Another Monday night in Bristol. Thankfully, the rain holds off as I weave my way through the City Centre and the masses of shoppers and revellers. Christmas is definitely on its way. However, my destination tonight will provide solace and sanctuary from the repetition of Mariah Carey and her cohort of awful songs. Instead, I delve into the darkness of Electric Bristol for a few hours of melancholy and introspection with Katatonia, Evergrey and Klogr.
Katatonia – Evergrey – Klogr
Electric Bristol – 8 December 2025
Words And Photography: Paul Hutchings
To many, it was unthinkable that you would have a Katatonia line-up without Anders Nyström. But their 13th album Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State demonstrated that the band, formed by Nyström and singer Jonas Renkse way back in 1991, are still very much a force in the darkened Melodic Doom world.
A short four-date visit to the UK serves as a further reminder that the Swedes are, indeed, still very much alive and kicking.
In fact, as the evening progresses, it is hard to remember a time when Katatonia were so musically tight. The current line-up, guitarists Sebastian Svalland and Nico Elgstrand joining drummer Daniel Moilanen and bassist Niklas Sandin, are firmly locked in.
Musically, it is a thing of beauty, with the crushing riffs that are more pronounced live than on record working perfectly with the more delicate passages.
And then there is Renske. I have seen Katatonia many times over the past two decades, from small rooms in Cardiff to large stages at festivals. I have never seen the frontman so comfortable, relaxed and in perfect form. He looks well, slimmer than before, and vocally, on fire.
He is also willing to speak to the audience, not in any great depth, but he is appreciative of the 800 or so souls that have made the effort.
We are rewarded with a career-spanning set. Well, maybe not quite, as it is rare that Katatonia journey back to the Gothic Doom days of Brave Murder Day or Dance Of December Souls.
But tonight, we travel from the current album, which provides two of the opening three songs in Thrice and The Liquid Eye, to 2006’s The Great Cold Distance for three all-time classics in Soil’s Song, July, and an impeccable and stunningly brilliant Leaders, which sees everyone in the venue captivated. It is impossible not to be caught up in the atmosphere that Katatonia craft.
The stage is not overly cluttered, but it is perfectly enhanced by moody lighting that sees the band perform in semi-darkness for much of the set. Blinding backlit screens dazzle, casting even more shadows, and at times, Renske disappears.
We cannot fail to hear his melancholic vocals, though, as he guides the band through the crushing heaviness of Nephilim, teasing us with references to Sabbath, as well as the power of Lethean from Dead End Kings, Rein from City Burials and more.
With such a catalogue, it is a compliment to the band that they can curate such an engrossing setlist. They feature two from Sky Void Of Stars and return to that Cardiff club show with three from Night Is The New Day. This includes the climactic Forsaker, which closes out the evening magnificently.
It is intoxicating, and for those who may be here for the first time, although one doubts there are many in that category, surprisingly heavy.
Katatonia are a band who are masters of their genre. Tonight, they demonstrate once more why this is so.
Evergrey
It has been three years since Evergrey were last in Bristol, headlining on the boat at Thekla, a mere stone’s throw from tonight’s venue. Since that show, they’ve released Theories Of Emptiness, and for me, provided one of the most satisfying headline slots in the Sophie Lancaster Tent at Bloodstock Festival in 2024.
Tonight, Frontman Tom S Englund welcomes us and promises 40 minutes of crushing music. We get it in spades. Beautifully melodic, in part thanks to Englund’s glorious clean vocals, Evergrey can match most bands in terms of heaviness.
It is mesmeric, watching the line of Englund, bassist Johan Niemann and keyboardist Rikard Zander headbanging in unison through the permanent haze on stage.
Two from the latest album merge comfortably with a small selection of songs from other releases. Fourteen albums in, choosing a support slot list must be nigh on impossible, but Evergrey blend it well, and finish with the new single, Oxygen! A reminder of new music to come. Only released in November, it is a clever song that soars in the classic anthemic way that much of this band’s music does.
It is hard not to be engrossed in Evergrey on stage. They give everything, and even if you are not a diehard fan, and I am surrounded by those who know every word, then they remain a force live.
A new record and the promise of a headline tour provide anticipation. For now, it is another opportunity to reflect on a band who ooze class and quality.
Klogr
The room is filling as Italians Klogr (pronounced “Kay-Log-Are”) hit the stage. There are not many bands whose name is a tribute to psycho-physical law, but we have one here tonight. I will admit to knowing the band’s name but little else.
It is a pleasing 30 minutes that see the band earn new admirers with a solid set of material drawn from their discography. Although they have little room due to their peers’ equipment, they use the screens well.
Gabriele “Rusty” Rustichelli, on vocals and guitar, has a striking steampunk image and a gravelly delivery that works well with the band’s alternative Metal style.
Klogr open strongly with Face The Unknown, one of two from their 2024 release Fractured Realities, and finish in emphatic style with Vultures Feast.
Switching from punishingly heavy to more gentle elements, their style is in keeping with the rest of the bill. Klogr use harmonies well, and as I leave later that evening, one or two of their melodies are still bouncing around in my head. Job done.
