MattA75's Full Review: The Great Cold Distance by Katatonia
So here it is, June 5th, and I'm again late to my own party. Kind of embarrassing, but hardly surprising given my sporadic output over the last year.
This is the first of my two entries into this year's I'll Show You Mine If You'll Show Me Yours write-off. The idea is simple: writers are randomly paired off and they assign a CD to each other to review. The caveat? That it be something that reviewer would not normally review. At six years strong, this write-off has become a rite of passage of sorts in the music category, and I'm proud to host it (even if I can't give the time I used to to it).
My first partner was metal madman vanwarp. Van gave me a choice of three albums to review and I originally chose Freak Kitchen'sMove. However, after 3 or 4 listens, I found myself completely uninspired. Besides that, it struck me as something not too far from my normal listening anyways. So I went back through his small list and plucked out Katatonia's latest album, The Great Cold Distance.
Katatonia is one of the numerous metal bands that hail from Scandinavia (Sweden to be exact), and have been putting out records on a somewhat consistent basis since dropping their debut in 1993. If my research is correct, the band was at one time much heavier in sound than they appear to be on The Great Cold Distance. Singer Jonas Renske apparently had medical issues which forced him to abandon what All Music calls the "Cookie Monster vocals," and use his voice in a more melodic way. Following suit, the band began writing more melodic and atmospheric material. The Great Cold Distance, is, if to be believed, the end result of the band's journey from ultra heavy to more "commercial."
Outside of Tool, who I fell in love with years ago, this doesn't strike me as the type of disc I would ever pick up. For one, as soon as I hear "Scandinavian Death Metal," I am immediately turned off. Second, darker and heavier music that I once was in to now doesn't resonate with me the way it used to. The Great Cold Distance strikes me as the album Tool would make if they ever decided to keep everything under five minutes in length.
The band has mixed, with great success, atmosphere with heavy riffs. Consternation's breakdown section is greatly melodic and dare I say "pretty," creating quite a dichotomy between it and the rather heavy riffing found over the first part of the song. Of course, Tool has been known to do this over the years, and many times on this record, Katatonia seems obsessed with perfecting Tool's own art.
With that being said, Katatonia is their own band. Renske's vocals come through clearer and less muddled than Maynard James Keenan's, and the songs have a clear, direct purpose to them. Whereas Tool can meander in spots (especially on their latest record), Katatonia rarely fails to keep the song (and therefore the record) moving.
The band's musical ambitions become clear on the first couple of tracks. Leaders mixes a heavy, sludgy main riff with more melodic passages that draw the listener in. Deliberations, meanwhile, employs a formula that the band is obviously quite fond of for this record, beginning somewhat soft before being beefed up in the pre-chorus and chorus.
In the meantime, the band obviously has a handle on a good hook. My Twin is one of the catchiest rock songs of the year, an obvious choice for a single, and given the chance, it could blow up on rock formats. Renske utilizes his vocals to perfection here, letting the music carry his voice to where it needs to go.
Everything leads up to the delicate balancing act of July and In The White. On July, the band mashes up classic metal riffing over some extremely melodic guitar work . The guitar interplay and give and take on this record is truly something special. Meanwhile, In the White is surprisingly restrained, even when it starts "rocking." Perhaps most impressive is that none of it sounds forced, that the band doesn't sound like they're "rocking" for rocking's sake.
The musicianship on the disc is top notch throughout. I've mentioned the guitar interplay previously, but it really is something to behold on this disc. In many ways, it is a disc long war between light and dark, with each side winning a few battles. The drumming is solid as well, with excellent fills and rolls in all the right spots while never sounding over the top.
Leading it all is the voice of Renske, who sings with confidence throughout this record.
Some of this disc can tend to move into "sound-alike" territory on multiple listens, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Fans of Tool would definitely dig this album, and I would even go so far as to say that you're better off picking this up than you are the over-rated 10,000 Days.
4 stars. Thanks Van.
For complete info on the I'll Show You Mine if You'll Show Me Yours W/O, please visit: http://www.epinions.com/content_4716732548, which I will be updating over the next couple of days with entries and updated pairings.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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