Katatonia - Fallen Hearts Tour

[Valen]

Any fans of Katatonia here? I caught their gig at Glasgow last week and jotted down a few notes which you can read in my latest blog:

https://momentstransition.wordpress....w-12-may-2017/

[battema]

Katatonia is a weird thing for me. I love their albums but they are consistently one of the worst live bands I've seen. They use WAY too many backing tracks (to your point in the review, it isn't just keyboards either but other instruments) and the end result feels like some sort of pseudo-karaoke playback rather than a live show. We saw them here maybe 2 months ago (I was there for the opener, Caspian) and it was no different.

A shame because based on the albums they are great players and Jonas does have a great voice.

[Valen]

Katatonia is a weird thing for me. I love their albums but they are consistently one of the worst live bands I've seen. They use WAY too many backing tracks (to your point in the review, it isn't just keyboards either but other instruments) and the end result feels like some sort of pseudo-karaoke playback rather than a live show. We saw them here maybe 2 months ago (I was there for the opener, Caspian) and it was no different.

A shame because based on the albums they are great players and Jonas does have a great voice.

I tend to agree, to some extent. I didn't hear much else in the way of backing tracks mainly because the sound wasn't that good on the night, but the new 2nd guitarist seemed to handle a fair bit of the harmony stuff.

I just feel, like you, that they make great albums, they seem to let themselves down on the live front. They've been around for such a long time you'd think by now Jonas would have the
confidence to be more expressive onstage, and a keyboard player would have helped the sound mix no end.

And for a band with great album covers, the merchandise stall was very poor - the tshirt designs all had the look of something that had been hurriedly scribbled over a cafe napkin. It's a shame because they clearly have a loyal following, and on the night Anders Nystrom worked his ass off on the guitars, but I came away feeling it could have been better.

Mind you, if you consider them one of your worst live bands, I'm glad you didn't have to sit through the two support acts at Glasgow - they were awful. Neither band spoke at all to the audience, so no one knew who they were, and the second band Ghost Bath were outright painful to sit through. They simply played a wall of noise, heads down, no dialogue and no lyrics - just endless wordless growls and wails, and then they had the cheek to leave the stage saying nothing but leaving the lights down and forcing the audience to endure an outro tape for several minutes afterwords..

Speaking as someone who likes the drones of Sunn 0)) and black metal bands, i can sit through a lot, but these guys really wore out everyone's patience.

Even you would have been relieved to hear a pseudo-karaoke Katatonia

[battema]

Hey, I've seen Sunn 0))) three times now and they have yet to disappoint And having gone to the Maryland Deathfest over the last number of years, I've seen bands that could only generously be described as "awful."

That's the thing with Katatonia for me, the thing that makes it so disappointing...it isn't that they are THE worst band I've ever seen, but there is (for me) the widest difference between how much I like their albums and how much I dislike their performances, if that makes sense. And I do really like their studio albums quite a bit (for me, 'Night is the New Day' remains their highest peak but 'Fall of Hearts' has many great moments too).

Part of it, at least for me, is a weird sort of irony (bear with me if I fumble a bit on this). I often have the perception that metal is considered 'authentic' in a similar manner as punk. Guys with guitars going all out on stage, nothing but raw energy and whatnot. So to see a metal band tethered to click tracks, backing instruments and other choreographed elements is just kind of strange. You can't fire on all cylinders if you're half listening to the click in one ear. And sadly, I think Katatonia does a poor job of 'masking' their use onstage.

Of course, 100% all IMHO

And to flip it around, some metal (or metal-esque) bands I've seen that either were all live or hid their backing tracks well: Agalloch, Cult of Luna (their 2013 Vertikal tour is an all-time high for me), Sunn 0))), Napalm Death, Inter Arma, Shining (the Rune Grammafon one) and Deafheaven.

[Valen]

Part of it, at least for me, is a weird sort of irony (bear with me if I fumble a bit on this). I often have the perception that metal is considered 'authentic' in a similar manner as punk. Guys with guitars going all out on stage, nothing but raw energy and whatnot. So to see a metal band tethered to click tracks, backing instruments and other choreographed elements is just kind of strange. You can't fire on all cylinders if you're half listening to the click in one ear. And sadly, I think Katatonia does a poor job of 'masking' their use onstage.

I totally get that, and you're right. I hadn't really considered the click-track restriction on the night, but it does make sense. And yes, metal bands do need to cut loose on stage (venue permitting) to get the adrenaline going in the crowd. That's probably why the Glasgow crowd saved the night because they did the heavy lifting.

Looking over your list of bands, I can see I've got a long way to go yet.....but I'm going to do my apprenticeship in Olso in October :

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/visi...eblod-records/

[battema]

Hey - in a nutshell, I have little/no life so there's ample time to see lots of shows

Neseblod looks awesome!

Seriously...if you have an opportunity to see Cult of Luna, do it. And if you haven't heard 'Vertikal' yet, DO SO ASAP

[Wounded Land]

I saw Katatonia live on a bill with Scar Symmetry and I believe Insomnium. Stage energy was low but they sounded great.

