The Great Cold Distance

The shortest distance between all Katatonia albums runs through The Great Cold Distance. An inspired, well-produced, tight album. Probably their best, in terms of track selection and execution.

This album truly delivers, one one listen through it is easy to see only about 8/12 songs are pretty remarkable and unforgettable. I say 4 stars because its not unfallable, like the song "In The White", the song is over all bland, with an intro that sounds oddly familiar. As if it was a mixture of Soil's Song and My Twin, crudly combined? Maybe thats just me. But personally my favorite song is "Follower", it has a really rythmic bass line, which blends well with the amazing vocal melody in the chorus. "I hold your hand so hard my knuckles turn white". I can just remanice on the sweetness of this line over and over again!

I started listening to this band with 'Night is the New Day' and didn't like it. But then I kept coming back to it and after a few listens, finally got it. I was hooked. Then I bought 'The Great Cold Distance' and WOW! Atmospheric, moody and brilliant. The guitars and bass are driven down...way down. Consternation is one of my favorite songs on the disc. I can't stop listening to it. I bought the physical CD which included the 5.1 mix. WOW WOW! I'm getting ready to order Viva Emptiness and can't wait.

I got curious about Katatonia a few years back, and I decided to purchace "Viva Emptiness" not really knowing what to expect. After my first listen, I wasn't so sure I'd like Katatonia, and at the time, I was more more of an old-schooler when it comes to metal, so I wasn't immediately drawn into the overall direction of Katatonia. Needless to say, after some time passed, I found a new appreciation for various types of metal, and once again "Viva Emptiness" found it's way back into my CD player. I gave it a really good, open minded listen, many listens to be exact, and it didn't take long before I was considering "Viva Empiness" a true masterpiece... With that said, "The Great Cold Distance" is even better! I wasn't sure if Katatonia could top "Viva Emptiness", but that's exactly what they've done. The sound is very similar, but not entirely as heavy, it's a more controlled / mature effort front start to finish in my opinion. The songs are chilling, and they all flow together incredibly well. What really captures you, and makes Katatonia's music so deep / emotionally driven, is the voice of Jonas, it will bring you under a spell if you allow it. I just love his voice, it fits perfectly with the wall of sound Katatonia brings. There's really no other voice like it in all of metal... BOTTOM LINE : If you're looking for something new in metal that's heavy, haunting, and has clean / soothing vocals, look no further, Katatonia is what you've been waiting for. This band just keeps improving with each release, and should not be overlooked. BUY THIS NOW!!!!....

I've been listening to Katatonia since Brave Murder Day, (I was, and still am, a huge Opeth Fan, and when I heard Mikael was doing the vocal work on many of the tracks, I had to check it out). Upon listening to that album, I quickly got the other albums they had released up to that point, and completely fell in love with them. And then, beginning with the very next album after Brave Murder Day, their sound began to change, with Jonas's vocal emphasis much more on melodic crooning than the brutal growling. And they were all the better for it. That being said, The Great Cold Distance is their best album to date (probably followed by Viva Emptiness). This is one of those rare albums that doesn't seem to have one throw away track. Nothing comes across as filler. And while the songs do occasionally have similar structure, never do they descend to sounding reminescient of each other. My personal favorite song is Deliberation, probably followed by Leaders, July, and My Twin. But I'd recommend just downloading the entire album. It's well worth the money, believe you me.

This is an stunning progression from Katatonia's last releases, Viva Emptiness and Last Fair Deal Gone Down. They defy genres or labels (alternative, heavy metal, doom, etc.) - it's interesting that itunes dropped them into the alternative segment. No matter where I listen to this (home, car or ipod), I'm encompassed by a wall of sound so haunting yet so melodic, that I can feel the music in colors. Jonas' vocals are nothing short of amazing, the musicianship is highly evolved and the production is tight. Yes, the mood is depressing, but there are no inferior songs on the collection - it's consistently superior. I highly recommend buying this from itunes!

this album is awesome although the band isn't really doom anymore and i like their earlier stuff i really think they are even better at wat their doin now. this is the best example of the new sound moody, still dark, sad sounding, and memorable. a good album. i love my twin

Katatonia's CD "The Great Cold Distance" is a work of art where every song has high production quality. The vocals are dynamic and filled with emotion, and the music is soulful, heavy, dark - yet quick and energetic. This CD is worth the money!

there are a depressing band but i still love them. my favorite song from them is Deliberation and that made cry alot =C

Haunting, melodic, heavy, dynamic, and very well written. Great production too. If you're a fan of TOOL, Chevelle, and the like... you'll love this band. I haven't stopped listening to this since I bought it a week ago. Put on your best headphones... and lie in a quiet dark place and soak in this one. BUY NOW!