Just like the other kings of melancholy – Paradise Lost и My Dying Bride, we know oh so well what to expect from Katatonia.

And still, the Swedes manage to be surprisingly divers and even experimental while staying inside the ranks of their own conservatism. And even though at least two thirds of their songs maintain pretty much the same pace while being entrancing and ghostly urbanistic, Katatonia have never been dull or uninteresting. Just the opposite.

Thus it comes as no surprise that in ‘Dead End Kings’ echo sounds from ‘Tonight’s Decision’ and ‘Viva Emptiness’ but even more clearly – from 2006’s ‘The Great Cold Distance’, an album that redefined Katatonia’s sound.

Very much like its predecessor ‘Night Is The New Day’, ‘Dead End Kings’ isn’t an instant hit. It takes time to really immerse in its thick, dark atmosphere that seems just right for the upcoming days of autumn.

Anders Nyström’s guitar work varies from his trademark melodic leads  to simple but effective riffing (try ‘Dead Letters’ and ‘Buildings’) but in this album it’s the piano and subtle electronics (delivered by music producer Frank Default) that seem to dominate the overall sound, the latter being most obvious in the highlights – ‘Hypnone’, ‘Leech’ и ‘Ambitions’.

The long awaited guest appearance of The Gathering’s Silje Wergeland fails to impress. Lead singer Jonas Renkse explains the idea was her voice to mix in with the sound rather than presenting another male-female duet. It did work so well that while listening to ‘The One You Are Looking for Is Not Here’ it’s almost impossible to distinguish Silje’s vocal parts. A great track, though.

A traditional Katatonia output, ‘Dead End Kings’ would prove too even-paced for listeners that aren’t hardcore fans of the band (and they would probably rate it a four out of six) but would definitely be the autumn soundtrack for the Katatonia followers (therefore receiving a five out of six).