Katatonia
 

I didn't find some thread about band Katatonia... What do you think about them? Do you like or do you hate them?

Katatonia - MySpace

I listened yesterday four albums and my feelings are mixed. There is something attractive for me but also something boring.
Next month they will be on tour in Prague together with band Swallow the Sun.
So I am not sure - to go or not to go to see them live?
I will make my own decision after more listenes but I am curious to know your opinions about this band :)
Thank you!

I've only heard "Brave Murder Day" with Akerfeldt on vocals.. always meant to check out other albums, but never got around to it. I should probably do that... as I enjoyed that album quite a bit.

i won't tell you not to check out their other works, but i will say that Brave Murder Day stands head and shoulders above the rest... imo anyway

Hmm, I have similar feelings. I voted "good" too.

It's nice listening but after it nothing special stayed on my mind.
Some songs or parts of songs reminds me mellow songs of Opeth little bit but... not so attractive music, more boring. But it doesn't mean it's bad. Although there are many better metal bands, I like it.

Katatonia has an interesting feeling in it. "Twin Song", "Nephilim", "July", "Evidence", "Forsaker" - some really cool songs out there. "Nephilim" seems to be my favourite. So, Katatonia is pretty good, but they seem to make too much similar songs. But I voted "very good" because of that special flavour of their songs.

Adonai, you wrote it very nice :)
As I wrote in my first post, there is something very attractive but too much similar songs...

I decided... I would like to see them live. I hope I will have a free time for it.

Been a fan since "Deadhouse" in 1998. Saw them live in 2008. Forsaker was my #8 song of 2009....

#8. Katatonia – Forsaker
GOTH METAL, ALTERNATIVE METAL

Gloomy. Brooding. Dreary. Bleak. Grim. And... heavy metal. That's Katatonia. Katatonia could be best described as a "serious Type O Negative." It's a strange phenomenon to be hear heavy riffs and thundering percussion, and not get the urge to mosh like a starving gorilla at a farmer's market. Instead "Forsaker" leaves me feeling cold, empty, and dejected. The band long ago mastered the art of incorporating creepy soundscapes, eerie melodies, and haunting vocals over sludgy metal music. The result is a very distinct sound that mesmerizes both metalheads and fans of goth music.

Best Line: "Abandon your freedom. Give up the right to find the true self. Forsake your own reasons."

I quite enjoy Katatonia if I'm in the proper mood. I used metal for purely cathartic reasons earlier in my life, however as I began to grow older and discover intoxicants to deal with my problems, I stopped looking for the most extreme and abrasive metal and instead looked for other elements. Katatonia does a great job at appeasing my heavier side, yet they remain melodic enough for me to really comprehend the meaning in their lyrics. They're also perfect for if I'm hanging around with non-metal heads because I can enjoy their sound without really irking my friends who are not as interested in double bass drums and guttural vocals. I also like how they're matured as musicians over the years, honing in on a unique sound and fusing elements of classical music with metal; this is heavily prominent on their 2009 release, Night Is the New Day.

I started to like them more last days. I really enjoy song Forsaker, My Twin and some others too. I don't need them for some my problems, I have some other bands that fits to my personality better. But when I have a mood for them, it's good listening.
I will go to see them live, I bought my ticket already :)

They should’ve stuck with making blackened death/doom as they did originally as it’s clearly what they were best at. ‘Dance of December Souls’ is one of my favourite albums of all time in any genre. “Without God” must be one of the most devastatingly hateful songs of all time. The Jhva Elohim Meth.. Revival EP sends chills down my spine each time I listen to it as well.
‘Brave Murder Day’ is by no means a bad album but a very rock oriented sound is to be found here and it is not really the “death/doom” classic so many have tried to make it out to be.
Of their depressive rock albums my favourites would probably be ‘Discouraged Ones’ and ‘Viva Emptiness’.
I was quite disappointed with “The Great Cold Distance” (only song that really stuck out as anything great to me was “July”) and have yet to check out the newest release…

Overall I’ll vote ‘good’, though the earliest stuff is absolutely incredible.

I gave them a listen a week or so back and a track in I'm thinking that it's pretty good atmospheric metal and then another track comes along and then another and by that time you are bored senseless as there is no variation at all and it almost sounds like a Pop album in structure- verse, hook, chorus repeated ad nauseam. I soon deleted the album.

Out of curiosity what album was it?

The new one I think but I didn't pay my usual attention to the title as it just didn't do it for me and I am quite fond of atmospheric stuff especially with female vocals.

I felt the same way about Night Is the New Day, the album felt so formulaic and half the time I didn't even notice when the songs changed. I wouldn't write them off by that one album though. Their 2003 album Viva Emptiness and their 1998 release Discouraged Ones are far better. I though admit that Night Is the New Day is a great leap in their musicianship towards a more classical sound.

