Year: 2020
Total Time: 88:00
Label: Peaceville Records

Last April, KATATONIA released “City Burials” whose review is worth reading here. Under normal circumstances, the band WOULD tour promoting the new album, WOULD appear at summer festivals and WOULD give many live interviews trying to support their work. Instead, however, due to the known circumstances, something like this has become useless for each band, so there must be a corresponding adjustment, that is, live streaming through a social networking platform. KATATONIA seemed to adapt and in May 2020 they presented a “live” show for all their fans (or not) for the appropriate price.

As guitarist Anders Nystrom said, “We are proud to be able to release this show in its natural form, due to its unexpectedly high demand, where our fans will be able to relive the 20 most popular songs, as they were voted by fans worldwide. This very special night of May 9 will forever remain in our memory as something just as strange and fantastic, so it is necessary for someone to own it.”

“Let’s say no more about it”, I say. Fans voted 6 songs from “The Great Cold Distance” with “Deliberation” included in them, and three from “Viva Emptiness” indicating that there may be a bridge between the mellow and the more Progressive trends of the band. There are also three songs from “City Burials” (the promotion we were talking about) which have been tailored to fit in with the rest of the tracks of this release. Songs like “Ghost Of The Sun” coexist with “Deliberation” and “Unfurl”, giving the newest “The Winter Of Our Passing” a chance to stand out.

The production of their longtime collaborator David Castillio is tight and clean, the artwork has been edited by Travis Smith and the band’s decision to play a little faster, with more energy, simulating the whole situation like a real live show, gives some points. For some (probably a few) who do not know KATATONIA, “Dead Air” can serve as an introduction to their music. Their fans will definitely get it, since it is accompanied by the DVD of the show, so it is an attractive package. But the question is different … Will this be a new reality in which the bands will play live in the studio and sell these performances to make up for the loss of their income or will the fans and other listeners become more wary of their savings and decide that they can’t continue to support such a thing? We walk in the unknown with hope….

Rating: N/A
Editor: Dimos Karadimos
Related Link: KATATONIA – Official Page