REHEARSAL '92

"Rehearsal '92" is the second demo recording by Swedish death/doom metal (later alternative/progressive metal) act Katatonia. The demo was independently released on cassette tape ni October 1992. It features the songs "Daylight Harvest" and "Sunset Choir", which are not on the tracklist on the preceding demo release "Jhva Elohim Meth" (July 1992). In fact the two tracks were recorded shortly after the recording sessions for "Jhva Elohim Meth". The tracks would not be included on Katatonia´s debut full-length studio album "Dance of December Souls" (December 1993). Katatonia opted to re-record the two tracks in 2021 and include them on the March 2022 "Melancholium" (Darkness Shall Rise Productions) boxed set and they would also subsequently be released as the January 2023 "A Sunset Choir For The Daylight Harvest" EP.

This original rehearsal demo is a pretty lo-fi, murky, and raw sounding affair. Stylistically it´s obvious that Katatonia at this point were strongly influenced by the 1991 "Gothic" album by Paradise Lost, as their melancholic death/doom metal sound is in many ways similar to the sound of that particular album by the Brits. I´m not sure how Katatonia managed to record guitar harmonies on a rehearsal demo recording done by only two persons (Dan Swanö does guest on keyboards here though, so maybe he contributed other instruments too), but other than that detail, the basic tracks were recorded live in the rehearsal space. Although the sound quality leaves a bit to be desired it´s still audible that both tracks are great melancholic death/doom metal tracks and those who enjoy early Katatonia (and Paradise Lost) should find entertainment value here. I can recommend seeking out the re-recorded versions of the two tracks, as they are both respectful towards the originals and feature the right amount of authenticity plus professional production values. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)