KATATONIA — The Great Cold Distance (review)

KATATONIA — The Great Cold Distance album cover Album · 2006 · Alternative Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
bonnek
After falling in love with Katatonia when they released "Last Fair Deal Gone Down", I've been looking out for every new Katatonia release with the highest levels of urgency and expectation. And they certainly didn't let me down with this release, which I regard as their magnum opus.

The band's line-up had remained unchanged for more then 5 years and I believe that such can clearly be heard here. They sound like a well-oiled machine, tight and unrelenting, more metallic then they did on the previous releases and without any dip in the songwriting. The songwriting remained largely in the indie/goth area, with their typical variation of subtle melodic verses and huge almost anthemic choruses, not dissimilar to the template that was laid down by Paradise Lost on their album 'One Second'. But Katatonia tops them here, making their songs more musical and adventurous, with tasty math/progressive riffing and those typical odd time signatures and poly-rhythms. Also Blakkheim's continued experimental approach towards guitar sounds and effects make Katatonia into a true progressive act.

Being both a fan and a skeptic of progressive rock/metal I can only applaud that they never indulge into unnecessary song lengths, pointless solos and the cheesiness that often spoil the Prog experience for me. In a similar way, they also avoid the pitfalls of much Goth acts, by staying far away from the pose, pathos and formulaic approach that makes so much 2nd and 3rd tier Goth acts a self-parody and total turn-off for me.

Katatonia found a way to marry the strengths of progressive metal with those of indie and Goth. With that mix it's no wonder this band hits me right in the heart, especially on this album. One for my all-time metal top 10.
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bonnek wrote:
more than 2 years ago
The preceding one could have been better but there's a couple of lesser tracks there imo.
Anyway, looking forward to listening (it's been a while) and maybe reviewing Viva Emptiness tomorrow :)
UMUR wrote:
more than 2 years ago
It´s not my personal favorite by Katatonia, but it´s a damn good release that´s for sure!

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