I don’t know if it’s still the case, but once if you looked under “gothic” in a German record shop, you’d find anything that was Metal including Opeth. Katanga are from Germany and can lay claim to being true “Goth”. My ears tell me that their music and mood are sourced from the world of Ghost of Lemora, Voices of Masada, Tiamat and Moonspell, all bands that I like.
I have to say that when I first heard Katanga, I found their music tedious and detestable. Flat and tuneless singing may be popular in Germany, and it’s even worse when it’s sung in German. Maybe the vocals don’t quite reach those depths. I can best describe the singing as somewhere between Edwyn Collins and Moonspell’s Ribeiro, but without any of the richness. With 18 tracks and 73 minutes to listen to, I foresaw a challenge. At least it gave the time for the band to spread out their wares. Not all 18 tracks are full length epics, in fact the shorter ones are largely notable for being grotesque and bizarre. Still, our attention is captured from the beginning. The lady in “Marquis de Sade” seems to be enjoying her dose of pain. Given the underscore, it’s inevitably not long before we get a Rammstein-style riff on “Mörder der Erinnerung”. The same rhythm is evident on the later “Lemuria”.
One thing I did like about “Moonchild” is the fact that Katanga are not uniform in the way they explore dark spaces. The mood is frequently upbeat, a number of the songs have a strong groove and they can be hard, fast and shadowy. They can also be desperate and ridiculous. “When Darkness Falls” sounds like an a capella by the Walker Brothers in a German accent. It’s awful. Many of the songs are dreary and pointless. “I’m Going to Die for You” is orchestral, dark and deep to begin with but what follows is an unexciting and not especially melodious mid-paced song. “Schwarze Flügel” similarly lacks bite and in spite of the use of alternating male and female vocals, the song is nondescript. “Mondscheinkind” is lively and dark but ultimately of an unadventurous orientation. The male/female combination returns on “Das Nichts” (“Nothingness”) which has an electro beat along the lines of Clan of Xymox but there’s nothing to get excited about as it pumps out the darkness in its measured way, as the track title might suggest. The chorus is catchy on “Mondscheinfahrt” but the song is monotonous and the singer’s voice is flat, deep, wavering and tuneless. Just when I’d resigned myself to the dissatisfaction of hearing one pedestrian track after another, along came the version of an old song “Batflight” and things picked up. Heavy with a driving beat and strong groove, “Batflight” came over like an 80s indie song with a solo thrown in. I thought Katanga saved the best until last. “Death of the Fun Generation” is mechanical but an anthemic crowd-pleaser.
On the strength of “Moonchild” I shall not be going out to explore Katanga’s previous album or the two EPs they have released in their 16 years of existence. Listening to it I was reminded of a story a friend told me recently about a concert in Germany he went to recently at which there was a lack of atmosphere or animation. I could sense the variation in the rhythm and moods which undoubtedly come from a systematically dark base but if there are any magical qualities about this album or band, then I’m afraid to say that I’ve missed them.
http://www.myspace.com/batflight
http://www.batflight.de
http://www.massacre-records.de
