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Katatonia
Dance Of December Souls
No Fashion, 1993
Dance Of December Souls took the foundation of Paradise Lost's Gothic
album and injected it with even more darkness and misery. The mournful guitar harmonies that characterized early
Paradise Lost is utilized here to express a darkness of emotion through lengthy
doom metal songs of sorrow and despair. The band is concerned with enveloping
the listener in total hopelessness and bleak misery.
Anguished souls agonizing for salvation from the endless pits of darkness soon
crash into "Gateways Of Bereavement" and its sorrowful strings and despondent
spirit. Lyrics of emotional decay and mournful longing screamed out in agony by
Jonas Renkse. The albums should be considered essential listening for those
interested in bleak, atmospheric heavy metal.
2001
Tracklisting
1. Seven Dream Souls (intro)
2. Gateways Of Bereavement
3. In Silence Enshrined
4. Without God
5. Elohim Meth
6. Velvet Thorns (of Drynwhyl)
7. Tomb Of Insomnia
8. Dancing December
Katatonia
For Funerals To Come
Avantgarde music, 1995
Having left No Fashion in favor of the Italian based label Avantgarde Music,
Sweden's Katatonia released this four track EP as a follow up to their Dance
Of December Souls debut. Actually, it's only two real songs and two
instrumentals, as "Funeral Wedding" and "Shades Of Emerald Fields" are very much
in the vein of the debut, the former complete with the trademark mournful guitar
harmonies and some frightening screams from Jonas Renkse towards the end, and
the latter featuring some almost death metal riffing and a very atmospheric
outro with cleanly sung vocals by Renkse. The title track is a clean guitar
instrumental with sound effects of wind blowing in the distance and a spoken
piece. A chilling piece in the vein
of "Elohim Meth" from the debut. The final track, "Epistle" is nothing but
a tidal wave of electronic noise with some demonic voices buried within, coming
across as a bit annoying, but it's the final track on the disc and very short so
it's basically the listener's own decision whether or not to subject themselves
to it.
Century Media records re-released this
EP as a bonus addition to buying their second album, Brave Murder Day.
2001
Tracklisting
1. Funeral Wedding
2. Shades Of Emerald Fields
3. For Funerals To Come
4. Epistel
Katatonia
Brave Murder Day
Avantgarde Music, 1996
The most noticeable aspect of Brave Murder Day as compared to earlier
material is the simplistic structuring of the songs. Katatonia have condensed
their ideas and have utilized the "less is more" approach. The six songs that
make up this album are all built upon simple rhythm foundations, over which
weeping guitar harmonies are laid over minimalist musical themes. This is
strikingly effective and often times leaves the listener in a hypnotic trance.
It's a more streamlined Katatonia, without the meandering and sometimes aimless
wandering of the past. These compositions are strategically designed to pull the
listener in and confront them with their loneliness, come face to face with
life's darkness and to analyze their inner pain. It is a study in melancholy.
Jonas's lyrics are just as the music; simple yet effective. Much improved over
his words from the debut, these lyrics are bleak and introspective.
"i saw it end long before it ended,
life itself turned pale and ended,
i saw you cry out acres of your image,
life itself does not heal me"
The album was produced by Dan Swano at Unisound Studios, the sound is thin and low, especially the drums,
which sound very much like a drum machine. Somehow this fits the theme of the
album, as it has a strange
appeal that gives off a cold, rusty vibe.
Brave Murder Day is an elegant expression of emotional decay.
2001
Tracklisting
1. Brave
2. Murder
3. Day
4. Rainroom
5. 12
6. Endtime
Katatonia
Sounds Of Decay
Avantgarde,1997
This three song EP sees Katatonia staying true to the formula found on their
previous album, Brave Murder Day, where the band relied on
minimalist song structures as a foundation for their themes of solitude and
isolation. For the
first time Katatonia would record outside of Dan Swano's Unisound, namely
Sunlight Studios with Tomas Skogsberg. And it is the production that really
makes an impact on first listen of this disc, as Katatonia's sound would be
given a healthy amount of power and heaviness, most noticeable in the drums,
where the bass drum can actually be felt as well as heard. The guitars are given
a thickness that they've never really had and the whole presentation is very
live sounding and heavy.