Hehe, I understand :)

Sometimes I enjoy their music, sometimes it's too boring.
I decided I will judge them after seeing live because it can say something more. I am in mood to give them a chance. Although I would prefer some other bands here in Prague, they are here so I will go to see what is here without some pressure.

So tonight I am going to see Katatonia live with two support bands - Swallow the sun and Long distance calling.

As I know, lot of people go there to see Swallow the sun :D I read many opinions they are better. Ok, I will see...

Absolutely Love Katatonia! The new CD is amazing as was the two previous

Sooo, yesterday I had my first metal concert :D Really first because I wasn't so much into metal before.

Long Distance Calling were the first band, post-rock from Germany, good.
Swallow the Sun... Wow! Firstly I thought it's too heavy for me because it was the first time when I listened growl singing live. But at the end after concert, I realized they really catched my attention during their music and maybe little bit more than Katatonia. Eh, yeah, sorry for all Katatonia fans ;)

Katatonia... Their music live is much more heavier than on CD so it was good point. But like I expected - some moments were little bit boring for me when I compared them with Swallow the sun because music of Swallow the sun has more diversity.
The result of the concert is that I like Katatonia and I will listen to them from time to time when I will have a mood for them. I really like voice of Jonas, it has some strange feeling. In his voice is something addictive what makes music of Katatonia good. Although it can be boring after long listening, his voice is the reason why I want to listen to them. Yes, really strange to be attracted by some music that I call "sometimes boring". But it is.
And live... some songs were really good and cool, I enjoyed My Twin, Forsaker. Maybe the most I enjoyed Ghost of the sun and Saw you drown. Also the last track of their show was really cool live but I don't remember a name.
It was nice to be there, I enjoyed all three bands. Although I was doubtful about Katatonia a lot, I can say some 2 songs were boring for me but the rest live was really good. Their music live is better than on CD.

Well, live songs on Youtube aren't good quality enough. So I found good older version of Ghost of sun



And at least some songs from tour 2010

Ok, I found some videos from DVD Live Consternation (2007) and they are better than the previous.







More on this Youtube channel - YouTube - linkhoochoon3's Channel

Dark, brooding and atmospheric... the way i love my metal lately. Thanks for showing me this thread too Petula :thumb:
Love some Katatonia

I haven't much heard to Katatonia. I got a copy of Katatonia's The Great Cold Distance and would say this is a great album. Metal and also atmospheric, ruminative. I really liked it. The singer adds to the atmospheric mood, on the quiet side for a metal singer.From the albums which I have heard, I would say this is a great band.

Hehe, nice to see you here :D

Well, my opinion about Katatonia was still changing... from boring to ok and now I really enjoy them.
But I think it's not band for first listen and it took me a long time to really get into their music. Now I love some their songs, especially album Viva Emptiness :love:

For sure, it took me a long time to get into them too... I just thought it was a little dull but after a while their music begins to grow on you. I wouldn't listen to them when in bad mood though.

Yes, they aren't optimistic band. But somehow I like atmospheric and sad music more and more...
It's like Anathema, Porcupine Tree, Opeth... These bands are whatever but for sure not happy.

DiSTANToblivion, I think you should see Katatonia live and than you will like them more than now. I am almost sure ;)

Don't get me wrong I still love them but it's hard for me to listen to them when I'm down. Same thing as Paradise Lost. But I really want to see them both live. After you see a band live you tend to have a new-found appreciation for them hey.

I understand what you mean :)
When you are down, with music of Katatonia this down is too deep.

Yes, it made a lot for me to see them live. I really like Jonas. He is so shy but modest in my opinion and natural. I believe he enjoys Katatonia songs. Somehow it was very deep...

Katatonia is a Swedish metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse (formerly aka Lord Seth) and Anders Nyström (formerly aka Blakkheim). The early Katatonia albums are noted for the overall bleak melancholy and despair of their sound, often giving them the classification of doom metal or death/doom metal. Katatonia's more recent albums have progressed to a wider sound, with modern overtones, dropped guitars, symphonic synths and arrangements, alternative sounds and generally heavy riffs. The early Katatonia albums are sometimes, along with albums by bands such as My Dying Bride, Anathema and Paradise Lost, considered forerunners of the death/doom metal genre.

i heard all this songs thnx petula

Katatonia (NEW)
 

Yeah, I saw the Katatonia thread from back in 2010. But I don't want to use that thread, I want to use this one. Maybe delete the other one, so there's just this one.

