Songs of lustrous thought and feeling. Katatonia are one of Metal’s deepest, most transformative, transformed bands. Their 2016 album, “The Fall of Hearts,” was a heavy/mellow masterpiece, one of the best albums of the decade. “Dead End Kings” was similarly composed and also excellent. Their 2020 release, “City Burials,” is the next stage in their evolution.

Ghostly keys and pianos walk the corridors, hand in hand with the subdued guitars and Jonas Renske’s breathy, feathery voice. The Metal is still strong with this one, but primarily, the experimentation and exploration continues. Their extra-Metal affairs have gotten bolder and more out-in-the-open on “City Burials” - - but really, what matters isn’t the genre that’s playing in your earbuds, but the quality of the music. I think “City Burials is possibly a slight bit better than “Dead End Kings” and a slight bit lesser than “The Fall of Hearts.” There are moments of nirvana and transcendence, especially in “Flicker,” opening track, “Heart Set to Divide,” “Vanishers” (a floating, soft thing featuring Anni Bernhard dueting with Jonas Renske), “Neon Epitaph,” and “Untrodden.” This last one feels like a spiritual successor to “Shifts,” from the last record. This is a band that continues to mature and blossom, even 11 albums and 29 years into their career. Their sound of the past decade is taking on some definition, even as it turns and shapes on the kiln.