Katatonia - The Fall of Hearts

Artist: Katatonia
Album: The Fall of Hearts
Year: 2016
Rating: 91/100


Stockholm's favourite gloomsters have been gradually evolving their sound ever since they first adopted a cleaner, riff-based edge on "Discouraged Ones" for nearly twenty years now. Previous effort "Dead End Kings" pushed the envelope that little bit further, and now with their tenth full-length effort, "The Fall of Hearts", and new guitarist Roger Öjersson and drummer Daniel Moilanen joining stalwarts Jonas Renkse, Anders Nyström and Niklas Sandin in the fold, expectations are understandably high.


Opening track "Takeover" balances the tuning Katatonia used for their 2009 effort "Night is the New Day" with some almost Tool-esque riffs and atmospherics. Unlike "Dead End Kings", where the production was layered to a fault, thus proving to be a bit exhausting to listen to at times, the songs on "The Fall of Hearts" get a lot more breathing space and do more to capture the listener's attention. "Serein", the magnificent "Old Heart Falls" and "Decima" all have the same strengths, without any weak spots; they are united by one theme, the same sense of melancholia and longing. "Old Heart Falls" in particular catches the attention with its sparse intro, and the build into its simply stunning, passionately delivered chorus.


Though "The Fall of Hearts" feels a little too long on the whole, the song material is strong enough to carry it through, and I'll be damned if the best parts on the whole album don't represent Katatonia at their very best. Definitely a contender for one of the best albums of 2016.


Track List:

1. Takeover
2. Serein
3. Old Heart Falls
4. Decima
5. Sanction
6. Residual
7. Serac
8. Last Song Before the Fade
9. Shifts
10. The Night Subscriber
11. Pale Flag
12. Passer