Here we are, three albums in, without Anders. Jonas continues to steer the ship into darker progressive waters of melancholy. There is a formula in place, and the new guitarists navigate it well, unafraid to bust out guitar solos wherever. The drums anchor "Wind of No Change."His lyrics remain just as sharp as the earlier work on this one. "Lilac" finds the drums laying down a solid foundation for the song to groove over, before they drop everything to ebb back and forth from ambiance. Jonas's voice is fragile and honest, or at least maintains a consistent persona.
As with most Katatonia, is production is dialed in perfectly. The textured layers of the guitar are all very nuanced. The guitar holds enough grit to at least maintain their place as a hard rock band. They play with the arrangement enough to maintain their place as a progressive band.Not sure if there are steps forward yet, but standing firmly in place for the brand Jonas created. Nothing that would have made Anders want to stay. "Temporal" is a little more anthemic. Highly melodic, sticking to the formula for dynamics, they have been working since at least "Viva Emptiness". The chorus hits just right to prove they can still bring just what you are waiting for.
Is this all very calculated? More than likely, but the band's mystique holds the suspension of disbelief. "Departure Trails" feels like a wandering atmospheric jam that creeps from the previous song. His vocals are tentative, but work for what they are doing here. "The Warden" is their more typical blend of melancholy pondering and rock bombast as the dynamic to emerge from the gloom. The more nuanced "The Light Which I Bleed' is a better song, and is not just the band going through familiar motions and checking off the expected sonic boxes
Breaking things down to a piano ballad might not be checking off a box you expect from these guys, and it really depends on how atmospheric you want these guys to be. There is some interesting vocal production on the track, but I want more rocking out. Though the song does build in an interesting electronic manner. The drums offer more of a beat for the last song, but drift into their moody ambient and only build for the chorus. I am going to have high expectations for these guys; some of their post-"Night is the New Day" albums have disappointed me, but I think this one just needs to grow on me, so I'll give it a 9.5 as some songs hit really hard emotionally, not metal. Dropping on Napalm Records.
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