All three of these songs are outstanding, possessing a bit more urgency in tempo
along the lines of "Murder" and "Rainroom" from the previous
album.
2001
Tracklisting
1. Nowhere
2. At Last
3. Inside The Fall
Katatonia
Saw You Drown
Avantgarde, 1998
This highly sought after EP from Katatonia features two songs that appear on the
band's follow-up album Discouraged Ones, namely "Saw You Drown" and
"Nerve". One exclusive track, "Quiet World", appears as well as "Scarlet
Heavens" from the 1994 split with Primordial. The harsh vocals are entirely
replaced by clean, disconsolate singing similar to The Cure.
2001
Tracklisting
1. Saw You Drown
2. Nerve
3. Quiet World
4. Scarlet Heavens
Katatonia
Discouraged Ones
Avantgarde Music, 1998
The biggest change in the band's sound is in the vocal department, as they are
all delivered in Jonas Renkse's clean, somber tone. Musically, the songs have
become shorter and even more simpler than before, with Anders Nystrom's now
trademark weeping guitar melodies laid over a usually midpaced rhythmic
foundation.
Jonas's vocals are very reminiscent of The Cure's Robert Smith, delivered in a
despondent manner that is deeply convincing of the man's emotional state. His
lyrics are simple and honest, yet shrouded in themes of emotional isolation and
seclusion from the outside world.
Never has a metal band expressed melancholy quite like this. Taking inspiration
from shoegazer acts such as Slowdive, along with The Cure and Red House
Painters, Katatonia do not abandon their metal roots. They know exactly where
they come from. What they have done that very few bands from the metal world
have managed to find success with, is take influence and inspiration from
non-metal genres and effectively incorporate them into their own sound without
forsaking their true essence. Isolation, solitude, and the desire to not want to
be a part of the outside world. The stillness of night. The heaviness of lonely
silence. These things are the essence of Katatonia and Discouraged Ones
is the soundtrack.
2001
Tracklisting
1. I Break
2. Stalemate
3. Deadhouse
4. Relention
5. Cold Ways
6. Gone
7. Last Resort
8. Nerve
9. Saw You Drown
10. Instrumental
11. Distrust
Katatonia
Tonight's Decision
Peaceville, 1999
Where Discouraged Ones could almost be taken as one long song due to its'
intentional lack of variation, Tonight's Decision sees the band
broadening their ideas a bit, and injecting a bit more variation in tempo and
song structure. The intent is more on giving each song its' own individuality
and offering the listener more variety from track to track. Opener "For My
Demons" is a great start to the album, Jonas showing growth as a vocalist and
exploring new shades of melancholy with his voice. Swano is well known as a
mulit-instrumentalist, and his work behind the kit is tasteful and plays a big
part in the more varied structure of these songs. "I Am Nothing" features a very
effective chorus and some desperate cries from Jonas, ("...what is worth with
being here, I pray so often for a change..."). A bouncy, almost popish, rhythm
is the foundation for "In Death, A Song," which has a somewhat awkward sounding
chorus. I'm not sure if the band intended it that way, but there's just
something about it that seems uneasy. It's rare when I come upon a song by this
band that I am indifferent to, but this is the case with "Had To (Leave)". By no
means a bad song, it just doesn't effect me as emotionally as the other material
does. It's a mostly slow to mid-paced affair with some nice doomy riffing, but
overall fails to evoke any kind of emotional reaction to it. "This Punishment"
possesses a similar spirit as "Day" and "Quiet World" as it is presented in a
dark, mellow melancholy that captures the feeling of loneliness and makes
everything around you seem like it's been frozen in time. The empty chairs in
the photo behind the lyrics for this song further enhance the overall feeling of
isolation. Jonas chooses a half-whispered, half-sung approach here that fails to
be as convincing as it could have been. The chorus is fine, but his vocals
during the verse sections seem like they could have been delivered with a bit
more conviction. Norrman and Nystrom create a spellbinding atmosphere with their
