Katoaja are a Finnish progressive metal band and this is their debut album.
What We Witness contains 45 minutes of modern progressive metal. Katoaja operate on the heavier end of the progressive metal spectrum, delivering seven songs that showcase the talents of this relatively new band very nicely. As this is progressive metal, there’s more to Katoaja than just heaviness though.
The songs are creative and thoughtfully crafted, while still retaining a rawer edge than is common for the style. As well as endearing themselves to me through their aggressive heart, I also like that What We Witness hasn’t gone down the route of an overly shiny, plastic production; the music sounds well-crafted, but more organic than you might expect.
There is, in some ways, a focus on twisted riffs and harsh vocals, but not at the expense of atmospheric moments or creative ideas. The songs are formed around a core of heaviness, but expand from this to take in more emotive textures. Clean singing and expressive soundscapes are a central part of the album too; Katoaja capably use mood-building across the songs, and synths add a feeling-rich layer to the music when they’re used. There is an old-school progressive rock feel here and there also, wrapped up in the band’s contemporary delivery. Katoaja have a range of tools at their disposal, it seems.
There’s an interesting mix of ingredients here, and I’ll throw out a few references to bands like Bear, Dvne, Frontierer, Hippotraktor, Monolithe, Múr, The Ocean, and Soilwork, all of which came to mind at one point or another during What We Witness.
What We Witness is an impressive first step from Katoaja. Although not perfect, (the title track instrumental is not quite up to the standard of the other songs, and Stoic is an ambient piece that, while pleasant, could be easily omitted), is stronger and more well-rounded than most debut records in the style. The songs are well-written and there is a lot to enjoy if you prefer your contemporary progressive metal to have teeth as well as emotion.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 