Katatonia - Bristol Review

There is not much of 2025 left. It does not seem like that long ago that I was heading up to Bristol for the first time this year to catch The Halo Effect at The Fleece - but this past Monday saw my last trip to Bristol in 2025. Always a great city for gigs, I have been to Bristol quite a few times this year as is tradition - and I already have a few nights out planned there for next year. Whilst 2025 still contains a couple more gigs, with a long weekend away in Wolverhampton planned just before Christmas - the year feels like it is winding to a close. It will not be long before I am writing up my Albums of the Year list and rounding out the year blog-wise - but there are still a few more reviews to come before then, both of gigs and a last few albums I am hoping to get to time allowing. My last trip to Bristol of the year, then, was to catch a band live for the first time - with Sweden's gothic/doom/progressive metal mainstays Katatonia the reason for my train trip. Fellow Swedes Evergrey being on the bill helped, and I may not have gone to see Katatonia without their presence, but I needed an excuse to check out Katatonia properly and this December gig seemed like a good opportunity to do so. I do not have much of a history with Katatonia. I have had a copy of 2012's Dead End Kings for many years, but I only started to listen to the band properly earlier this year - and I have since picked up and have heard everything from 2006's The Great Cold Distance onwards, plus reviewing latest effort Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State (which can be read here) back in July. In truth, I am still not really sure what I think of Katatonia - both having explored their catalogue somewhat and now having seen them live. I quite like their core sound, and it reminds me at times of bands I like very much like Anathema and Opeth, but album to album things can get very samey. I get the impression that the band's earlier work is much heavier, so is likely quite different, but in more recent years a core sound has very much emerged - which is certainly enjoyable but does somewhat fatigue me after a while. Katatonia are very much a mood band. There have been times that I have listened to one of the band's albums and been swept away by it - only for the same album to leave me a bit cold another time. They are very much a band that I need to be in the mood for, then, but I have enjoyed spending some more time with them this year. Occasionally I book a ticket for a gig which, at the time, is far in the future and not surrounded by anything else as doing so seems like a good opportunity to get into a band - with plenty of time to digest the catalogue and properly become a fan. Sometimes this works and sometimes it does not - with this example falling somewhere in the middle. I certainly did not listen to as much Katatonia this year as I should have done - but nevertheless I am much more familiar with the band than I was. I was feeling negative about the whole experience on the day of the gig, too. I was tired after nights in Nottingham and Torquay beforehand - plus I was worried that inclement weather would disrupt my journeys to and from Bristol. Thankfully, I got to Bristol on Monday and back home on Tuesday without any real issue - but I nevertheless was concerned during the gig itself about the travel arrangements the next day as the weather reports just kept getting worse.

This whole intro seems quite negative, so I imagine people will be assuming that I did not enjoy the gig - but that would not be true. Despite not being as versed in Katatonia's catalogue as I should be, and my overthinking regarding getting home, I still enjoyed my night at the Electric Bristol - which attracted a healthy crowd. Two support acts came before Katatonia, though, with the Italian progressive/alternative metal Klogr opening the night. I knew little about the band before they hit the stage, but their riffy and somewhat tech metal-esque sound was enjoyable. Fronted by Gabriele Rustichelli, and his impressive beard, Klogr played a fairly straight ahead brand of riffy progressive metal that was very much influenced by groove and tech metal. The riffs were not as angular or as dry as pure tech metal, but the band's sound was very much riff-based - with traditional lead guitar melodies largely absent, apart from a few shredded solos from Rustichelli. Atmospheric clean guitar melodies and textures were often used instead to add an extra dynamic and take attention away from the big riffs - whilst prominent basslines and bass melodies were also common. Despite having quite a simple sound on the surface, then, there was actually quite a bit going on - with the two guitars and the bass all generally doing something a bit different whilst the drums went back and forth between faster, punkier beats and groovy patterns. Rustichelli's voice was strong, too, adding some grit to the overall sound - whilst still managing to throw in a few hooky choruses. All of the bands on the bill are sometimes labelled as progressive metal, despite having other influences, and all are on the simpler side in terms of song structure and intricacy - which made the pairing work quite well. Klogr are never going to blow anyone away with their technicality, but their grooves were massive and the overall atmosphere and texturing of their sound certainly felt progressive - and the growing crowd seemed to have a good time, forming quite a queue at the merch stall after the band's set.

