THE NIGHT TIME PROJECT
Pale Season DEBEMUR MORTi
Second offering from ex-Katatonians’ Swedish supergroup.
Fredrik Norrman’s supergroup have evolved considerably since their 2016 debut album, in personnel if not musical style. Founding singer Tobias Netzell (better known for In Mourning and his stint alongside Norrman in October Tide) and erstwhile Mandylon drummer Nicklas Hjertton were forced to bow out in 2017 due to the all-too-familiar juggling of multi-project commitments, whereupon Norrman elected to upgrade to a four-piece, reuniting with bassist brother Mattias – a fellow Katatonia alumnus, of course – and Letters From The Colony pair Alexander Backlund (vocals) and Jonas Sköld (drums). If anything, their melodramatic musical template seems stronger as a result.
THEY’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN TO EXPLORE THEIR MUSICAL POSSIBILITIES…
Always operating close to the opposite melodic end of the musical spectrum from their work in extreme metal outfit October Tide, the Norrman brothers amp up the soaring, melancholic tunes further still on this second full studio set, and Backlund’s introduction adds a charismatic focal point.
The band have explained that thematically, Pale Season “refers to those less-colourful patches of memory – years that fly by without anything spectacular happening, which pale in comparison to the vividness of one’s childhood or the early days of romance.” In truth, those contrasting emotions are evoked more effectively by the peaks and troughs within the music than any particular lyric line.
Fading in with crackly vinyl sounds and seductively despondent guitar figures, opening track Hound evokes a distinct emo flavour to the brooding, introspective vocal melodies. But it’s not too long before Norrman Sr’s urge to strike a power chord or two gets the better of him, as the slow-building, epic sadness of Rotting Eden finally explodes into heart-wringing melodic metal.
Embers is similarly punctuated by a juddering, juggernautlike onslaught of guitar riffs, as Backlund’s yearning vocal reaches out to the heavens above it.
There’s a mighty sweep to several other tracks, peaking with the seven-minute Final Light, but subtle touches like the insistent synth figure running through the title track still add welcome atmospheric dynamics. It does the album no harm to bring in outside influences: Signals In The Sky is lit up by fluttering female vocals, while wistful arpeggios are bookended by crunching machine gun guitar volleys.
They end on the most intriguing note of all, though, as there’s a positively ambient feel to final track Meridian. It suggests this is a band that have only just begun to explore the musical possibilities open to them. We’re left with the distinct impression that this is not so much the end of a Season as it is the start of a bright new one.