Review | Katatonia – Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State

Napalm Records

`Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State’, the thirteenth studio album of Katatonia, arrives as a continuation and a quiet revolution within. Having followed the Swedish melancholics since their death-doom era, I find myself drawn again into their evolving soundscape. As emotionally charged as it is technically refined, the music channels different deep emotions of solitude and awakening awareness. This record, released via Napalm Records, is the first without co-founder Anders Nyström, marking a new chapter helmed by Jonas Renkse and a refreshed line-up.

The band’s journey from the growling depths of `Dance of December Souls’ in 1993, to the atmospheric, progressive avantgarde art-metal of today, is remarkable. Renkse and Nyström, have always pushed boundaries, opposing genre conventions. Each album a step further from their roots, embracing melody, texture, and emotional complexity. The departure of Nyström sees Renkse steer the ship deeper into the polished, melodic waters explored on their 2023 release `Sky Void of Stars’.

THE EMOTIONAL CORE

From the crystalline production to the interplay of resonant silence and intensity, `Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State’ enforces Katatonia’s songwriting prowess. Renkse’s vocals are at the band’s emotional core, his phrasing and tone immediately recognizable and deeply affecting, he brings new depth to the front. The opener, ,,Thrice”, encapsulates the band’s current identity, blending a dynamic journey through lush keyboards, intricate guitar harmonies, and rhythmic complexity with melody and gripping emotional magnitude.

Tracks like ,,Winds of No Change” showcase their technical finesse and profound textures and fabric, executed on this landmark record. The song is heartbreakingly simple on the surface yet layered with choral arrangements and subtle electronics that reveal new depths with every listen. With the band exploring sonic boundaries, they reach the profound depth of Saviour Machine’s infamous `II’ album, in terms of channelling elemental resonance while discharging eminent force. With the use of syncopated time signatures and unconventional drum patterns, Daniel Moilanen enriches the intricate innate force of the songs, adding a progressive edge, serving the song’s emotional arc and resonance.

THE LEAD SINGLE

The hypnotic meandering ,,Lilac”, released as the lead single, is a masterclass in tension and release, Renkse’s voice weaving through heavy riffs and atmospheric synths. Drawing the listener into a whirlwind of stirring emotions, the song deploys grenades of melancholy and desolation. The drums vary with tom and floor interplay, adding to the emotional rift underneath. Overarching are Jonas’ wave-tinged vocals and native phrasing.  ,,Temporal” balances fragility and strength, its verses building to a soaring, cathartic chorus that lingers long after the final note. Colourful guitar plucking and wonderful drums unite the cinematic discharge build into the towering chorus. Weeping and soaring with emotions, it nests immediately.

With the introduction of guitarists Nico Elgstrand and Sebastian Svalland, the sound of Katatonia feels both familiar and revitalized. The dual guitars add layers of texture, from shining clean passages to crushing metal. Yet restrained, its distortion ebbs emotions, blend in the clean mix. Niklas Sandin’s bass is adding the right low-end dynamics to Moilanen’ polyrhythms and powerful drums. It all anchors the album with precision, navigating shifting tempos and moods with ease.

BREAKING BARRIERS

Standout is the immensely gripping ,,Efter Solen”, the band’s first song in Swedish. Renkse’s delivery is hauntingly intimate, creeping into your heart. The minimalistic instrumentation allows every nuance to breathe, with the intensity maintained throughout. While the track flirts with pop-rock, it ultimately breaks barriers in terms of experimentation, without losing the band’s iconic sound. The strings are impacting, reminiscent to Soen’s execution of their catalogue on `Atlantis’. It conveys deep emotions gradually picking up in its intense core. Maintaining the construct of the song’s end in ,,Departure Trails”, Katatonia gains cinematic momentum through its floating guitar melodies.

While the album’s first half bursts with ambition and memorable hooks, the latter half occasionally leans on familiar formulas. This makes it harder to distinguish the direction, meandering paths of recent past and future. Katatonia have carved out a unique niche, and even after major line-up changes, their identity remains unshaken.

,,Warden” leans more dominantly on the album’s predecessor. The song oozes confidence, blending their sonics with Pink Floyd-reminiscent vocals, and Renske delving deep. The guitars sing to you and the drums are versatile, accelerating towards the wonderful melodic chorus and its sudden twist. The construct maintained on the more powerful ,,The Light which I Bleed” and the intensely melodic ,,In the Event of”, the album closes more familiar and on a melancholic high.

KATATONIA – THE CONCLUSION

Renkse’s vision is clear and uncompromising, stating; “these songs are the stories that thrive in the corner of the eye, obscured by the light but waiting to come alive in the dusk of our morbid existence”. It displays Jonas’ stubborn artistry, refusing to chase trends or pander to nostalgia. Katatonia continues to redefine the emotional spectrum of heavy music with nocturnal darkness while resonating a glimmer of hope.

`Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State’ may not be the most unpredictable release, but it definitely is a heartfelt continuation of their legacy. It rewards patience, revealing its intricacies over time; headphones required. Katatonia are true masters of melancholy, their music a mirror to the shadows within. All tracks resonate within and beyond, making this an immersive and overpowering experience.

Jaw dropping beautiful!

Release date: 6 June 2025