‘the Swedes have quite possibly penned their very own masterpiece...
...this record is a mind-bending odyssey of melodies, moods, colours and soundscapes; labyrinthian ambience, glorious heights, despairing lows and the type of awe-inspiring set of chapters which demand an instant replay. This is truly classic Katatonia, and of unprecedented quality.’
9/10 Rocksound
'an album staggering in both its ambition and its accessibility, showcasing beauty and despair in equal measure.'
4.5/5 One Metal (click for full review)
UK
Guitarist 5/5
‘the standard never drops from truly masterful’
Rocksound 9/10
Terrorizer 8/10
Ultimate Guitar 9/10
‘Katatonia return with one of their most complete and gratifying efforts yet.’ ultimate-guitar.com
Scratch The Surface 8/10
‘it's a unique and intense set of songs’ scratchthesurface
One Metal 4.5/5
onemetal.com
Thrash Hits 5/6
‘Katatonia stand proud as one of the fore runners of the doom laced rock movement. Night Is The New Day delivers a blindingly good orchestrated soundscape. It is a perfect example showing how Jonas Renske and Co not only helped define the genre but they also have a massive influence in shaping its forward movement.’
www.thrashhits.com
Rogue Tomato
‘a truly stunning album’ www.rogue-tomato.com
FINLAND
#8 IN NATIONAL CHART (HIGHEST NEW ENTRY)
Soundi 5/5
‘the most versatile and consistent Katatonia album ever’
Sue 9/10
DENMARK
Diskant.dk 9/10 www.diskant.dk
Antenna.nu 6/6 www.antenna.nu
GAFFA.dk 4/6 www.gaffa.dk
USA
Decibel 9/10
’Night is the New Day is so strong I’m confident with a little elbow grease Katatonia might just be the darlings of 2009. If they aren’t I’m kicking ass and taking names.’
Metal Underground 4.5/5
‘Fans of any era of Katatonia’s work will love ‘Night is the New Day,’ and anyone who hasn’t checked them out yet will have a stunning jumping off point to get started. The album is one to actively work through over a series of listening sessions, and each journey through just makes the music better.’ www.metalunderground.com
NORWAY
#56 IN THE NORWEGIAN ALBUM CHART (FIRST WEEK)
Norway Rock Magazine 5.5/6
Scream Magazine 5/6
Østlendingen 5/6 www.ostlendingen.no
Headbangers Blogg 4/6 www.headbangersblogg.no
Puls.no www.puls.no
Imhotep.no 5/6 www.imhotep.no
GERMANY
Rock Hard 8.5/10 album of the month
Zillo album of the month
Legacy 14/15 album of the month
"Maestros of melancholy"
Heavy! 11/12
‘Diese Band spíelt in einer ganz eigenen Liga!’ "Katatonia is in its own league"
Metal Hammer 5/7
"The power of autumn's storm"
The Pit 9.5/10
Die Schweden sind und bleiben einmalig. (The Pit.de)
Visions-Underground 9.5/10
Metal.de 10 /10
‘Mit ‘Night Is The New Day’ bringen KATATONIA ihren eigenen Stil endgültig zur Perfektion.’ A must for every Katatonia fan"
Eclipsed 7/10
Musikreviews 13/15
Powermetal.de 8.5/10
ITALY
Metal Maniac 8/10
NETHERLANDS
Aardshock 85/100
‘This is one of the best Katatonia-albums, if not THE best one.’
SPAIN
Kerrang 5/5
‘the only thing I can do is to recommend as hard as I can both this album and this band’
This Is Rock
‘They keep being the same but even more amplified’.
Metal Hammer
‘A very eclectic album, both with Doom, Prog and even Folk and Classic elements. A masterpiece of it genre!’
Rafabasa.com 9.5/10
‘This album is a tribute to the sound and music, a tribute to a delicate, fresh and atmospheric Rock; a new view of Jonas Renkse and his band to a sound always evolving and being more perfect’
SWEDEN
Sweden Rock 8/10
Close-Up Mag 8/10 - 2nd in soundcheck
Aftonbladet 4/5
Expressen 4/5
Göteborgs-Posten 4/5
FRANCE
Obskure zine 84%
AUSTRIA
Darkscene 9/10
OPETH Frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt -
"KATATONIA's Night Is The New Day Is Possibly The Greatest 'Heavy' Record I've Heard In The Last 10 Years"
Posted on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 02:26:24 EST
OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has checked in with the following:
"KATATONIA - Night Is The New Day is possibly the greatest 'heavy' record I've heard in the last 10 years. Most people know my history with them and also my friendship with the guys. Jonas and I have been best buddies for the last 18 years or so.
Everytime Opeth or Katatonia has a new record we arrange a small private listening party. Usually with myself, Anders and Jonas. For years we've managed to record albums around the same time and had both the new Opeth album and the new Katatonia album played back on the same session. It's always great fun, however disciplined.
You can't talk during playback (death penalty), you listen to the album all the way through twice, and then we have the 'comments.' Everything is washed down with beer or wine...there might be snacks on the table.
Well, two days after the new Katatonia album is mastered here we are, holed up in a friends apartment ready to go through the new masterpiece by Katatonia. And it truly is a masterpiece! I have not been this taken back by an album for a long time. I almost had tears in my eyes. It's an absolutely stunning piece of music! Easily their most progressive and emotional record as far as I'm concerned.
The finale is almost too much to bear. Here we have some guest vocals by ENTER THE HUNT kingpin, Krister Linder (Chris Lancelot to some) and it's quite fucking moving to say the least.
I've always been a fan of Katatonia. Ever since I heard their first demo back in 1991 or 1992, and I thought they sounded like Opeth, haha! This record however is their crown jewel so far.
It's an album that is 'more' than the music that's on there.
How often do I plug something that's not from 1971? It gives you an indication where I stand on the matter maybe?"
Cheers,
Mike
