Katatonia: Live Conternation (2007) 12/28/2009

Most live metal albums are worthless contract filler. Improvisation is not a big factor in music based upon precision, so the songs are usually identical to the album versions, with some crowd noise and variations on “Thank you!” and “Come on, you sick fuckers, let’s see you bang your fucking heads!” mixed in, maybe an extended call-and-response section if it’s power metal. Therefore, the only live metal albums I get are from bands I really like who haven’t already released a ton of them (I’m looking at you, Iron Maiden). Katatonia, my favorite band in the world right now, has only released this one, which was recorded during Germany’s 2006 Summer Breeze Festival and comes with a DVD of the same set. At just over 50 minutes, it’s not a true representation of their normal headlining set, an opinion with which cofounding guitarist Anders Nyström agreed when I interviewed him around the time of its release. Despite having the name of a song off their previous album (The Great Cold Distance) in its title, the CD does not include “Consternation,” nor the album’s first single, “My Twin,” nor anything off the Last Fair Deal Gone Down album, my personal favorite, and from what I gather, that of a lot of other fans. It goes without saying that none of Katatonia’s early doom/death tunes appear, either. You do, however, get a decent helping of songs from Distance and 2003’s Viva Emptiness, which are excellently rendered, enough to make up for what’s not there. I particularly like the included renditions of “Soil’s Song,” which benefits from Jonas Renkse’s delicate vocalization and from Fredrik Norrman’s surging riff ringing out loud during the chorus, and the titanic “Wealth,” its alternately spastic and ambient segments helmed by bassist Mattias Norrman (Fred’s bro) and drummer Daniel Liljekvist. These two are the tightest, most astute rhythm section in Swedish metal. When they joined the band before Last Fair Deal, they enabled the astounding feat of a great band becoming greater, and that magic continues to this day. Also worth mentioning is “Ghost of the Sun,” one of Katatonia’s relatively average tunes taken to intense heights here by Nyström’s sick black metal backup vocals as well as the entire band’s remarkably aggressive attack. “Cold Ways,” from 1998’s Discouraged Ones, and “Had To (Leave)” and “Right Into the Bliss” from 1999’s Tonight’s Decision, are the oldest tracks aired, and you can hear Katatonia’s current professionalism oozing from every crevice of what still sound like experiments on those albums. At such a short length, Live Consternation is bound to leave the most obsessive fans slightly frustrated because we know how many great songs these guys have, but that’s bound to be true no matter how long it is. However, this is a release I strongly recommend to die-hards who will find the type of joy I do in the subtle differences from the studio versions. As a snapshot of this particular show, it’s impeccable. However, if you want a better overview of why this band means so much to so many, try The Black Sessions, which includes a two-disc compilation of album cuts and rarities as well as a live DVD of a headlining set that more capably spotlights their career’s diversity.

“Soil’s Song” (live at Summer Breeze Festival, Dinkelsbühl, 8/17/06)

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