Katatonia
The Great Cold Distance

Katatonia perfectly embody what European bands once devoted to gothic metal should do to try to rise above the dullness that, alas, has characterized them for a long time now.

The times of 'Dance on December's Souls' with its death/doom rhythms are long gone, and Lord Seth's band has constantly evolved their sound in a progressive manner over the years, striving to keep up with the times and not get crushed by the mediocrity of the latest releases from several groups that have more or less had the same stylistic journey.

The latest effort, namely this “The Great Cold Distance,” represents, in my opinion, the right direction in which other bands (especially those from Scandinavian origins) might head so that the gothic rock genre has a dignified future, namely the union between typically gothic melodic and decadent atmospheres with the direct and powerful guitar sound borrowed from the alternative rock scene typical of Tool. The resulting mix is pleasant and full of charm. “The Great Cold Distance,” in my view, is an excellent production, but not a masterpiece.

The flaw one might find in the album is that in its second part it sees a noticeable drop in the initial remarkable intensity. The opener “Leaders” is devastating because it's characterized by the direct and efficiently powerful sound of the guitar riff accompanied by Jonas Renkse's increasingly engaging voice (which, in “The Great Cold Distance,” in my opinion, reaches full maturity), which at times even returns to the growl that seemed almost forgotten. In the following “Deliberation,” distinct wave reminiscences are heard that, alternating with the melancholy sound of guitar and keyboard in the choruses, perhaps make the song the most evocative of the album. The apex of the record, I believe, is reached with the splendid “Soil’s Song,” where the slow and obsessive, almost doom, riff of the guitar gives the song a melancholy yet exhilarating charm at the same time, and especially with the almost ballad “My Twin,” a sensational example of gothic rock song with melodically melancholic atmospheres where Jonas Renkse’s vocal performances excel in all their beauty, imbued with a strongly decadent yet captivating tone, from which the band’s first video clip was made. In the same vein as “Leaders” are the following “Consternation” and “Follower,” which can perhaps be regarded as the pieces where the “alternative” influences of Tool are mostly felt.

Thus far, “The Great Cold Distance” is almost perfect. However, the following “Rusted” and “Increase,” though noteworthy, lack the intensity I mentioned earlier that characterized the first part of the record, perhaps because they end up sounding somewhat monotonous upon final listening. This does not happen, however, with “July,” a song full of impact mainly due to the heavy, rhythmic, and cadenced guitars that make it the main ingredient alongside Jonas Renkse’s tones, particularly effective in the choruses. It proceeds with “In the White,” a somewhat atypical song as it lacks the decadent melodies of the previous songs to settle on more relaxed shores, however, interrupted by the power of the choruses. “The Itch” is also excellent, in line with the more “alternative” component of the record. The Great Cold Distance concludes with “Journey Through Pressure,” a song not easy to digest on first listen, although imbued with a particularly evocative dark atmosphere.

In conclusion, it can be confidently stated that we are facing an excellent album from a group that I believe I can define as one of the most elegant in the European music scene. A special praise is finally deserved by the artwork which, as always in the band’s works, impeccably represents what one expects to find in the form of music.