Intricate, groovy, melancholic, and more of the progressive gothcore that Katatonia have been doing for the last 20 years. Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State is a solid album - I'll get that out of the way. It's an easy listening experience in the sense that it flows nicely across each song, guided by pleasing melodies and nicely syncopated rhythms. Lyrically, the quintissential gothic angst is replete here, so the edgelords among us have something more to chew on. There is a distinct air of unease throughout this album which is always a welcome Katatonic(?) trope, but I felt that it would have been elevated so much more with the inclusion of heavier sections to accentuate the despair - for as long as Katatonia release this style of music so too will they have to measure up to The Great Cold Distance, which was to many of us the height of what this style could be. Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State ticks a lot of these boxes whilst being a refreshing stylistic album and one that is a welcome addition to their iconic discography.