The Day of Deceit

This album from Katatonia, their first studio effort since 2006, is as moody and beautiful as their other latter-day work. The group's career can be marked in two stages based on the condition of singer Jonas Renske's vocal cords - basically, after the band's first two albums, he developed health problems that prevented him from performing harsh death growls, and ever since the band has moved in an increasingly melodic direction, even covering songs by Will Oldham and Jeff Buckley…

"Night Is the New Day" is Katatonia's eighth full-length album. The group's career can be marked in two stages based on the condition of singer Jonas Renske's vocal cords - basically, after the band's first two albums, he developed health problems that prevented him from performing harsh death growls, and ever since the band has moved in an increasingly melodic direction, even covering songs by Will Oldham and Jeff Buckley. It's unsurprising to learn that Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt helped out by performing the harsh vocals on Katatonia's Brave Murder Day album and Sounds of Decay EP in 1996 and 1997, since "Night Is the New Day" songs "Forsaker" and "Idle Blood" could be outtakes from that band's "Damnation" or "Blackwater Park". Other tracks like "The Longest Year," the hilariously titled "Onward into Battle" (a song this slow and lush would only inspire soldiers to lie down for a nap)…