I got in to Katatonia back in 2005, just before their album The Great Cold Distance was released. They had their video for My Twin off of that album play on Headbangers Ball, I believe it was. And I remember thinking that they had a bit of TOOL vibe, with a heavy Opeth influence; dark, heavy, melodic, brooding, the song had a lot of different things to it that I found appealing. I was at what is called Job Core when I discovered the band. So when the weekend came, I went down to Portland, Oregon to one of the many malls there, located a record store, found the album and bought it. Back then I was still using a walkman, or portable cd player. The first track from that album was Leaders, a heavy opener and it caught my attention pretty quickly. I really thought that their singer Jonas Renkse had a very unique voice, and his vocal deliver was soft yet really demanding, it held your attention with how interesting his vocal delivery sounded to me. At this point, I only knew who the band was from their song My Twin, so I knew nothing of their background or if they'd always sounded that way their entire career. The overall tone of The Great Cold Distance was just that, cold, not literally but figuratively, the atmosphere or tone of the record was just really something that I felt was a perfect record to listen to during the Winter season, very fitting. The song that has always stood out most from that record, is In The White. It's the peak moment off of the album and the best song from it, without question. The arrangement the song has is perfection, or maybe I don't see it sounding any other way. I really thought it had Jonas' strongest vocal performance from the album. The Great Cold Distance is still one of my favorite albums, never tire of it.

So, anyway. Once I left Job Core. I took it upon myself to familiarize myself with the rest of this unique, and interesting band I had discovered. I wanted to know more about them. I started with the first material they released, Dance Of December Souls, but technically there was another before it, an EP called Jhva Elohim Meth...The Revival. Upon hearing Dance Of December Souls, and hearing how differently Jonas sang, or rather growled. I noticed that the bands sound was actually a lot different in contrast to The Great Cold Distance; not surprising, bands change. I still really liked what I was hearing, which for me at the time was not common, as I was not fond of growled vocals or bands that only had vocalist growled or screaming through entire albums, not clean vocals. Brave Murder Day was the next album I listened to from them, and it was where Jonas started doing clean vocals, at least at the time I had thought was when he switched it up due to issues with his vocal chords. A cool little fact that made Katatonia even more epic, was how Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth did the harsh growled vocals on this album. I was like, holy hell, Mikael is a beast! I love Opeth and him doing stuff in Katatonia, was something I found really cool. Brave Murder Day is easily one of Katatonia' strongest albums, just so that is known...

There were EP's between Brave Murder Day and their next album, Discouraged Ones. I listened to them and liked them. Discouraged Ones was nothing short of another solid album from Katatonia, and also where they were adjusting their sound more around Jonas and his transitioning to clean vocals only. It was also the last album to have Jonas doing all the drums as well. A very dark album, but so, so good.

Well, I don't want to have this OP be a damn novel. To summarize. I think Katatonia are one of the strongest bands out of Sweden. I think they stand toe to toe with Opeth in some ways, and in some cases, Katatonia has released stronger albums, too...maybe. I think Katatonia have grown in to a band that is nothing short of greatness. I would kill to attend an Opeth/Katatonia tour. That'd be one damn good show.

Thoughts, everyone?

And, should I post videos for those not familiar with this great band?

Love them but you have to be in a certain mood for their music.

Topic merge, ftl...

Well, whatever.

I've never had to be in any certain mood to listen to them. They pop up on my iphone and I listen, rarely ever skip.

I have "The Great Cold Distance", "Last Fair Deal Gone Down", and "Night is the New Day" FWIW.

Absolutely excellent albums, all of those. After discovering them in 2005, I've listened to every album, many times and I love them all. Viva Emptiness and The Great Cold Distance are tied for which is my favorite album from them, Discouraged Ones is a close third.

Night Is The New Day is a weird album for me because on the one hand it's incredibly boring, yet so totally inoffensive that I don't mind putting it on as background music. They are definitely past their prime, which honestly was sometime in the mid '90's, and now it seems they're just marking time. Still, occasionally listening to watered down versions of better bands isn't always a bad thing.

Heck yeah, man. I've always regarded Katatonia as this alternative version of Opeth with different members, obviously. I also agree that they're past their prime, and on the count of their newer material maybe being a bit bland, but still much better than a lot of other bands in the genre that have been around as long. There's no bad record from these guys.

They put out another album by the way, Dead End Kings. A bit stronger than Night Is The New Day in some ways, but overall a mediocre record from an otherwise great band. They released an acoustic version of the album too, Dethroned And Uncrowned. I actually prefer it to the initial studio release of Dead End Kings. The Racing Heart is the best song from the album.

I've only heard Brave Murder Day and it's a fantastic album. In the liner notes for my CD issue I found it interesting how the band cited Slowdive as a major influence on the album. More specifically in the way that the band layered their guitars to create a dense wall of sound.

I'm not a very avid fan of any of their albums besides Discouraged Ones, which is quite possibly the saddest album I've ever heard.

Very good.

My favorite song of theirs is a b-side called dissolving bonds which is a masterpiece! Other than that they are hit and miss for me, sometimes the guy comes across as a little too whiny haha