ambient guitar melodies towards the end of this despondent piece. Things pick up
with "Right Into The Bliss", a midpaced number with a very memorable chorus,
making this a definite album highlight. "No Good Can Come Of This" opens with a
chunky riff broken up with a beautiful clean guitar section that is way too
short, and back to the beginning theme. This is again a song that for some
reason does not evoke an emotional reaction from me, albeit a good song in its'
own right, there is something missing within it that is usually present in a
Katatonia song. "Strained" features a guitar melody that reminds everyone how
influential Gregor Mackintosh of Paradise Lost has been on the guitar work of
this band. A great song with a great, impassioned chorus, "...i'd like to try to
live my life again, i'd like to see where i was going wrong...". Acoustic
guitars usher in "A Darkness Coming" and remains the foundation of the song
along with some serene keyboard subtleties, until things pick up midway through
only to return to the acoustic theme to bring this classic Katatonia song to its
end. Jonas's vocals are full of desperation and despair and unlike "This
Punishment", his efforts in this song are very convincing. The band has taken on
a few more influences from outside the metal realm, such as singer/songwriter
Jeff Buckley, whose "Nightmares By The Sea" is covered here and fits in nicely
without disturbing the flow of the album. The album ends with "Black Session",
which is centered around one of the heaviest riffs the band have written since
1997's Sounds Of Decay EP.
The American re-release of Tonight's Decision includes two bonus tracks
that did not make it onto the final mix of the album.
2001
Tracklisting
1. For My Demons
2. I Am Nothing
3. In Death, A Song
4. Had To (leave)
5. This Punishment
6. Right Into The Bliss
7. No Good Can Come Of This
8. Strained
9. A Darkness Coming
10. Nightmares By The Sea
11. Black Session
Katatonia
Teargas
Peaceville, 2001
In the tradition of 1997's Sounds Of Decay and 1998's Saw You Drown,
Teargas is a limited edition three song EP featuring the title track,
which will also be included on the band's much anticipated fifth album, Last
Fair Deal Gone Down, as well as two songs that are exclusive to this
EP, "Sulfur" and "March 4".
2001
Tracklisting
1. Teargas
2. Sulfur
3. March 4
Katatonia
Last Fair Deal Gone Down
Peaceville,
2001
Over the course of a decade, Katatonia have grown from their blackened doom origins to one of the best
bands in music today. With each of their previous four offerings, they have
explored themes of emotional isolation and melancholy through various musical
expressions, and in so doing have become innovators and an inspiration for
others. With Last Fair Deal Gone Down, the band's fifth release,
Katatonia have achieved
their most complete and convincing work to date.
For the first time in the band's history, they have a full, permanent line up,
as they welcome into their ranks bassist (and brother of guitarist Fredrik)
Mattias Norrman and drummer Daniel Liljekvist, both of whom are greatly
responsible for the sense of urgency and power in the sound. Daniel's work on
this album adds a new dimension to the band's sound, injecting a vibrant and
powerful backbone while also adding a slight complexity to some of the rhythms
found within these songs. The addition of both Mattias and Daniel takes
Katatonia's sound to a
higher level of confident songwriting and powerful arrangements.
It is this new level of confidence that makes some of these songs the best the
band have ever written. Together, guitarists Anders Nystrom and Fredrik Norrman
have developed a unique chemistry that leads one to believe they were born to
play in this band. Although still influenced by the classic early Paradise Lost
guitar sound, Anders has fully embraced the concept of subtlety. It's with his
subtle touches in the mellow, atmospheric sections of "The Future Of Speech",
Dispossession" and "Sweet Nurse" that he manages to recreate the act of
expressing melancholy through guitar playing. Both he and Fredrik have always
been well learned in using the guitar as to create ambiance, but here there is
increased emphasis on this concept.
