Ok, so. First I'll say that I just got done listening with Litho's notes in front of me and it was a lot of fun. Especially with Opaline because of the amount of commentary.
Surprise surprise, I'm sure, but I think Sky Void of Stars is awesome. To me it really continues the astonishing (
) run they've had, from Viva Emptiness to now. It also, like their other recent(ish) albums, doesn't seem to lose that new album feel very quickly. It still feels really new to me (and so does City Burials). I feel like I might like it slightly less than City Burials and The Fall of Hearts, but even though it's been out for a year, it's still new and that could change.
The album cover is definitely one of my favorites; it's beautiful and kind of dark but there's some light as well.
Some non-technical thoughts about the songs.
Austerity - Starting the album off strong. I think I've said before that I find some of Jonas' vocal melodies to be a little different and take some getting used to, and they did here. Once they get locked in, I'm good, and I feel like I know this song so well from when they released it as a single, seeing it live, hearing it with the album of course, and then live again.
Colossal Shade - Wow do I love this song. I don't know what it is about it; maybe the atmosphere which just seems to surround you. Also, even though there may seem to be nothing special going on, I really liked the part from 1:03 to around 1:28 on the album, but then when I heard it live it was chilling. It sounded so heavy and chilling and ominous and I'm sure the lighting helped and the band seems larger than life on the stage and it kind of makes you hold your breath.
Opaline - And I love this one too. It's quite different for Katatonia but it's also so very Katatonia, if that makes any sense. The back to back of Colossal Shade and Opaline is one of my favorite things about the album. Both songs individually kind of leave me feeling euphoric or giddy, and together it's even better. And Opaline is one of their tracks that make me feel like I'm soaring above the ground. It deserves the accolades from Litho.
Birds - I guess it is about time they used Birds as a title.
I'm not sure what the numbers here mean. (Litho did you come across anyone asking about that in an interview)? But it's really cool live when Jonas is singing that part and Roger does the “follow the birds” line.
Drab Moon - Another one that I like the atmosphere to. I like the electronic effects on Jonas' vocals - they don't last very long but I think they fit really well with that part of the song.
Author - Definitely a grower for me, and now I might think it's one of the best but I'm getting to have too many favorites. (A nice problem to have.) The lyrics, maybe along with No Beacon, are my favorite on the album. I also thought it was awesome to hear live but I wonder if the band disagrees because they seemed to drop it early in the US tour.
Impermanence - this track was another grower for me. It was fine at first but maybe not one of the stronger tracks for me, but I think I just needed time to absorb it. I like Joel Ekelof in Soen, and I think his vocals worked really well with Jonas' here.
Sclera - Maybe a hidden gem? I don't think I've heard it talked about as much as most of the other songs, but maybe it quietly lies in wait for you to take notice. I like it more each time I listen to it.
Atrium - My first reaction to the single was my usual “it's fine, maybe not my favorite.” And now I completely love this song. I always smile as soon as it begins. And that chorus is so good.
No Beacon to Illuminate Our Fall - I think this is my favorite song on the album. It's like a mini journey. I feel like I'm going somewhere. I love the whole song, and *definitely* second Litho's thoughts on the transition from heavy to mellow where he highlighted it. A part that I'll highlight is around 1:22. The guitar riff is… I think it gives me a sense of wonder. And the drums are cool. And Jonas' vocals are poignant and perfect. And speaking of transitions, I like how it goes into the “I arm my dead mind” part. And then towards the end, the guitar solo 4:22 ish is so beautiful and dreamlike, or maybe it's when the vocals that come in at 4:58 that's dreamy and for me it translates back to the guitar solo, but whatever it is it's perfect.
Absconder - this is once again an awesome bonus track. And it also has a good closing track feel, which is nice since I always listen to it with the rest of the album.
I agree with Litho that the bass sounds good on the album and there are some great solos. Also, once again Jonas sounds great - he's brought his emotions and melodies to the table once again.
Roger continues to be the perfect counterpart to Anders that I didn't even realize I needed. His style is more technical and with dashes of blues/shred that I wouldn't have expected to work with their sound, but somehow fits in perfectly.
I couldn't agree with this more. And I thought the same; I was skeptical and wasn't sure if I wanted it in songs like Passer, but I quickly changed my mind. It doesn't detract from their sound, it blends into it, it fits, and it adds another dimension that sounds like it's always been there.
*"Colossal Shade" feels like it would have fit just as well/ever better? on City Burials. And the section at 2:29 reminds me of another song or riff of theirs, but it's completely escaping me which one it might be.
I'm not sure if it is. Nothing jumps out, so maybe it's just that it's so them that it feels familiar.
*People sometimes complain about "Opaline"'s chorus being essentially two notes, but I consider it a testament to their creativity how they can milk so much out of them. "Forsaker" for Night Is the New Day immediately comes to mind as another song with a note-minimalistic melody that is highly effective in spite of it. The layers of production, instrument orchestration of parts, rhythmic variety, and mixing on "Opaline" keep evolving so it's never the same for very long. The backing vocals also subtly shift throughout the song to give the melody a different feel. If you listen closely at the repeat at 4:06 you can hear a whole series of countermelodies going on in the backing vocals emphasizing different harmonies, and then of course the melody variation ending the song. I'm kind of astounded at the minutiae I still pick up on in what is a relatively simple song, possibly 100+ listens in at this point.
If people think that (bolded), they're silly.
Also, Forsaker, as I've said before, is one of my favorites, and that melody is so so so good. I remember the first time I really paid attention to the song and I was mesmerized and the last thing I was thinking about was how many notes it had. I'm quoting the rest of the paragraph just cuz. I agree and everyone in this thread should go back and listen if they haven't already.
*I really love how effortlessly they transition between heavy and mellower moments, arguably better than say, Opeth does. For example, the ascending chromatic riff at 2:46 in "No Beacon To Illuminate Our Fall" reminds me a bit of a heavier version Alice In Chains' "Them Bones", with the Slayer-esque whammy dive bombs on top of it and Moilanen gradually increasing the subdivisions of the bass drum hits to a frenzy (also a bit like Tool's "The Grudge"). But then it seamlessly segues into a delightful mellower section with the electric piano and pseudo-jazzy clean guitar octave lines.
I think they're better at this than anyone.
*The main troubling issue is that Anders hasn't been touring with them for Sky Void of Stars. He stopped in early '23 before the album came out. No one seems to have any solid information why, just that he's dealing with some family issues. Often they're just playing with Roger and backing tracks for additional guitar parts, though sometimes Per Eriksson (who played on Dead End Kings) fills in. Some are saying some of Moilanen's parts are also being piped in on the backing tracks.
*The weird thing is that Anders has done some shows with Bloodbath in the past year, but not Katatonia. And Jonas is no longer touring with Bloodbath. There is all kinds of speculation online, but who knows what's really going on. There are some US dates for Katatonia and Bloodbath just a few days apart coming up in May, which would be the best shot at more interesting developments.
I think it could be anything since they aren't saying anything. It could be that he feels able to do Bloodbath because it's not that many shows, allowing him to play some but be mostly at home. That doesn't explain why Jonas isn't doing the Bloodbath shows though, unless they just decided to divide and conquer. I hope it's not a rift between them, but of course I also hope that Anders or one of his family members isn't ill or something. It's impossible to know so I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed.
*They've done a number of surprise shows where because some venues are requiring at least three bands to be on the bill, Katatonia has played the entirety of Dead End Kings under the name "Concrete Skies" as an opening act for GosT, and then closing with their normal show.
As far as I know, they only did this at one show, unless it was done after the US tour. But I don't think they've had many shows since then.