So, I'm actually listening to the Counting Hours album now, just about done. The Katatonia influence really comes out in the second half where the album seems to slow down a bit. I enjoyed the first half much more.
Yeah, even when the Katatonia influence is more obvious, it's earlier-day rather than latter-day...not so much because of the harsh vocals - those weren't part of Katatonia's approach for very long anyway - rather from the interplay of guitars and those "cascading" riffs (e.g. A Mercy Fall).
Actually, I think the pacing of the album is pretty good. Yes, there are a couple of longer, more "languid" pieces in the second half but, again, a song like A Mercy Fall breaks it up nicely.