Photos/Review: Opeth & Katatonia cast midwinter gloom

When it comes to bands that are often paired together on rosters, one of the most revered is the sorrowful duo of Opeth and Katatonia. This double dose of sad has reunited for a North American tour as a perfect midwinter treat. On February 10th, they played at the beautiful Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan, for a spell of emotive heaviness.

Katatonia opened the night in a flurry of flashes and shadows. I hadn’t seen the band live before, and I found the vibrant, colorful lights between strobes and moments of darkness an intriguing format for their live show. The set was a blend of fan favorites like “July” and “Forsaker,” along with a couple of deeper cuts, “Dead Letters” and “Old Heart Falls,” and a few songs from their most recent releases. I mainly found myself listening closely, simply enjoying the gloomy atmospheres they paint in their music.

Katatonia

Photo Credit: Kyle Finlan

Opeth, on the other hand, brought the heat with a set full of the heavier songs in their catalogue from all across their discography. Their visuals are spectacular; from looking like walls of an old manor shifting around during §1 to simply mesmerizing zone-out style, like the cool-toned, flowing lines in “Godhead’s Lament” or the consuming, burning fire in §7. The setlist also featured some playlist go-tos the soothing “To Rid the Disease” and the psychedelic “The Devil’s Orchard” along with a bit of humor with their cover of “You Suffer” by Napalm Death (a song that is just a few seconds long). The duality was welcomed, as it led into pillars of light backdrop of “The Grand Conjuration” and my personal favorite song ever by the band “The Drapery Falls”, which was paired with a beautiful endless forest visual behind them. This being my 4th time seeing them over the last 10 years, it’s been fun to see how their live shows have evolved into a feast for the ears and the eyes.

This date was about midway through the tour, but there are still some tour dates left to go on the Last Will and Testament North America tour pt 2. It’s most certainly worthwhile to catch this bit of lantern-light in the dead of winter tour if you can!