I love modern Katatonia. They’ve worked for years to meticulously develop their own beautiful signature sound. So much depth, so much emotion, so much pathos, so much bleak elegance. I hold 2006’s “The Great Cold Distance” and 2016’s “The Fall of Hearts” as some of the best albums of the last 20 years, and there is plenty of excellent music on their other 21st century releases.

It’s no surprise that their 2023 release, “Sky Void of Stars,” continues Katatonia’s tradition of excellence.
But after so many crops pulled from this fertile soil, there’s a creeping, comfortable sameness settling in. The somber mellow tone and Jonas Renske’s breathy droning voice becomes too much like the song before and the song n before and the album before. The heavy swell in the middle of “No Beacon to Illuminate Our Fall” is a welcome change.
“Sky Void of Stars” is a fine specimen, full of great musical moments and songs, e.g.: “Atrium,” “Austerity,” and the bonus track, “Absconder.” If you don’t know the band at all, then this is a very good place to start. For us long-time fans, though, I think we need to see a little bit of a shakeup in the kitchen for the next album. Don’t change the recipe, don’t change the chefs, just throw in a few different ingredients, so the plates can have a few diverse experiences.