Thenighttimeproject ‘Pale Season’
Album Review By Adam McCann
Debemur Morti Productions/2019
Their departure from Swedish death/doom masters Katatonia in 2009/10 may have come as a shock, but brothers Fredrik and Mattias Norrman soon began to develop their new venture. This would become Thenighttimeproject, the band releasing their eponymous debut album in 2016. This album was warmly received with its blending of psychedelic doom with the mixture of both progressive rock and metal that has come to be expected of later Katatonia. All has been quiet on this front, but, following a line-up reshuffle that saw Letters From The Colony members Jonas Sköld and Alexander Backlund join the band, Thenighttimeproject are poised to release their sophomore album ‘Pale Season’.
In their time away, Thenighttimeproject have expanded upon the sound placed down on their debut. The band’s compositions are now much more elaborate allowing members to greatly expand on ideas with spacious grandiose themes such as during ‘Rotting Eden’, ‘Hound’ and ‘Anti-Meridian’ that are all brought thumping back to the centre with an undercurrent of alternative rock. Granted, all these genres seem like some melting pot that could ultimate divide metal fans, but, unlike the cluster it sounds like, it actually works. This makes ‘Pale Season’ very enjoyable and whilst it does take a little while to get used to, once this album clicks, it is quite difficult to not replay. ‘Pale Season’ will certainly appeal to fans of later Katatonia, having all the hallmarks of the band which moulded the Norrman brothers, but this album has the potential to pull in those who would generally not pick up this music as their first choice with some beautiful vocals, dripping with emotion, excellent sweeping piano soundscapes, soaring guitars and bone rattling drums which combine to give the band an almost progressive feel.
‘Pale Season’ is the mark of a band moving in the right direction and forging quite a unique sound along the way. It is the sound of Thenighttimeproject moving away from their Katatonia roots and developing a monster independent of other influences.
Ratint : 84/100
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
