Live Consternation (W/Dvd)

Katatonia | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 5, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Peaceville UK
• ASIN: B000OYLTAM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,964 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

This Stunning Performance is Included on Both Audio CD and Dvd
(5. 1 Ch and
2. 0 Ch), all in 'super Jewel Case' Packaging. The Set-list features Tracks from the Recently Acclaimed 'the Great Cold Distance' plus Many Fan Favourites from the Katatonia Catalogue. 'live Consternation' Captures Katatonia at their Glorious Best, During an Extremely Successful and Productive Year for the Band.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Impressive live performance, not so impressive DVD, October 10, 2008

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live Consternation (W/Dvd) (Audio CD)

Live Consternation is the first live release from Katatonia, and chronicles the band's performance at the 2006 Summerbreeze Open Air festival in Germany. I'm not really sure how to look at this release. Is it a live CD with a bonus DVD, or should this be seen as Katatonia's first DVD release that comes with a bonus audio CD? I suppose it shouldn't matter since the contents are the same, but it does make a difference.

If the primary focus is supposed to be the audio CD, and the DVD is just the icing on the cake, then Live Consternation is a very effective release. Katatonia gave a great performance, though at less than an hour it was relatively brief. The setlist was loaded with songs from Great Cold Distance, but they covered some old ground as well. You don't hear a lot from the crowd, and Jonas Renske's banter is kept to a minimum, which kind of brings the energy level down a bit. Given the nature of Katatonia's music, that's probably not a good thing. Still, the sound quality was superb, and the band's execution of these songs was flawless.

If you look at Live Consternation as a DVD release first and foremost (and to be honest, that's why I bought it), it's a bit disappointing. Again, the band's performance was great, and the video quality is just as good as the audio, but the 50-minute live set is all you get. There are no video clips, no documentary or interview footage, no bonus features of any kind. Compared to recent DVD releases by Children of Bodom and Opeth, that's just not cutting it. I will say this for the DVD, watching the band play live you get a much better appreciation for just how intense they are and how seriously they take their music.

I also hate the goofy "super jewel box" Live Consternation comes in. I know that's an extremely minor thing, but a full DVD case would have been much better, especially in showcasing Travis Smith's amazing cover artwork.

If you're a big Katatonia fan, then this one is a no-brainer, especially if you're the type who regularly buys live albums. If you're looking for a first rate DVD release though, you're probably going to be disappointed.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Make Up Your Own Mind, August 12, 2007

By 

FZM (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live Consternation (W/Dvd) (Audio CD)

So the purpose of this release is to capture the live sound, which of course it does - yet having seen the dvd/listened to the cd my thoughts of this release are that it's, well ...okay. I'd prefer the Black Sessions gig, although understand that was more of a production than Live Consternation, which is pretty raw (and that's not necessarily a bad thing). Track selection is good, more varied than I expected when I first heard of the concept. At the end of the day it's Katatonia, so of course warrants serious attention. If you're like me you won't be disappointed, and in the same probably won't be blown away.

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent DVD, March 14, 2011

By 

Pardonband - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live Consternation (W/Dvd) (Audio CD)

Great to have a DVD of Katatonia. Audio quality on the older songs far surpasses the studio versions. The songs from "The Great Cold Distance" didn't sound as great as I had hoped. The guitar tone on this DVD is a bit digital, and sounds odd on the new material, but is an improvement over what is on their older recordings. Video is decent. Mixing could have been done a little bit better, with a better balance between parts. A great item to have!! Hope they shoot a better DVD soon though.