Katatonia

Swedish metal band Katatonia, not to be confused with Welsh pop/rock outfit, Catatonia with a C, have their die-hard fans in the house this evening, ready to go crazy, ready to start circle pits here and there all over the room. “Ghost of the Sun” is their opening number seeing the fastest and loudest guitars you’ve ever heard. They employ techniques such as pinch harmonics; sweep picking, and dive bombs, and the crowd this evening, a horde of longhaired metal lovers all dressed in black. As soon as the drop occurs in their opening number, it is as though a grenade has been thrown right into the centre of the mosh pit as people are throwing themselves relentlessly into one another. One of the things that I will hand this Swedish gothic metal band is that every song has a hook. There is always something memorable from each song that you just might find yourself singing in the shower the next day. There is such adoration from the audience as they sing just about every chorus with their fist in the air, punching at every syllable. There are moments of their set that are very loud, with machine-gun blasting double kick drum moments, which are countered every time with a melodic chorus. A successful gig for these Scandinavian rockers.