Melancholy is a strange thing, especially as it relates to music. Too much of it, and things can become rather bleak and depressing. Not enough, and the intended mood may be lost on the more discerning of listeners. Needless to say, the perfect balance of melancholy is indeed a rare thing. Really, to truly experience a sorrowful equilibrium like none other, we must hearken back to the ‘80s, back to a time when The Cure’s Robert Smith penned his wistful masterpiece, Disintegration. Not only is this album a journey into dark, oppressive territory, it also presents its listeners with moments of elation. Just as Smith brings his audience to the brink of dissolution, he reaches out a redemptive hand to pull them back from that looming precipice. So, it’s not surprising that the more somber elements of this very influential, less-than-metal, band have found its way into the comparatively brutal compositions of longtime Swedish morose-dealers, Katatonia. Recently, Bravewords.com had the opportunity to conduct a from-the-studio chat with guitarist Anders “Blakkheim” Nystrom, where he and his fellow cohorts are recording their eighth full-length album, fittingly titled Night Is The New Day. Immediately, the discussion focused on the aforementioned depressive rockers.

“I think I will never stop being influenced by an album like Disintegration,” explains Anders. “But that shouldn’t be mistaken for an indication of the sound of the new album. Let’s just say it’s very current Katatonia - that’s where it’s at. If you liked our song ‘Unfurl’ (from the ‘July’ single) you will definitely not be disappointed in the new album. We got a lot of that territory covered, but with that said, it doesn’t mean the entire album has eleven ‘Unfurl’’s. We’re still just as active exploring all things heavy. The distortion pedal is on just as much as it’s off.”

Moving beyond The Cure love-fest, I direct the proceedings to Katatonia’s last recorded effort, 2006’s The Great Cold Distance, an album lauded with critical acclaim for its evocative and emotionally-driven approach to modern rock, all the while managing to distance its compositions from the precarious position of a band on the verge of mainstream acceptance. This is the true genius of Katatonia. Yes, perhaps it could be argued that over the course of their 18 year career they have made some concessions, particularly as it relates to the moodiness/heaviness of their early output when compared to more recent offerings. That being said, let us not mistake this as some premeditated gesture. Quite the opposite, in fact. Like its predecessor, according to Nystrom, Night Is The New Day promises more of the same progression.

“Yeah, the direction takes off from where we left off with The Great Cold Distance, but emphasizes on a lot more depth and atmosphere. We’re still very comfortable with that vibe and sound and don’t think it’s time to move away from it yet. We just kick things around and spice stuff up here and there. You always have the urge to write that ‘perfect’ song rather than to go changing your entire musical style. The sound-picture is bigger and there’s a lot more stuff going on in the background. The album feels more dynamic and ranges from brutally heavy to swirling soft, not only between parts in one and the same song, but also from song to song. We’re definitely not stranded at the same spot and hopefully this will be some of our best performances together with the most well-written and arranged music our abilities allowed us to do.”

This past June saw the band entering Studio Mega, isolated far from any distractions in the south of Sweden, to begin tracking the exceptional talents of drummer Daniel Liljekvist. After some bizarre encounters with an electric fence, two cows, and a nasty seasonal illness, affecting both Anders and Daniel, the boys managed to set up shop and get down to the business at hand.

“Yeah it went very well indeed. We spent ten days in the studio. Daniel’s drum playing is really tasteful. It’s neither over-the-top technically nor too plain and boring; it’s just at the right balance of pushing the songs for maximum groove.”

With the foundation of darkness laid down, the rest of the band made the trek back into the suburbs of Stockholm to begin work on each of their prospective instruments. The studio of choice, Ghost Ward, also not-so-lovingly referred to as “the Rathole,” would serve as ground zero for the thunderous trio of Fredrik “North” Norman (guitars), Mattias “Kryptan” Norman (bass) and Anders. What of vocalist Jonas Renkse, you ask? Well, as Anders goes on to explain, not only does Jonas provide the band with its distinctive voice, but he also manages to create a few of its catchiest hooks.

“Jonas plays a couple of leads and clean guitars as well,” explains Anders. “We figured if someone is the composer of a certain part, it would be wise to get that genuine emotion behind the writing onto the album exactly as it was intended. The slightest wrong vibrato or bend or phrasing or beat or whatever could take away how it was meant to be, so I went on to play all the rhythm and the rest of the leads, clean and effects guitars. Mattias laid down all the bass guitar tracks.”

If Katatonia’s last album, The Great Cold Distance (an album that spawned a host of additional songs including ‘Unfurl’, ‘Code Against The Code’, ‘Displaced’ and ‘Dissolving Bonds’) is any indication, fans can expect a few surprises beyond the initial set of songs recorded for Night Is The New Day; though no promises are made, as Nystrom goes on to tease.

“Well, we’re recording 12 songs total, and we hope 11 will make it to the album. I don’t know much about singles, remixes and bonus tracks yet and what will go where. We might end up recording one or two extra bonus tracks later on if needed as we have some more unfinished material, but that has to be a separate session. On a side note, very exciting for all of us, is that we will have at least one guest appearance by Krister Linder - the singer from Enter The Hunt!”

The expected drop date for Night Is The New Day is October 27th via Peaceville Records, as Nystrom mentions. The album will see simultaneous release on CD, LP and a downloadable version from iTunes. Moving into the winter months, fans can be certain that Katatonia will be busting their asses promoting the hell outta this beast.

“Definitely! We’ll be supporting Porcupine Tree on their Scandinavian tour dates,” says Anders. “After this, I think we’ll jump onto either another support tour or start doing headline shows after that. 2010 is shaping up to be fantastically busy on the live front no matter what.”