Live Review: Katatonia - Academy 2, Manchester
7th December 2025
Support: Kloge, Evergrey
Words: Dan Barnes
It’s my final live show of 2025 and, in a strange sense of symmetry, my final show of 2024 was Everygrey’s Emptiness Over Europe gig over at Rebellion Music Bar, an evening featuring Klogr as main support. A great evening on that cold December night made even better by repeating the bill and then adding Swedish legends Katatonia as the cherry on the cake.
Italian alternative / progressive metal quartet, Klogr, (pronounced Kay-Log-Are), hit the stage early and show no fear in locking horns with the two Scandinavian heavyweights waiting in the wings. Face the Unknown comes with a doomy industrial opening section, fellow Fractured Realities tune, Hysterical Blindness feels darkly progressive, sitting somewhere between the styles of their touring partners this evening. With a new record set for the new year, the band treat us to an early earful of White Eyes, where emotionally wrought guitars soar and low, heavy percussion keeps everything from disappearing off into the ether. Bleeding feels much heavier than anything played so far tonight, combining loud blasts with the finesse of being beefy in all the right places. That emotion is raised to eleven on Green Star, with the spotlight washing the stage in emerald as the slow and hypnotic take centre-stage. A grooving bassline accompanies Hell of Income and the set ends with the powerful and catchy Vultures Feast, making a strong start to the night’s entertainment.
Swedish progressives, Evergrey, are more than thirty-years and fourteen studio albums into their career, with vocalist/ guitarist, Tom S. Englund having been there throughout that time. DC’s For Those About to Rock plays over the PA, acting as the intro tape, only to give way to Johan Niemann’s rumbling bass which damn near shakes the plaster from the walls. A Silent Arc hits hard, belying the subtlety and nuance of the recorded version, in favour of a more abrasive and punchy live rendition.
The oldest song to be aired tonight is 2014’s King of Errors, which combines ripping guitars with big percussion, to give a vast and sweeping atmosphere, fist-pumping, anthemic chugging, while also allowing room for the keyboards to operate. The keys seem to be in competition with Mancunian drummer, Simon Sandnes’ skins on Distance, relegating guitars to form the foundation of the song. Multi-layered vocals give a greater depth to an already impressive composition, which ebbs and flows, and could be one of the band’s most accomplished numbers.
Where August Mourn mixes lush moments with those of wild excess, Theories of Emptiness’ Cold Dreams’ recorded version featured a certain Jonas Renkse on guest vocals, though we don’t get the Katatonia frontman popping out to repeat the performance tonight. The upbeat Falling from the Sun, takes the set to a close with the brand-new Oxygen, from the band’s forthcoming 2026 album. It’s a real feast of a song, going from ferocious highs to ambient calm, and a real appetiser for the new record.
It came as something of a shock when founding guitarist, Anders Nyström announced his departure from Katatonia back in March of this year, citing creative preferences as one of his reasons for leaving. Within a month, the band announced the release of their thirteenth album, Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State, with new guitarists Nico Elgstrand and Sebastian Svalland strapping on and plugging in for the band’s next chapter.
Material from the new record makes up a quarter of tonight’s setlist, having them sitting comfortably beside established, fan favourites. Album opener, Thrice is charged with beginning the show, combining the mournful and melancholic with a raw emotion. Great Cold Distance classic Soil’s Song finds voices raised in appreciation, and the lavish melodies of second new tune, The Liquid Sky, are imbued with a fired-up passion.
Jonas seems humbled by the Manchester response and offers thanks for the fans’ ongoing support. Sky Void of Stars’ opener, Austerity, comes with established rhythm section Niklas Sandin and drummer Daniel Moilanen crafting an edgy platform upon which the guitarist can work; City Burial’s Rein has made its way into the setlist for this tour, bringing a jazzy groove along for the ride, while Leaders, Dead Letters and Nephilim are a fan’s dream one-two-three.
Standing like a shadow against a red video screen, Jonas takes on an otherworldly aspect for Nightmare’s demonic Wind of No Change, with its Hail Satan mantra, the stage screens displaying hot reds and fiery oranges, in collusion with the new record’s artwork. The Longest Year is an easy listen, Old Heart Falls has an air of respectability as Niklas’ bass shakes the floor, before July and Lethean remind us of Katatonia’s true intention. Sky Void’s soaring No Beacon to Illuminate Our Fall takes the set into the final stretch as the new record’s closing track, In the Event of, serves the same purpose tonight.
Night Is the New Day’s Forsaker acts as the sole encore this evening, bringing the curtain down on one of the most complete Katatonia performances I seen in a while. The combination of new and established material, and the new members seem to have given the band another lease of life, making even the most delicate composition into potentially dangerous moments.
It was another example of inspired band booking and tour management, knowing the audience and giving them what they need; with all three bands pulling out the stops for a fine night of progressively challenging tunes.