But where the attention lies mostly is with the vocals of Jonas Renkse. His
third album in using his clean vocal delivery exclusively, he gives his best
performance on this album. Where on past efforts he sometimes seemed a bit
hesitant to "go for it" with his voice, he now is confident to experiment and
explore new realms of expression. His singing has always been emotional, but
when combined with a new found sense of confidence as on this album, he
transcends to new heights as a vocalist. His voice is the center piece of
Katatonia's music, and he
has embraced that responsibility completely on Last Fair Deal Gone Down.
On songs like "Chrome", "We Must Bury You", "Clean Today" and "Don't Tell A
Soul" he sings at a higher pitch than he has in the past, at times reminding of
Maynard James Keenan of Tool. His emotional chorus lines within "Tonight's
Music" and "The Future Of Speech" send shivers down the spine, perfectly
achieving emotional expression and memorable melody at the same time.
Along with the overall confidence and power of the album, Katatonia experiment
with a bit of technology. Within songs such as "Chrome", "We Must Bury You" and
"Tonight's Music", the band incorporate subtle electronic elements to add color
to their atmospheric expression. But before one starts to think that Katatonia have followed
Paradise Lost into Depeche Mode worship, it must be made known that it is used
very sparingly, usually behind a verse section. "We Must Bury You" is one of the
strangest songs the band has ever come up with, as it uses electronic beats and
nuances as its foundation.
There is a sticker on
the front of the CD case that says "Possibly the best Peaceville
album...ever!"...A bold statement when considering some of the excellent albums
that have been released on the label in the past ten years, but one that Last
Fair Deal Gone Down does not fall short of justifying.
2001
Tracklisting
1. Dispossession
2. Chrome
3. We Must Bury You
4. Teargas
5. I Transpire
6. Tonight's Music
7. Clean Today
8. The Future Of Speech
9. Passing Bird
10. Sweet Nurse
11. Don't Tell A Soul
Katatonia
Tonight's Music
Peaceville, 2001
Yet another limited edition EP from Katatonia, Tonight's
Music follows the same pattern as the Teargas EP released a short
time before the band's fifth full-length recording, Last Fair Deal Gone Down.
As with Teargas, the title track is taken from Last Fair Deal Gone
Down, while two previously unreleased tracks follow. Of course, If one
already owns the album from which it came, "Tonight's Music" is nothing new. But
as is the case with previous EPs from this band, it is the unreleased material
that makes this release essential for followers of this outstanding unit.
Surely, "Tonight's Music" is not only one of the many highlights from Last
Fair Deal Gone Down, but in the band's entire discography. It's a striking
portrayal of the band's ever-clever use of dynamics and thoroughly engaging
songwriting, offering a fantastic, impassioned chorus and moving vocal
performance by Jonas Renske. The two songs that follow cannot compare, but taken
on their own, they are certainly worth the possession of this EP. Apparently
written during the Tonight's Decision sessions, "Help Me Disappear" is
good enough to have been included on a full-length. A moving chorus complete
with Jonas's desperate vocals (in the best Robert Smith tradition) drive this
song, with the introspective verse sections, bleak lyrics and doom-ish middle
rounding out what possibly could become one of Katatonia's most underrated
compositions. The final track is the band's take on Will Oldham's "O How I
Enjoy The Light". As with their version of Jeff Buckley's "Nightmares By The
Sea", Katatonia
maintain the essence of the original, while effectively placing their own stamp
on the song, essentially causing it to come across as one of the band's own.
Those who missed out the first time may be saved by the upcoming release of
Brave Yesterdays.
2/2004
Tracklisting
1. Tonight's Music
2. Help Me Disappear
3. O How I Enjoy The Light
Katatonia
Viva Emptiness
Peaceville, 2003
During the recording of Viva Emptiness, guitarist Anders Nystrom reported
that the new material was shaping up to be "harder and darker" then their
previous few releases. It turns out he was right. The sixth full-length
recording from Katatonia
is indeed both harder and darker than the group's past three releases. But, of
course, harder and darker does not necessarily mean better, or just as good. In
this case, these aspects do not play such a vital role in the success of this
album. No, that would be due to the thoroughly amazing songwriting, engaging
atmospherics and compelling emotional expression. Of course, all of these things
have characterized previous works from this band, but it just keeps getting
stronger and stronger with each passing effort.
