Katatonia Gets a Tribute Album

Northern Silence Productions will release a tribute double album to KATATONIA on December 12. The set includes no less than seventeen bands covering eighteen songs from the early and mid-’90s-era KATATONIA and has a running over 100 minutes. The 20-page booklet will feature artwork by Kristian “Necrolord” Wahlin. The release will be available as limited two-CD digipack, two-CD jewel case and limited two-LP gatefold sleeve (including poster). The track listing is as follows:

CD 1:

01. FOSCOR – “Midwinter Gates”
02. FOSCOR – “Gateways Of Bereavement”
03. BEATRIK – “The Northern Silence”
04. FOREST STREAM – “Without God”
05. AEVERON – “Shades Of Emerald Fields”
06. XASTHUR – “Palace Of Frost”
07. WYRD – “In Silence Enshrined”
08. GEIST – “Love Of The Swan”
09. DARK FORTRESS – “Endtime”

CD 2:

01. LOSS – “Brave”
02. FOREST OF SHADOWS – “Rainroom”
03. HELEVORN – “12”
04. FORGOTTEN TOMB – “Nowhere”
05. BILSKIRNIR – “Day”
06. FARSOT – “I Break”
07. FRAGILE HOLLOW – “Saw You Drown”
08. OCTOBER FALLS – “For Funerals To Come…”
09. HEL feat. WINTERHEART – “Cold Ways”

Ahhh, tribute albums. Are there any good tribute albums in existence?

There’s a tribute to Dream Theater that just about makes one’s ears bleed. You can pick up one of eight hundred tributes to Pink Floyd, Depeche Mode, Rush, Madonna, and just about any other band of tenure that you can imagine. Never mind Katatonia, a band that has been around for a while but certainly isn’t an MTV mainstay by any stretch.

Forest Stream and Dark Fortress are the only bands I recognize on the list; still, if they’re the indicator as to what one should expect, this tribute will be little more than a bunch of true-to-form covers. Helevorn likely isn’t doing a reggae version of “12” or anything.

But should they be? Take, for instance, Disturbed’s cover of Genesis’ “Land of Confusion” which is currently getting a ton of radio airplay. It’s nothing more than a straight cover; the band brings absolutely nothing new to the song. At least Orgy took apart and reassembled “Blue Monday” when they covered it. Regardless of what one thinks of that particular Orgy tune, at least they put their own mark on it rather than programming their synths to play the same tired track.

How would the metal world react if a tribute album was full of their favorite metal songs completely redone in different styles? Yes, there are bluegrass versions of Metallica songs out there and people enjoy the novelty of it. But a whole tribute?

An example is due. Here’s my imaginary tribute to Slayer:

1. Tanya Donnelly playing an acoustic version of “War Ensemble”
2. DMX turning “Behind the Crooked Cross” into hard thug rap
3. Toby Keith twangs up “Mandatory Suicide”
4. Scissor Sisters brings the disco to “Dead Skin Mask”
5. Jessica Simpson. “Chemical Warfare”. ‘Nuff said
6. Smashing Pumpkins whine all over “Die By the Sword”
7. Rammstein stomps-up “Angel of Death” without an ounce of irony
8. Wynton Marsalis jazzes up “Raining Blood”

…who in the hell would buy that? Well, everybody, because it would have to be heard to be believed.

But without going to extremes, why not hand Katatonia songs over to bands that aren’t quite in that genre? Let some power metal bands do their worst. Give the proggies something to play with. Turn up the treble for some extreme black metal. Because, really — if we wanted to hear straight Katatonia, wouldn’t we just buy Katatonia albums?