KATATONIA

Sky Void Of Stars NAPALM Swedish maestros’ invitation into their fortress of pain. On the first few listens, Katatonia’s 12th album is an elusive beast, slipping through the fingers the tighter it’s clasped. But the melodic hooks of this powerful, intricate record dig in with repeated plays, with shafts of melody gleaming through the gloomy way as the purpose, form and beauty reveal themselves. It represents a rewarding refinement of their signature melancholic prog metal with the occasional uncharacteristically uplifting element. Shafts of melody gleam through the gloom. Singer Jonas Renkse and guitarist Anders Nyström marshal the structure throughout, with all its dimly-lit chambers acting as essential parts of the occasionally treacherous floorplan. Renkse’s vocals are, as always, resolute but forlorn, acting as a self-reproaching guide through the echoing corridors…