Swedish Metal Legends of Sombre Heaviness.
To me, Katatonia and their countrymates represent metal artistry at its best. Heavy, emotional, varied and experimental. From their dark “death metal” roots to their new post-doom sound, it’s been amazing having both Opeth and Katatonia’s music in my life for over two decades. I can’t imagine not having these songs, like any track from “Brave Murder Day” (I’d say you had to be there, but I’d be lying. Katatonia was very specialized in their style. That’s the reason they were so appealing to those of us who understood the dark message as entertainment through bitter truths, or lies, or loss. Fun for the whole family? No, although my family may actually be into the accessible side of Katatonia, like their amazing live acoustic album “Sanctitude.”
You can even get Katatonia in solo-piano flavor.
I’m more into their oldschool/newschool metal styles, such as the groundbreaking album they called “Brave Murder Day”. It still sounds fresh today, especially with Katatonia’s polished live sound.
If you’ve heard “Sanctitude” and Katatonia’s early work, you understand the meaning of musical evolution. (Other bands who compare to this level of change include The Gathering, Amorphis, Tiamat, and of course, Anathema). Katatonia have spent most of their career staying just ahead of the popular curve of music, creating their own brand of underground music that predicts the future of popular music, creating trends along the way with pure authenticity. I’ve watched this happen for a while, and they’re still on top of it.
I made a somewhat random playlist of some Katatonia classics, for anyone who isn’t convinced Katatonia is as great as I say they are!