Katatonia - The Black Sessions

The Black Sessions is the second Katatonia compilation in the last year. The first, Brave Yester Days, covered their early career from 1991-1997, when they were firmly in a death/doom metal style, though by 1997’s Brave Murder Day they were creating a new form of the style. This covers their more recent material, from 1998-2003, when they went with entirely clean vocals and combined droning metal with a depressive modern rock sound. I’m not sure why the band has gone compilation-crazy with two in the last year. Personally, I’d like to hear a new album already (it’s being recorded and should be out by the end of 2005). This may be a cash-grab by Peaceville Records since they seem to do a lot of repackaging and re-rereleasing of their bands’ material. Whatever the case, the packaging is beautiful, as usual with most Katatonia albums, and the music within is classic.

I should mention that I am a huge Katatonia fan. This band has probably had more impact on me, and I’ve probably spent more time listening to them, than any other band in the last five or six years. The band’s introspective darkness and ability to create their own sound within fairly simple and conventional song structures has just really struck a chord with me. And they have been remarkably consistent. In my opinion, they have yet to release an album that is less than excellent. The compilation part of this set is two discs and covers 1998’s Discouraged Ones, 1999’s Tonight’s Decision, 2001’s Last Fair Deal Gone Down, and 2003’s Viva Emptiness. The song selection is very good, but as comprehensive as it is, I still feel there are plenty of good songs left out, and the original albums are worth hearing in their entirety if you’re a fan of this band at all. What may make the set attractive is the inclusion of six non-album tracks that are hard to find, and one completely unreleased track. All seven of these songs are consistent in quality with anything else Katatonia has done and are worth having. There are two tracks, “Fractured” and “No Devotion”, which appeared on a limited re-release of Tonight’s Decision and four tracks which appeared on limited edition singles from the Last Fair Deal Gone Down period: “Sulfur”, “March 4”, “Help Me Disappear”, and “O How I Enjoy the Light”. The previously unreleased track is “Wait Outside” from the Viva Emptiness sessions. It’s actually a great song, both heavy and atmospheric, and I’m not sure why it didn’t make the original album. Whether that one song is worth the price of this compilation depends on how big a fan you are and how much money you have to burn.

Therefore, I was eager to get this DVD to see a hopefully decent live performance. Despite the band not being totally happy with it, it’s not a bad performance at all. The band plays well, not everything’s perfect but it rarely is in a live show. The sound is good, all instruments are clear. And Jonas’ vocal performance is hugely improved. While he doesn’t look it, he sounds like a much more confident and controlled singer and the haunting vocal sound he achieves on the albums is achieved live as well. The band plays faster and more energetic than you would expect. I could imagine songs like “Ghost of the Sun” actually igniting mosh pits in the U.S. The pre-2001 material is played faster and with more dynamic than the original versions, due mostly to the more propulsive drumming of Daniel Liljekvist. While the plodding feel of the originals is an integral part of their atmosphere on the albums, the increased energy level is welcome in a live environment.