Wow, what a surprise!!! KATATONIA have grabbed themselves by their tufts and put their money where their mouth is after the band had been stuck in a creative dead end. The new album Viva Emptiness teems with good ideas, powerful and ominous riffs, magic moments, noticeably increased complexity and a good deal of aggression. I don’t know if KATATONIA were aware of that fact that they moved on a musical terrain where development potential concerning metal was limited. Maybe it was the intense project work of some band members (Jonas Renske, Anders Nyström) in much heavier fields (Bloodbath, Diabolical Masquerade), which gave the impulse to this development. Fact is, this album leaves nothing to be desired if you like sophisticated, atmospherically dark music.

Already the opener Ghost Of The Sun makes it clear: the band wants demand. Actually you can still find the well known trademarks like varied song structures with occasional acoustic variations, the clean and seemingly torn vocals of Jonas Renske and the dark rock element in their music. But this time the band composed the tracks much more consequently than on the predecessor Last Fair Deal Gone Down. In addition there’s much more heaviness so you even can find some background growls again in the first track. And this hasn’t happened since their break with Death Metal approx. 6 years ago.
The following songs cover more or less the same emotional intention, but the absolute highlights can be found embedded in the over-all musical structure. For example the fantastic Will I Arrive, which starts out really furiously to become enraptured afterwards, just to hold the willing listener spellbound for good, just to continue this hot-cold treatment of emotions. The semi ballad Wealth lives by these contrasts, too. Surrounded by abruptly starting heavy guitars that seem to attack the listener, there are dreamlike, beautiful, almost lulling acoustic passages. Thus you yourself are becoming the hunted and driven person, who is helplessly at the mercy of the desperateness and conjured darkness.
Especially outstanding I think is the triple of songs at the end of Viva Emptiness. Evidence is one of the most catchy tunes on this CD and convinces with its dark-driving melody. Ometa reminds me a bit of the grandiose ballads by Opeth and still is the track with the most positive feel what with its sophisticated and very solemn melancholy on this album. Whereas the outro and instrumental Inside The City Of Glass wallows again into dark, opulent – elegic melodies, packed into extremely beamy guitar riffs. That gives you pure creeps!

But not only the excellent musical job should be mentioned but also the entire package that is done quite well. The production is enormously powerful and fits perfectly, while the artistic design leaves nothing to be desired as well. Kept completely in black and white and very stylish, the listening impression is mirrored very impressively in the artwork as well. All things considered KATATONIA are back with a phenomenally strong album. And if I wouldn’t know that the Swedish guys still are able to best their level, I would give the maximum score for Viva Emptiness. So I give „just“ 9.5 points and the prophecy that this masterpiece is one of the hottest aspirants for the best album in 2003.