLED CRYSTAL CLEAR/BLACK – OMerch exclusive
* 2LP Gatefold BLACK
* 1CD Ltd Mediabook (incl. Bonus Track)
* 1CD Jewelcase
* Digital Album
