Album Review: Katatonia – Dead Air

Album Review: Katatonia - Dead Air
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings

Back in April Swedish legends Katatonia released their 11th studio album, ‘City Burials’. In normal times, the band would have toured the album throughout the summer festival circuit and would now be embarking on an extensive tour to promote the record. We know the rest.

Undeterred, on May 9th Katatonia streamed a live lockdown show from Studio Grondahl, Sweden. The set list was an 88-minute full set, containing 20 songs from the band’s extensive catalogue with three tracks from ‘City Burials’ performed live for the first time. The result was an exceptional evening of music which is now thankfully being made available via Peaceville Records.

For those whose heart sank when Katatonia announced their hiatus in 2018, the announcement of their return to firstly the live arena and then the recording of ‘City Burials’ was greeted with huge relief. Formed in 1991 by Jonas Renkse & Anders Nyström, Katatonia have been pioneers of melancholic progressive metal and rock for nearly two decades. And whilst the band would not have had a live album on their list at the start of 2020, ‘Dead Air’ seems a poignant and important snapshot, immortalising the strangest of times for ever.

Guitarist Anders Nyström explained the reasoning behind the release. "Due to an overwhelming demand, we are proud to confirm that our lockdown livestream from Gröndahl earlier this year will now see a physical release where you can re-experience the #20 most wanted songs exclusively voted by our fans from all around the world. This very special evening of May 9th will forever serve us as a memory of something equally weird as fantastic, so it feels essential to make it available as something you can touch and own forever”

If you are a fan of the band, there will be little to disappoint. The setlist on ‘Dead Air’ is crammed with favourites that have become established in the Swedes setlist over the years. If you know little or are curious about Katatonia, ‘Dead Air’ is the ideal introduction. It’s a demonstration of the sheer magnificence of the band, from the immaculate timekeeping of drummer Daniel Moilanen, the pulsing rhythm of bassist Niklas Sandin, the delicate and intricate interplay between guitarists Nyström and newest band member Roger Öjersson and the dark and emotive vocals of Renkse, the very soul of the band.

Whilst the applause that would usually ring out in spades is absent, ‘Dead Air’ pulses with an energy that is extremely difficult to generate in such challenging circumstances. The band are on excellent form, the timing and interplay perfect and whilst there are a few technological flaws, overall, it is a stunning representation of a band who still have so much to offer. There are little flicks and edits to several songs, which the band have gently incorporated. ‘Leaders’ is a glorious example, the bass rampant, the guitars shimmering, shards of ferocious riffing and little gems rain down. Renske takes full opportunity to stretch his vocals. Similarly, there is an subtle twist on the keyboard riff during ‘July’, which by the way contains some exceptionally heavy riffing.

The three new tracks, ‘In The Winter of Our Passing’, ‘Lacquer’ and ‘'Behind the Blood’ fit seamlessly into the set, nestled comfortably alongside the likes of ‘My Twin’, ‘Ghost of the Sun’ and ‘July’; all songs that sound as fresh today as they did when they were first released. Katatonia’s music remains incredibly heavy, mainly through the sheer weight of emotion and feeling that surges through their songs. ‘Omerta’, ‘Evidence’ and ‘Forsaker’ and ‘Soils Song’ remind you that this band can throw down with the best of them. They truly are a band whose organic evolution never disappoints.

The recording, mixing, and engineering work was orchestrated by David Castillo, notable for his extensive body of work with Katatonia and he has done a fantastic job, allowing the precision of the band’s music to flow whilst capturing the live experience. The performance professionally filmed by Blackbox Video for the DVD that will accompany the live release. Artwork is once again beautifully crafted by long-running collaborator, Travis Smith. For a year that has been so challenging, the mere fact that Katatonia can release such recordings maintains the faith we in the rock and metal world hold so dear. This is unmissable.