After only 20 or so minutes it was time for Evergrey - easily my favourite of the three bands on the bill in general and likely the main reason I bought a ticket. I have seen Evergrey live a number of times, as a support act, at a festival, and as a headline act - with my last show of theirs also coming in Bristol back in 2022 when they headlined the Thekla. For whatever reason, this latest Evergrey set felt a bit less powerful than others I had seen - but for the next 45 or so minutes the band still showcased their emotive core sound nicely, with frontman Tom Englund sounding a rich as ever. The band all seemed quite cramped towards the front of the stage, which likely did not help, and they currently have a make-shift line-up - with Collibus and Scar Symmetry guitarist Stephen Platt filling in for Henrik Danhage. Drummer Simen Sandnes is still quite new to the band, too, so this line-up is still likely finding its feet - perhaps leading to the set not being as memorable as previous ones. That being said, the seven-song setlist was still a good representation of the band's last few albums. The lengthy A Silent Arc kicked things off, with its tech metal riffing and cold atmosphere - before the more epic and endlessly melodic King of Errors followed. This song generally closes the band's shows, so it felt strange hearing it early in the set - but it woke a few from their slumbers and there were quite a few around me singing along. These first two songs have been setlist staples for a while now, with the following two also following suit. The cold, sweeping Distance, with plenty of atmospherics from Rikard Zander (keyboards/vocals), always feels at home when played live - whilst the warmer When August Mourn showcased the band's denser, riffier sound. The final three songs were all new to me live. I had not seen the band live since their last album came out - so it was good to see two songs from it included in the set. Cold Dreams of course features Katatonia frontman Jonas Renkse - but he did not join Evergrey on the stage, with his vocals instead just played over the PA. This meant that Englund was just stood around sometimes whilst these vocals were being played, which was a bit strange, but the more epic and keyboard-heavy Falling from the Sun showcased some more hooks - something which the band can really pull out when they want to. There were clearly quite a few Evergrey fans in the crowd and the more melodic songs featured quite a bit of singing from those around me - and in a way I was surprised that the band were afforded only around 45 minutes on a bill like this. A couple more songs would have certainly been welcome, as by the time new single Oxygen!, from the band's next album, rolled around it felt as if no time had really passed. The new song is very typical of Evergrey's recent core sound, with another emotive Englund chorus, and it ended the set on a high with plenty being aware of the track despite it being new. The setlist was:

A Silent Arc

King of Errors

Distance

When August Mourn

Cold Dreams

Falling from the Sun

Oxygen!

Again, the changeover between the sets seemed fairly quick - and it did not seem all that long before the stage was bathed in red light and the five current members of Katatonia took to the stage. With only Renkse left from the band's early days, and two new guitarists in tow, this is very much a new-look version of the band. Renkse has been dominating things from a songwriting and production standpoint for quite a while now, though, so the change in line-up has not really altered the core sound much - with Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State very much in-keeping with what came before. Two of the new songs came early on, with Thrice and The Liquid Eye being deployed early - whilst the older favourite Soil's Song separated the two to drag the old hands along. Overall, the band's core sound came across well live. The interweaving guitar riffs and melodies of Nico Elgstrand and Sebastian Svalland did a lot of the heavy lifting - but I was also impressed by the playing of Niklas Sandin (bass guitar) who laid down plenty of melodic basslines and counter melodies throughout. An understated frontman, Renkse generally sounded strong vocally. He has this strange habit of waving the microphone around in front of his face, though, which meant that his voice was not always as clear as it should have been - but his core tone and that sense of hopelessness his singing can often give did cut through. Despite the gothic and downbeat nature of much of the band's sound, alongside a gloomy lighting set-up and dark colours on the video screens, Renkse and the band seemed to be having a good time. Katatonia are never going to be a band to attract rowdy crowds or big sing-a-longs, but the vibe in the room fit their music nicely - and the crowd was appreciative throughout. Renkse seemed pleased with the reception throughout, and seemed to have fond memories of previous gigs in the city. Clearly Katatonia are well-liked in Bristol, with the Electric Bristol nicely full without being packed - and Renkse regularly took time out to thank the crowd despite not talking all that much overall. I recognised the songs played, but I cannot say that I was really all that familiar with any of them apart from those on the new album. The older Leaders did stand out, though, whilst I did also remember Dead Letters from my few listens to Dead End Kings when I picked it up a while ago. Another highlight, too, was the heavier Nephilim - a song which perhaps hints at where the band came from. Whilst it essentially followed the same patterns and core sound as everything else, the riffing certainly felt doomier - and it was the toughest moment of the set which was often much more atmospheric than truly riffy. Despite my earlier comments, the newer Wind of No Change did elicit a little bit of a sing-a-long - whilst Old Heart Falls perhaps garnered one of the strongest reactions from the crowd in terms of cheering its announcement. Another song I remember from a few years ago was the more melodic Lethean - a song which always reminded me a little of Anathema. It was a welcome addition to the ending portion of the band's main set - which later ended with a slightly longer version of In the Event Of from their latest album. The band did briefly leave the stage, but there was time for one more - with another somewhat riffier piece in the form of Forsaker giving the long-time fans something to cheer for as the band's 80 or so minutes on stage came to a gloomy close. The setlist was:

Thrice

Soil's Song

The Liquid Eye

Austerity

Rein

Leaders

Dead Letters

Nephilim

Wind of No Change

The Longest Year

Old Heart Falls

July

Lethean

No Beacon to Illuminate Our Fall

In the Event Of

-

Forsaker

Despite not coming away from the night any more of a Katatonia fan than I already was, I remain a casual fan of the Swedish gloom-mongers - and I am glad that I have now seen the band live. They are a band that I probably should like more than I do - but they still managed to impress live and there was a strong atmosphere in the Electric Bristol throughout their set. I probably do need to check out the band's older, heavier work to properly understand their journey - but for now I have strong memories from seeing them live for the first time.