Coming three full years after 2003's Viva Emptiness, The Great Cold Distance continues the trend toward the mainstream that Katatonia began with that album.
Singer Jonas Renske -- who apparently lost his ability to do the now-clichéd Cookie Monster vocals some years ago due to medical problems -- has refined his voice into a much smoother and, surprisingly, more powerful instrument that's capable of greater emotional shadings.
Similarly, this album forsakes the blastbeats and hyperspeed riffing for a more dynamic sound that makes smart use of slow and quiet passages.
They're still heavy: "Deliberation" and "Leaders" are as brutal as anything on the band's career high point, Last Fair Deal Gone Down.
But that heaviness is set off by gems like the surprisingly restrained "In the White," a powerful and heartfelt song that's among the band's finest, and that sonic variety makes The Great Cold Distance a stronger, more compelling listen than a more bludgeoning effort would be.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LeadersJonas Renkse | Katatonia | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 2 | DeliberationJonas Renkse | Katatonia | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 3 | Soil's SongJonas Renkse | Katatonia | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 4 | My TwinJonas Renkse | Katatonia | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 5 | ConsternationJonas Renkse | Katatonia | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 6 | FollowerJonas Renkse | Katatonia | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 7 | RustedJonas Renkse | Katatonia | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 8 | IncreaseJonas Renkse | Katatonia | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 9 | JulyJonas Renkse | Katatonia | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 10 | In the WhiteJonas Renkse | Katatonia | Play | 04:53 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 11 | The ItchJonas Renkse | Katatonia | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 12 | Journey Through PressureJonas Renkse | Katatonia | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 13 | My Twin | Katatonia | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 55 mins | 127 MB | |||||
| 55 mins | 382 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andreas Åkberg | Vocals (Background) |
| 2 | Andreas Åkerberg | Vocals (Background) |
| 3 | Jens Bogren | Effects, Engineer, Keyboards, Loop, Loops, Mastering, Mixing, Producer, Programming |
| 4 | Olle Carlsson | Photography |
| 5 | David Castillo | Effects, Engineer, Keyboards, Loop, Loops, Mixing, Producer, Programming |
| 6 | Peter Damin | Drums, Drum Technician, Percussion |
| 7 | Thomas Eberger | Mastering |
| 8 | Katatonia | Primary Artist |
| 9 | Daniel Liljekvist | Drums, Group Member, Vocals (Background) |
| 10 | Fredrik Norrman | Arranger, Group Member, Guitar |
| 11 | Jonas Renkse | Arranger, Art Direction, Composer, Effects, Group Member, Guitar, Keyboards, Loops, Producer, Programming, Vocals |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |