Album Review: Katatonia - The Fall Of Hearts

On Katatonia's tenth album, The Fall Of Hearts, there is a focus on arrangement over in-your-face technicality. The songs develop as they play out, as does the album, and the atmosphere is calculated.

Here is a band who have clearly weathered the storm. The sounds within The Fall Of Hearts are warm and full, especially the voice of Jonas Renkse. This creates a morose and atmospheric pilgrimage, while the album's imagery of a dark mire encapsulates its dramatic overtones. There is also an exemplary and original use of African percussion throughout the album you would not expect.