Katatonia is a band that has grown on me throughout the past decade. Upon discovering them when they were regularly compared to bands I already appreciated like gothic metal bands The Vision Bleak, The Old Dead Tree and Paradise Lost, I wasn't particularly impressed by the quintet's moody gothic rock soundscapes. However, this band's very own melancholic, melodic and sluggish style has impressed me more with every contact and I have now even purchased rarities such as this little extended play released with German metal magazine Legacy.

As its title and cover indicate, this output promotes Katatonia's upcoming thirteenth full length studio output Sky Void of Stars. First and foremost, this extended play offers two tracks from said record with ''Atrium'' and ''Austerity''. Both songs find the perfect balance between gloomy, introspective and thoughtful atmosphere and airy, mysterious and sluggish musicianship that does just enough to qualify as gothic metal. Both songs are catchy right from the start and then grow with every spin. Simply stated, the two new songs represent all the qualities that make Katatonia stand out. If you like these two songs, you have dozens to discover but if you don't like them, you can ignore everything this band has been doing for the past two and a half decades.

Up next come two excellent cover songs with Judas Priest's ''Night Comes Dawn'' and Enter the Hunt's ''Fighters''. The former is a traditional heavy metal band and the latter a rather unknown Swedish progressive rock band. These two songs represent Katatonia's inspirations and soundscapes very well as the Swedish quintet finds the right balance between heavy and gothic metal inspirations and progressive and even psychedelic rock influences. Katatonia have managed to make both songs sound like their own as they blend in fluidly and smoothly with the rest of the material.

The final two songs ''Foresaker'' and ''Liberation'' have been recorded in concert more than a decade ago. However, these songs sound timeless and certainly deserve to be listened to. The Swedish quintet sounds a little bit grittier, heavier and straighter in concert without letting go off its atmospheric, captivating and eerie vibes. The crowd reacts very well to these two songs which makes for a dynamic listening experience.

As you can read, Katatonia's Sky Void of Stars EP is certainly worth your attention if you are already a fan of the band or if you like anything between psychedelic rock and gothic metal. This release offers an excellent mixture of compelling new songs, creative cover versions and captivating live songs. The six songs presented here entertain from start to finish through twenty-four minutes and make you want to hit the repeat button as soon as the listening experience is over. Needless to say that the band's full length effort Sky Void of Stars can't come soon enough and that another tour through North America would be very welcome indeed.

Final Rating: 90%

Bye Bye 2022

Infoman 2022

Summer Cem - Bielefeld (2022)

RAF Camora feat. Bonez MC - Blaues Licht (2021)

Nelly Petkova - Ne iskam (2021)

Despite the title, Alcoholic Metal: 40 Years in Thrash - Extended Version is not simply an alternative version of Tankard's 1985 demo Alcoholic Metal. It features two brand-new songs from 2022 to support new full length effort Pavlov's Dawgs. There is also a new 2022 live version of ''Schwarz-weiss wie Schnee'', celebrating SG Eintracht Frankfurt's Europa League victory. Therefore, this is an entirely new compilation that is interesting for fans of old date but not so much for potential new supporters to be honest.

The two new tracks aren't the best from Pavlov's Dawgs that qualifies as average output in Tankard's long career. ''Beerbarians'' is the typical tongue-in-cheek party anthem with energetic thrash metal riffs, thunderous rhythm section and raw vocals while the lyrics walk on the thin line between humour and ridicule. It's a matter of taste whether you still find such lyrics tolerable or not. In my humble opinion, Tankard has written much better songs with similar lyrics in the past and should have tried out something new for a change. ''Lockdown Forever'' suffers from similar problems. While the musicianship is tight, fast and dynamic, nobody really needed lyrics about the lockdowns we have all been going through. Sure, it's not a bad idea to take dramatic events with a good sense of humour but that topic really has been discussed time and again and we simply didn't need a thrash metal song about it.

This release's highlight certainly is the energetic live version of ''Schwarz-weiss wie Schnee''. This song makes it obvious why Tankard have been developing a successful career for four decades and counting. The band simply knows how to communicate with its fans, how to deliver sympathetic entertainment and how to perform energetic thrash metal that doesn't take any prisoners as if the band members were still hungry teenagers striving for attention in a rebellious way. The band hasn't released a live record in a while, so perhaps the time has come to do so in the near future. I'm still hoping for a collaborative live release from Germany's greatest thrash metal bands Tankard, Sodom, Kreator and Destruction.

Up next, we have the titular demo from the mid-eighties featuring eight songs and a total running time of twenty-nine minutes. This demo is only interesting for adamant fans of the band who want to discover Tankard's roots and how the group sounded in its very early years before signing its first contract with Noise Records. To be honest, this demo hasn't aged very well. It's not just the blurry, chaotic and underproduced sound that some hopeless nostalgics might call romantic but the songwriting is at times extremely simplistic with only a few guitar riffs, repetitive rhythm section and boring choruses that are repeated to death. Sure, a few moments show potential when the band comes around with more melodic sections and more elaborate songwriting but there are ultimately more lows than highs in my opinion. There isn't anything legendary about that old demo anymore as there are much more interesting Tankard records that are truly worth your attention.

At the end of the day, Tankard's Alcoholic Metal: 40 Years in Thrash - Extended Version is only interesting for adamant collectors and fans of old date. For everyone else, this is a confusing release featuring two new songs, a live track and a demo that is almost four decades old. Instead of getting more people interested in this band, such a release might actually keep potential new fans away from a great thrash metal band.

Final Rating: 40%