[100423]

I am a huge fan of Katatonia and would agree that at least using a keyboardist in the live setting would be a benefit. As far as I can tell, John, they aren't even attempting to 'mask' the fact they are playing to backing tracks. Even a band like Enslaved has a keyboard player, and you don't get much more 'grim and kvlt' than them. I'm not sure Katatonia really considers themselves a 'metal' band anymore, though.

[battema]

What kind of crazy topsy-turvey world are we living in, where we're lamenting that the metal band DOESN'T have a keyboardist?!??

It isn't just them...I've seen several other metal (or tangentally-metal) bands that roll the same way. One of the worst was Alcest, who might've actually been on the same bill as Katatonia at one point. Four guitarists onstage and at one point there was a solo playing, and NONE of them were playing it. I mean, come on...at least one of you, PRETEND that it's being done live.

[battema]

Hold up...suddenly I'm seeing an opportunity.

Now available: surrogate keyboardist, available to stand onstage with synthesizer (unplugged), able to groove along and give impression of live performance for nominal fee. I ACCEPT PAYPAL

[100423]

Hold up...suddenly I'm seeing an opportunity.

Now available: surrogate keyboardist, available to stand onstage with synthesizer (unplugged), able to groove along and give impression of live performance for nominal fee. I ACCEPT PAYPAL

I would prefer to take advantage of your excellent skills as an actual (and excellent) player!

[100423]

What kind of crazy topsy-turvey world are we living in, where we're lamenting that the metal band DOESN'T have a keyboardist?!??

It isn't just them...I've seen several other metal (or tangentally-metal) bands that roll the same way. One of the worst was Alcest, who might've actually been on the same bill as Katatonia at one point. Four guitarists onstage and at one point there was a solo playing, and NONE of them were playing it. I mean, come on...at least one of you, PRETEND that it's being done live.

That is a bit sad, really. I really dig Alcest as well, but I've never seen them live. I'm a bit hesitate to now.

[battema]

Don't get me wrong...Alcest *sounded* great but it wasn't live.

[Valen]

I am a huge fan of Katatonia and would agree that at least using a keyboardist in the live setting would be a benefit. As far as I can tell, John, they aren't even attempting to 'mask' the fact they are playing to backing tracks. Even a band like Enslaved has a keyboard player, and you don't get much more 'grim and kvlt' than them. I'm not sure Katatonia really considers themselves a 'metal' band anymore, though.

Very partial to Enslaved - I see their keyboard player left recently so hope they bring in a replacement.

[Valen]

Hey - in a nutshell, I have little/no life so there's ample time to see lots of shows

Neseblod looks awesome!

Seriously...if you have an opportunity to see Cult of Luna, do it. And if you haven't heard 'Vertikal' yet, DO SO ASAP

Great stuff this - ooh, I'm suddenly feeling all Nordic!

[battema]

Very partial to Enslaved - I see their keyboard player left recently so hope they bring in a replacement.

I saw them at some point, but damned if I can recall who they were with. I do recall enjoying them enough to end up buying one of their albums

Another really great one to see is Sub Rosa. Excellent band, awesome live energy. Almost metal meets post-rock but it works, and then some

[100423]

Another really great one to see is Sub Rosa. Excellent band, awesome live energy. Almost metal meets post-rock but it works, and then some

I have their For This We Fought the Battle of Ages album (probably on your recommendation ), but I've not seen them live either.

[battema]

They're at the Deathfest this year, so I'll be seeing them sometime over the weekend for certain. It doesn't look like they've got any other dates scheduled, but I hope you get the chance John. As good as the albums are, they are really amazing live.

[SteveSly]

I am a fan, but have yet to see them live.

[battema]

Technically? Neither have I

[ScottAM]

I really like Katatonia but honestly the last album or two bore the hell out of me. They have become the lamest band because all they do IS SOUND THE SAME. Every album is similar, although they did it all much better with The Great Cold Distance, Night is the New Day, etc... I'm actually starting to hate the new album, not because it's bad but because it is so boringly derivative of everything they've always been. Jonas' vocal range is already so limited, why have music that is so limited as well? For a break, go check out Wisdom of Crowds. Thank god Bruce Soord was able to take Jonas to some new, interesting places.

[IncogNeato]

I love Katatonia. I've been a fan since 1998 when 'Discouraged Ones' was released. Sad to say I've never seen them live.

[100423]

Bumping this thread because of the current Katatonia conversation going on in the Steven Wilson thread.

[100423]

Going on hiatus


http://loudwire.com/katatonia-short-term-hiatus/

[Digital Man]

I got to see Katatonia live for the first time this year at ProgPowerUSA, so I'm glad I got to see them before their hiatus. However, I do agree that they were kind of boring live even if I like their CDs. I don't know if they always play this way, but at PPUSA they left the stage lights turned off the whole show (just Katatonia, not the rest of the bands). So you could just (barely) see them standing there in the dark playing. The reason I go to live shows is I want to see the band, which I couldn't do at this show. I'm sure playing in the dark was planned for effect, but it didn't work for me.