KATATONIA — A Sunset Choir for the Daylight Harvest (review)

KATATONIA — A Sunset Choir for the Daylight Harvest album cover EP · 2023 · Death-Doom Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"A Sunset Choir For The Daylight Harvest" is an EP release by Swedish death/doom metal (later alternative/progressive metal) act Katatonia. The EP was released through Night of the Vinyl Dead Records in January 2023. The original 7" vinyl version of the EP is limited to 500 copies, but the EP is also available digitally. "A Sunset Choir For The Daylight Harvest" is a re-recording of Katatonia´s 1992 rehearsal demo and the re-recordings were done only by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström (under their original pseudonyms Lord Seth and Blackheim respectively) without contributions from the remaining members of the 2023 version of Katatonia. This is not the first release of the material, as the two re-recorded tracks were first featured on the March 2022 "Melancholium" (Darkness Shall Rise Productions) boxed set.

Needless to say that there is a big difference in sound quality between the original rehearsal demo versions of the songs and these professional studio re-recordings, but if that´s not exactly a surprise, the authenticity and respectful performances of the re-recordings are a bit more astonishing. Especially given the development of Katatonia´s music from 1992 until these re-recordings were done in 2021. But on the other hand maybe one shouldn´t be so surprised as Renkse and Nyström have always kept in touch with their extreme metal roots and have of course also been active in their death metal Bloodbath project when they weren´t busy with their day job in Katatonia. So recording respectful and authentic versions of material they wrote in the early 90s, which is far removed from the latter day sound of Katatonia, maybe isn´t that surprising after all.

Stylistically this is dark, doomy, and melancholic death metal which is strongly influenced by Paradise Lost´s 1991 "Gothic" album. Renkse has a slighlty more aggressive blackened edge to his growling style than Nick Holmes, but the instrumental part of the music has many similarities to the legendary Brits and their equally legendary "Gothic" album. Soaring melancholic leads, ultra heavy riffs, and slow doomy drumming (parts of "Sunset Choir" features faster-paced drumming though). All the ingredients of that particular sound are here and accounted for. One could have feared that the great respectful performances could have been ruined by a clean and sterile production job, but again Katatonia show that they have great taste and understanding of how music written in the early 90s should sound. This sound production has just the right amount of grit and gloom while still being detailed and clear, that you´re transported to exactly the right place, which is one of the functions and success criterias of a well executed production job. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
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