Sacred Beauty

That a band throughout their careers once pulls the plug and the original songs is presented in a reduced, audible manner before an audience not uncommon. And yet, such an endeavor sometimes more, sometimes less sense. In the case of Sweden KATATONIA the step is fully logical. Finally, once started as Doom Black Metal band group had their last studio album "Dead End Kings" exempt from almost everything except the bare beauty of its own come out. Was there a more immersive listening experience called "Dethrowned and Uncrowned". And exactly this endeavor was the inspiration for a whole tour, opposite occurred the Katatonia her now but quite large fan base in sparse instrumentation. "Sanctitude" is document this concert tour and embodies the motto of this. Renkske, Nyström and Co. chose exclusively special venues for their Unplugged setting, concert venues, but seem particularly unusual for bands in general, for metal bands. The "Union Chapel" in London is a Christian church, however defined himself as a liberal place where even dissenters are welcome. That a band like Katatonia this sacred place makes no shame goes without saying that Sweden is still long outgrown its infancy their angry black metal past. It remains a combo including extremely darkly melancholic songs and a concert hall, which offers a fantastic acoustics due to its spatial conditions. And this great sound one hears "Sanctitude" also at every second.

The band provides a 80-minute performance, the opening track from "In the White" over "Teargas" to "The one you're looking for is not here" is enough. In said completion song gets even The Gathering-vocal wonder Silje Wergeland as a guest on the small but atmospheric with candlelight illuminated stage. The focus is expected to be on the more recent song repertoire of Sweden, the "Dethroned & Uncrowned" respectively "Dead End Kings" - album is represented with 5 songs in the set list, the remaining 12 songs spread over a total of six albums of the band's discography. That the debut "Dance of December Souls" remains outside before, of course, no surprise, the more appropriate album "Tonight Decisions" is also not considered. The bottom line still is a very good cross-section of almost all periods of the band. The concert of Katatonia is presented, incidentally, including the Pineapple Thief-head Bruce Soord, support this evening with guitar and backing vocals. What is surprising is that Mainvocalist Jonas Renkse here also acts as a permanent guitarist and characteristically breaks through the purely acoustic foundation. "Armed" with a conventional electric guitar he contributes the Katatonia-typical, sad-hypnotic guitar leads. This is what the music and the reduced processing of the songs nothing, quite the contrary. The interspersed electric guitars enrich the heat of the respective songs again tremendously. And another praise the charismatic Swede must be picked up: His singing sounds really live again more expressive as on the albums. Renkske is no ifs or buts matured over the years and publications at a surprisingly good singer, his voice is absolutely secure and extremely expressive in every single phase of the concert.