Maximum Metal Rating Legend

KATATONIA - THE GREAT COLD DISTANCE - 2006 - Candlelight

Track Listing 1. Leaders 2. Deliberation 3. Soil's Song 4. My Twin 5. Consternation 6. Follower 7. Rusted 8. Increase 9. July 10. In The White 11. The Itch 12. Journey Through Pressure

It seems not long ago I was enjoying the pleasingly dismal sounds from KATATONIA's Viva Emptiness. Now we have the seventh studio album The Great Cold Distance. Holding true with each release, The Great Cold Distance presents a more complex and brilliant sound than it's predecessor. VIVA EMPTINESS had a more angry side with growls and screams that seemed to recall the forms of early KATATONIA. Here that is replaced with more aggressive song structures and melancholy atmospheres. The vocals of Jonas Renkse ring cold and clear echoing between your temples as Anders, Fred, Mattias and Daniel provide the soundtrack to your solitude.

The first single 'My Twin' showcases the complexity and talent that KATATONIA are known for and a perfect representation of the album. Each song is like experiencing a part of a new roller coaster. Take 'Leaders' the opening track for example, this is the first drop off thats gets the coaster moving and your heart racing. Not only is 'Leaders' fast paced but it engauges the listener right from the start, a perfect choice for a lead cut. Songs such as 'Deliberation' and 'Soil's Song' have peak moments but are really building up to that next adrenaline inducing drop such as 'My Twin' and 'Consternation'. Now repeat that formula but with a twist, you make the last half of the ride more unpredictable and exciting than the first half, thats what keeps you coming back for more. Now the more aggressive side starts to show through increasingly more in each song keeping the listener (or rider in this analogy) guessing as to whats coming next. Which you experience while listening to the aggressive and non agressive elements in all the songs leading up to 'Itch'. 'Itch' is that last drop that just exhuasts your dersire for excitement until the ride is over.

The album as a whole is a perfect blending of dark melodies, soulful grooves and aggressiveness. while some of these songs may not be enjoyed individually as much, it's the overall effect that is memorable as much as it is impressive. Each songs sets its own mood and increases the mood in the next. The slow melancholy broken up with random bits of aggression or even the solid aggresion keeps you listening from beginning to end. So if you delight in the dark and dismal you may find yourself staying to ride over and over again.


Band Site: Katatonia


--1evil1