The Fall of Hearts Katatonia 2016 Peaceville Records Katatonia hail from the metal hotbed of Sweden and are definitely not to be confused with Catatonia, the Welsh Pop band from the 90s! Katatonia are an extremely talented band and over the 23 years of their professional career have managed to release a decent catalogue of music that stretches from Death and Doom Metal to a much more recent progressive sound without losing any of their melancholic feel. The Fall of Hearts is Katatonia’s 10th studio album and their first since 2012’s Dead End Kings. The Fall of Hearts is a slight change of pace from Dead End Kings and moves towards a Progressive Rock sound in a similar move to their peers in Opeth. The talents in Katatonia don’t just stop at their instruments as The Fall of Hearts follows the trend of Katatonia’s recent releases and is produced by vocalist Jonas Renske and guitarist Anders Nyström. The Fall of Hearts is beautifully produced, each instrument sounds exquisite and crisp, a perfect example of a modern Progressive Rock sound that at times does sound a little too much like Opeth or Porcupine Tree until you realise that the lyrics are wrought with melancholy, forlorn and sorrow. As an opening track Takeover begins quite odd as the entire band is all in, vocals included, unlike a lot of Progressive Rock which relies on an elongated introduction, usually of complex time signature changes and each instrument being able to show its capabilities. Takeover begins with an arpeggio repeating motif that gives way to another repetitive guitar tapping part under the vocals which under normal circumstances wouldn’t fit, however, Katatonia make this gel and work with fluidity and ease. It is at times difficult to accept that this is the Katatonia of old, as with time, Katatonia have definitely mellowed, gone are any traces of Death Metal, replaced by a much more spacious and even ambient feel at times. Shifts contains a pitch shift/siren type wail in the background of the mix that gives a reminiscent feel of something from Animals by Pink Floyd, whilst the rest of the album contains far too many of the same repeating patterns. However, there are some gems, the ambient feel and bongos of Pale Flag is very peaceful whilst Decima, Takeover, Last Song Before the Fade and Passer are all highlights of The Fall of Hearts. The musicianship on The Fall of Hearts is second to none, Renske’s vocals add to the progressive feel of the album, but by the same token, they don’t feel as if Renske is challenging or pushing himself. This feel is reciprocated by Nyström, who’s playing, although fantastic, seems very safe at times. After the departure of long time drummer Daniel Liljekvist, Katatonia’s new drummer Daniel Moilanen plays exceptionally well, a powerhouse of a drummer who seems to fit the Katatonia mould very well. The Fall of Hearts is a long album, clocking in at near 1 hour 10 and it is difficult to keep your attention as a lot of the songs seem to fade and blend in with each other. The dynamics on The Fall of Hearts don’t seem to change that much and only add to the overall feeling of similarity. However, The Fall of Hearts is a mature sounding album with some excellently crafted songs showing that Katatonia have a different side to them and a band that aren’t afraid to change their sound to a style of music that they feel more comfortable playing at this point in their life. 6/10 Adam Shifts (Renske/Nyström)
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