Album Review: Katatonia – City Burials

In almost 30 years of existence, prolific Swedes Katatonia have spanned a broad spectrum of genres, ranging from slow, crushing doom/death metal to slightly more uplifting gothic and prog rock.

Eleventh album City Burials sees the quintet head further into prog, relinquishing heaviness in favour of dreamy, enigmatic sounding compositions. Much of the album is minimalist in its approach, allowing Jonas Renkse’s vocals to guide the way against a kaleidoscopic soundscape of soft melodies that feel almost ethereal.

Accompanied by the wistful voice of Full Of Keys’ Anni Bernhard on track Vanishers, Katatonia add further to the delicate atmosphere they have meticulously crafted. This is an unusual approach - the majority of bands who have been around for this long will either strive for each release to be bigger than the last or grow complacent – Katatonia have stripped back all of the pomp and pretence, and that in itself makes City Burials feel absolutely enormous.

Verdict: 3/5