Five For Friday: January 20, 2023

Greetings, Decibel readers!

Any week with a new Katatonia album is a good week, right? But that’s not all, we’ve got some terrifying death metal here for you in the form of Nothingness and Thaumaturgy, some rocking black metal from Slegest, and a doom-metal masterclass courtesy of Tribunal. As always, I try to find something for everybody. Well. Everybody with good taste.

Enjoy!

Katatonia – Sky Void of Stars

Katatonia has kept up the pace, promptly issuing this follow-up to 2020’s City Burials. Or perhaps the last few years have been so mind-bending that 2020 feels like last year. Anyway. On Sky Void of Stars, the band conjures up its characteristic melancholy, this time leaning on its energetic side to bring out a distinctly hard-rock vibe. Jonas’s vocals remain unmistakable, a consistent line of longing that stretches from the late-90s stylistic shift to the present day. An album for rainy days.

Stream: Apple Music

Nothingness – Supraliminal

Ok, so you see the album cover? That’s pretty much what this album will do to your senses upon listening. Or it’s probably what your nightmares look like if you fall asleep to it. An album for sleepless nights.

Stream: Apple Music

Slegest – Avstand

When you’re ready to rock, but need to do it in the fjords. Norway’s Slegest combine the spirit of Motörhead and other classic heavy metal bands with the specter of black metal to create a sound that’s haunting and hook-laden in equal measure. An album for a drive in the winter cold.

Stream: Apple Music

Thaumaturgy – Tenebrous Oblations

I think whenever a Dungeon and Dragons player casts the thaumaturgy cantrip, the DM should just put on this album. I still don’t quite understand the abilities and limitations of the spell, but I totally understand what this band brings to the table. An album for wandering through the caves.

Tribunal – The Weight of Remembrance

The Weight of Remembrance is a doom-metal triumph, recalling the top-notch work of bands like My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost, while breathing the band’s own voice into that legacy. There’s a lot of bands doing something similar to this today, oftentimes coming short with boring riffs, weak vocals, and forgettable beats. That is resolutely not the case here, as Tribunal knows how to combine searing guitars, crushing rhythms, and a blend of harsh and clean vocals that build a cathedral of atmosphere for the listener’s ears. I think we have a new Decibel favorite in the making here — an album from a band worth watching.

Stream: Apple Music