There are a few changes, and for once it's not concerning the line-up. The
guitars are sharper. The riffs bite harder. There is an increased aggression
brought to a good bit of this material. The rhythms are more urgent. Double-bass
drumming makes its first appearance since Brave Murder Day, as do harsh
vocals. Delivered by drummer Peter Lilkjikvist, these screams are used to
underline an expressed anger within the chorus lyrics of opener "Ghost Of The
Sun", perhaps the angriest moment in this band's discography. Other examples of
this angriness appear in the near-mosh inducing intro (and repeating sections)
of "Wealth", the scathing chorus of "Sleeper" and the rising, yet brief,
intensity during "Criminals" in which Jonas Renske reveals the truth about his
"dreams of violence".
It is clear that Katatonia
made a concerted effort to increase the intensity of their delivery, and they
were successful. However, this band is ultimately at their strongest and most
convincing when setting a dark, brooding atmosphere through a quite unique
expression of rock-based melancholy. "Burn The Remembrance" , "Complicity",
"Walking By A Wire" and "Evidence" (this album's "Teargas") each stand as a
reflection of this, even if they are devoid of the trademark "lonely leads" that
this band was once recognized for (Guitars are more rhythm based this time
around). The mood shifts into more plaintive scenes during "A Premonition",
which speaks more to the band's affection for alternative/indie rock, settling
down the tempo for a more introspective mood, climbing to the heights of
emotional purging after the second verse, Renske's voice taking on a familiar
Robert Smith tone when he cries "Keep it quiet here, i will not tolerate
your noise, this is where I listen for, the forgiving voice...it haunts my
dreams". Similar vibes arise during the album low mark "One Year From Now", a
possible Katatonia waltz. It seems
that for this piece, the band may have been striving for a delirious state of
uncertainty concerning the coming year, though falling a tad short of the mark.
Featuring the least interesting arrangement on the album, it's the album's only
skiptrack. The band are much more successful with the singer/songwriter-styled,
indie-rock flavored "Omerta". This short song is the most accessible sound this
band have ever achieved, yet it stops suddenly without warning, a move that is
initially a bit unnerving, yet after repeated listens begins to make more sense.
It's not as if they have not flirted with this maneuver before. This jarring
halt would have been much more unsettling had the band not made the decision to
end the album with the doom metal instrumental "Inside The City Of Glass".
Katatonia has mastered
the art of powerful, engaging songcraft, emotionally enveloping the listener
while sustaining a grey-spirited atmosphere throughout. Interesting is how they
continue to push their own envelope with each passing effort without ever losing
even an ounce of their core essence. Granted, they have migrated from the cold,
gothic cemeteries to the dark, industrial wastelands for their music's
environmental inspiration, but nothing has been lost in the way of mood and
feeling. They continue to produce stirring efforts of emotional depth and
substance. Viva Emptiness, despite the lofty expectations the
band's prior releases have birthed, is yet another outstanding achievement for
this band.
2/2004
Tracklisting
1. Ghost Of The Sun
2. Sleeper
3. Criminals
4. A Premonition
5. Will I Arrive
6. Burn The Remembrance
7. Wealth
8. One Year From Now
9. Walking By A Wire
10. Complicity
11. Evidence
12. Omerta
13. Inside The City Of Glass
Katatonia
Brave Yester Days
Century Media/Avantgarde, 2004 Brave Yester Days chronicles Katatonia’s recording career from 1992 to
1998. Rather than serving as a "best of" compilation, this double-disc release
includes every mini-CD the band produced during this era, as well as two elusive
compilation tracks, one previously unreleased track, and two songs each from the
first two full-length albums.
