This is huge. I mean, for a reviewer, it’s a daunting task. Documenting the Swedish band’s spectacularly ambitious live working of their last tour, ‘Sanctitude’ is a double disc behemoth: the audio disc contains an epic 17-track set, while the accompanying DVD / Blu-Ray features the complete 80-minute concert, captured at London’s Union Chapel, in 5.1 surround sound, accompanied by a 66-minute documentary. I need to lie down and I haven’t even hit ‘play’.
While I gear myself up, here’s some context: September 2013 saw the release of ‘Dethroned & Uncrowned’, which was a reworking of the band’s 2012 epic ‘Dead End Kings’. Expanding their sound and exploring more progressive territories, they found it was possible to create new moods and textures while still staying truthful to the core of the original songs. Then they took it on the road. Et voila.
The sound is fantastic. I mean, were it not for the applause, you wouldn’t know it was live: the clarity and separation of the instruments is more than impressive. The standard of the performance, likewise, and the musicianship is superlative from beginning to end, and the careful arrangements are striking. The orchestration ads texture and depth, but isn’t overdone.
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Guitar and vocal duties are covered by Pineapple Thief frontman and songwriter Bruce Soord, and he delivers the songs with conviction and emotion, with fan favourite ‘Teargas’ holding up well in its stripped-back state.
In fact, it’s a resounding triumph from beginning to end, and to complain some of the songs lack the oomph of the guitar-driven studio originals would be to gravely miss the point. What ‘Sanctitude’ demonstrates is the quality of Katatonia’s songwriting, and it’s hard to imagine anyone who considers themselves a fan of the band will be disappointed by this colossal document. For everyone else, it’s still impressive, but would pay to check out their extensive back catalogue first.
Katatonia Online
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