By Christopher L. Williams
There is one man in the Bluegrass who deserves a salute. Not for any heroics or out-of-the-ordinary commitment to civic duty, but because he has figured a way to lure some of the finest heavy metal acts in existence to our humble commonwealth. No longer are we considered flyover country for bands that might only have made tour stops in the US, if they came to the US at all, in the largest of markets: Chicago, New York, LA, and maybe a few others in between. Louisville is now a bona fide destination for heavy metal acts big and small.
One such band, Katatonia, was a band that I was sure I’d have to travel to some dingy bar in Stockholm if I ever wanted to see them perform live. Their roots are firmly planted in doom metal, a mostly dead sub-genre chiefly popular in the early to mid-nineties, but they’ve evolved into what can only be described as melancholy European prog metal: a mix of heavily distorted guitars, crunchy riffs, odd times and clean vocals (no screaming) with spare, innovative drum rhythms. They’re highly accomplished, having recorded nearly 10 albums since 1993, and rather than appearing in some well trodden metal bar in northern Europe, they’re in Uncle Pleasant’s, a hole-in-the-wall bar on the south side of Louisville, in front 250 or so people, heads banging and horns flying.
With Katatonia were two even more obscure metal bands, Swallow the Sun and Orphaned Land, which, in my estimation, were even less likely to play for us here in the Bluegrass state, yet here they were, direct from Finland and Israel respectively. Swallow the Sun came armed with sludgy guitars and Gollum-like vocals, while Orphaned Land provided a good representation of what a metal-themed bar mitzvah might sound like. They started off the night playing two relatively short sets to a small, yet highly energetic and appreciative crowd. It isn’t every day that metalheads in the Bluegrass can watch live European metal, and we sure do dig it when it comes around.
But despite their Herculean efforts on a stage dwarfed by a medium-sized kitchen, neither of the openers were what the crowd came for. We wanted Katatonia.
Their set, which started promptly at 10 P.M. comprised predominantly tracks from their Katatonia’s two most recent albums, The Great Cold Distance (2006) and Night is the New Day (2009), representing the fullness of their transition from very heavy doom metal to more groove-oriented prog-metal, though there were a handful of older tracks sprinkled in. And the 90-minute set was epic. Their sound—ferocious and heavy, yet often crisp and airy–brought a smile to my face and led to more than a couple of sore neck muscles. Good times.
Which brings me full-circle to the beginning. Mr Harper, to you I salute, for a job well done in bringing largely unnoticed acts to us, saving us the cost of a very expensive plane ticket or, at the very least, a very long drive. You do us a great service! \m/
Leave a Reply