For those fans of this Swedish act who missed out on any of the now out of
print EPs, this compilation is essential. Jhva Elohim Meth (1992), For
Funerals To Come (1995), Sounds Of Decay (1997), and the much sought
after Saw You Drown from 1998, are presented here in their entireties.
The relatively obscure "Black Erotica" and "Love Of The Swan", originally
featured on War Compilation Vol. One in 1994, appear here
as well. For those who’ve managed to acquire all of the above material on
original format, "Untrue" will serve as the only previously unheard track on
this offering. Recorded in 1997 during the Sounds Of Decay sessions, it’s
a sparse song with bleak atmospherics that is good enough to hunt down, even
though it cannot equal the three songs it lost out to for inclusion on the EP.
From the 1993 debut Dance Of December Souls, "Gateways Of Bereavement"
and "Velvet Thorns (Of Drynwhyl)", the two best songs from that album, are
tacked on alongside "Murder" and "Rainroom" from 1996's Brave Murder May.
"I know I said I would be here
but your wish was something else
and many times we said forever
Death believes we are untrue" The track ordering is
chronological which allows for a
representation of the development of Katatonia’s approach through the first
seven years. Newcomers who have yet to explore this era of the band and are
curious to do so cannot possibly go wrong here. From soundtracks to avalanches
in slow-motion to music of spirits in abandoned cathedrals, this is a band who
sculpts songs of incredible atmospheric beauty and paralyzing emotional
captivation. The gorgeous packaging warrants mention, as images of old books and
scattered, faded photographs in haunted rooms nicely visualizes the concept of
this compilation, furthering this a worthy addition to the collection of fans of Katatonia, or anyone into dark, atmospheric music.
1/24/06
Tracklisting:
Disc 1
1. Midwinter Gates (Prologue)
2. Without God
3. Palace Of Frost
4. The Northern Silence
5. Crimson Tears (Epilogue)
6. Gateways Of Bereavement
7. Velvet Thorns (Of Drynwhyl)
8. Black Erotica
9. Love Of The Swan
10. Funeral Wedding
11. Shades Of Emerald Fields
12. For Funerals To Come
13. Epistel Disc 2
1. Murder
2. Rainroom
3. Nowhere
4. At Last
5. Inside The Fall
6. Untrue
7. Nerve
8. Saw You Drown
9. Quiet World
10. Scarlet Heavens
Purchase Katatonia's Brave Yester Days
Katatonia
The Black Sessions
Peaceville, 2005 The Black Sessions picks up where Brave Yester Days left off, as
it offers an overview of Katatonia’s work from 1998 to 2003. Dissimilar to
Brave Yester Days, however, The Black Sessions acts more as a ‘best
of’ compilation, with selected tracks from the four full-length albums released
during this span of the band’s career featured over the course of two discs. The
mini-CDs Teargas and Tonight’s Music are included here in their
entirety, and a previously unreleased song in the shape of "Wait Outside",
recorded in 2003 during the Viva Emptiness sessions, is presented. In
addition, the two bonus tracks from the American re-release of Tonight’s
Decision, "Fractured" and No Devotion", are now made available. Because of
the sheer excellence of Katatonia’s songwriting, it would be quite difficult to
go wrong with nearly any combination of songs from these particular albums. All
the same, the track selection for this set does succeed in presenting the
strongest material from each album.
To significantly increase the attractiveness of this collection to fans who
may already own most, if not all, of this material, a DVD showcasing the band
live in Krakow, Poland completes this set. The first official Katatonia DVD, it
presents the band in good live form, represented in high quality of all aspects
of the performance. Never the most visually captivating in terms of stage
activity, Katatonia chooses rather to allow the strength of their songcraft and
the atmospheric qualities of their sound to pull in the audience. It’s notable
how far Jonas Renkse has advanced in his role as a live vocalist, and his stark
presence and lost-in-icy-distance stare visually compliment the smooth
melancholy of his voice.
"I burn the bridges behind me
can’t tell you the truth so I lie
I’m waving at someone behind you
I filter my eyes when I look to the sky"
Aside from the likelihood of most Katatonia fans owning the vast majority of
this recorded work, The Black Sessions is a worthy addition to one’s
collection, even if, for no other reason, for the live DVD. The unreleased track
"Wait Outside", with its sharp riffing and glimmering chorus, is solid, and the
included EP and Tonight’s Decision bonus tracks are certainly worth
owning. Travis Smith decorates this package in his usual dark elegance, always
adding a fitting visual dimension to this band’s brooding music. This document
is successful in its representation of Katatonia’s considerable consistence in
quality music of emotional isolation swathed in nocturnal ruin.
1/25/06
Tracklisting:
Disc 1
1. Teargas
2. Right Into The Bliss
3. Criminals
4. Help Me Disappear
5. Nerve
6. The Future Of Speech
7. Ghost Of The Sun
8. I Am Nothing
9. Deadhouse
10. Passing Bird
11. Sleeper
12. Sulfur
13. No Devotion
14. Chrome
15. A Premonition Disc 2
1. Dispossession
2. Cold Ways
3. Nightmares By The Sea
4. O How I Enjoy The Light
5. Evidence
6. March 4
7. I Break
8. For My Demons
9. Omerta
10. Tonight’s Music
11. Stalemate
12. Wait Outisde
13. Fractured
14. Sweet Nurse
15. Black Session DVD
1. Ghost Of The Sun
2. Criminals
3. Teargas
4. I Break
5. I Am Nothing
6. Sweet Nurse
7. Tonight’s Music
8. For My Demons
9. Chrome
10. Future Of Speech
11. Complicity
12. Burn The Remembrance
13. Evidence
14. Deadhouse
15. Murder
 Katatonia
My Twin
Peaceville, 2006 The My Twin EP from Katatonia presents two versions of the title track
as well as two exclusive songs, "Dissolving Bonds" and "Displaced". "My Twin" is
the single from the band’s forthcoming seventh full-length release, The Great
Cold Distance. The song is reminiscent of "Teargas" from the Last Fair
Deal Gone Down album from 2001 in that it emphasizes the band’s nearly
unrivaled melodic awareness within an aphoristic song fueled by pop
sensibilities manipulated by brooding atmospherics. The basic design of this
track is quintessential modern-era Katatonia, displaying the identifiable
trademarks that have come to define the band’s sound and approach during the
course of their development. The darkly emotional surge of the chorus works
fantastically in contrast with the disconsolate tenseness of the verse sections,
punctuating a suspense in rhythm that deviates into static convulsions during
the song’s mid-section. An "Opium Dub" version of the song slows the rhythm,
incorporates slow pulsing electronic percussion and transforms the song into a
slow-motion dreamscape of haunting emotion. While this version does not
ultimately succeed in achieving its desired intent, mainly due to poor
employment of the electronic drum pattern, it does offer an interesting take on
the track by subjecting its theme to a more dramatic shade of atmospheric
texture.
"Displaced" features excellent verse sections of solemn ambience and Jonas
Renske’s withdrawn vocals, yet the song is ultimately denied consistency of
emotional or atmospheric presence due to an un-engaging chorus with ineffective
vocal effects and a primary guitar harmony that is afflicted with indifference.
"Dissolving Bonds" succeeds however, utilizing an enveloping harmony through
guitars over clever rhythmic patterns, and Renske’s brilliant emotional
communication through his characteristic portrayal of feeling accentuated in
appropriation of moment and theme. It is destined to share company with other
EP-only songs such as "Quiet World, "Help Me Disappear" and "Sulfur" as one of
Katatonia’s most underrated compositions.
"Reaching for a sentence in my mouth
Well hidden under my tongue
I know what things are all about" Related to recent material while offering slight hints of further exploration
of rhythmic structure, this EP suggests that Katatonia are quite far from a fade
away in effectiveness, and equally far from distancing themselves from the
darkness that shapes their worldview.
4/30/06
Tracklisting:
1. My Twin
2. My Twin (Opium Dub Mix)
3. Displaced
4. Dissolving Bonds
Katatonia
The Great Cold Distance
Peaceville, 2006 Through a clever subtlety, Katatonia have managed to introduce slight
enhancements to their post-doom melancholic metal/rock with each passing
release, firmly maintaining their core sound while evading triteness or
redundancy. The previous Viva Emptiness featured an incisiveness to
guitar riffs and a sharpness of rhythm that provided an angularity to structure
and contrasted effectively with the band’s dark atmospherics. The band’s
increasing fascination with the talented rhythm section they acquired in 2000,
particularly the addition of drummer Daniel Liljekvist, has led them further
away from the structural minimalism of earlier material (something that had
become a significant characteristic of their approach and identity). The
Great Cold Distance sees the continuation of this approach, yet the brooding
atmospheres and ambient beauty of the band’s sound has now become threatened by
this increased emphasis on rhythmic dynamics.
Katatonia’s wondrous skill for weighing an emotional isolation upon the
listener carries much of this work. Through depressive, achromatic melodies and
Jonas Renske’s captivating voice of cold fragility and dismay, the expression of
life’s melancholy this act have always commanded resonates brilliantly in
"Leaders", "Soil’s Song", "July" and "In The White". Yet a troubling percentage
of The Great Cold Distance is ultimately unmemorable due to rhythmic
restlessness interrupting atmospheric flow. "Consternation", "Increase",
"Rusted" and "The Itch" are victims of this interference, each containing
particular moments of engagement, yet succumbing to inconsistency. The band do
manage to strike an effective balance on songs like "Journey Through Pressure",
"My Twin", and "Deliberation" , yet no individual song makes an immediate
presence felt, which is an uncommon occurrence for a Katatonia album. Whereas an
album such as Discouraged Ones worked beautifully as an album-long
experience rather than individual tracks because of its atmospheric consistency,
The Great Cold Distance is left with no clear standout song(s) and no
cohesiveness of ambient theme.
"To overcome this
I become one with
The quiet cold of late November" Certainly, this album is excellent in its production, execution, and
delivery, yet it is a disappointment on the whole. In choosing to make their
music more rhythmically diverse, Katatonia are risking the flow and consistency
of their melancholic ambience, which has served as primary foundation of
creativity for everything they have produced, and responsible for some of the
most darkly captivating music one can encounter in the realms of heavy metal (Brave
Murder Day and Discouraged Ones in particular). The beauty of the
band’s music is in danger of becoming lost to mechanical structuralism, and
Katatonia would do well to pay attention to this development should they wish to
maintain the very source of their appeal, in its most powerful and moving form.
5/02/06
Tracklisting:
1. Leaders
2. Deliberation
3. Soil’s Song
4. My Twin
5. Consternation
6. Follower
7. Rusted
8. Increase
9. July
10. In The White
11. The Itch
12. Journey Through Pressure
Katatonia Homepage
Katatonia Discography
Jhva Elohim Meth (No Fashion, 1993)
Dance Of December Souls (House Of Kicks/No Fashion, 1993)
For Funerals To Come (Avantgarde, 1995)
Brave Murder Day (Avantgarde, 1996; Century Media, 1997)
Sounds Of Decay (Avantgarde, 1997)
Saw You Drown (Avantgarde, 1998)
Discouraged Ones (Avantgarde/Century Media, 1998)
Tonight's Decision (Peaceville, 1999)
Teargas (Peaceville, 2001)
Last Fair Deal Gone Down (Peaceville, 2001)
Tonight's Music (Peaceville, 2001)
Viva Emptiness (Peaceville, 2003)
Brave Yesterdays compilation (Avantgarde,
2004)
The Black Sessions compilation (Peaceville, 2005)
My Twin EP (Peaceville, 2006)
The Great Cold Distance (Peaceville,
2006)
Deliberation EP (Peaceville,
2006)
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