Katatonia | July
Katatonia’s “July” from The Great Cold Distance, how the Swedish masters of melancholy crafted a paradoxically uplifting anthem about heat, violence, and abandonment in 2006.
Story Behind “July”
A Soundtrack to a Devious Life
“While embracing this album one must know that it will only help to increase the coldness between us. It’s a devious life. And this is a soundtrack to it.” That was Jonas Renkse’s warning when The Great Cold Distance arrived in March 2006. The album marked a turning point for Katatonia, the moment when the Swedish band’s evolution from death/doom pioneers to masters of atmospheric melancholy crystallized into something undeniable. And buried in that album’s second half, track nine presented something unexpected: a song called “July” that somehow felt like warmth breaking through the coldness.
The lyrics paint a portrait of desperation and abandonment, “I see the bright lights / It’s the month of July / It’s violent here / Why have you left me.” The month traditionally associated with warmth and brightness becomes a backdrop for emotional violence. Heat devours the narrator. Repetition consumes everything.
Fifteen Years of Evolution
By 2006, Katatonia had been evolving for fifteen years. From the death/doom darkness of Dance of December Souls(1993) and Brave Murder Day (1996), featuring Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth on vocals, the band had transformed completely. When Renkse’s vocal cords gave out in the late 1990s, forcing him to abandon screamed vocals, it could have ended the band. Instead, it liberated them. Discouraged Ones (1998) and Tonight’s Decision (1999) revealed a new Katatonia, one built on clean vocals and melodic darkness that owed as much to The Cure as to My Dying Bride.
The Great Cold Distance took that transformation to its logical conclusion. PopMatters ranked it #8 on their list of Top Metal Albums of 2006. Anders Nyström would later reflect: “Looking back at our set lists from a historic perspective, it dawned on us that there’s been no other album from which we played more songs than The Great Cold Distance.”
“July” Recording and Production Details
Fascination Street: Where Swedish Metal Gets Made
“July” was recorded and mixed at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden, between June and September 2005. Founded by Jens Bogren in 2001, the studio would become one of metal’s most important production facilities, eventually working with Opeth, Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Sepultura, and dozens more. For The Great Cold Distance, Bogren and David Castillo co-produced, engineered, and mixed the album alongside band producers Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström.
The production approach balanced heaviness with atmosphere. Extensive layering of guitar tracks created a blended, natural texture that supported the album’s dynamic shifts between aggression and subtlety. Vocal processing was similarly layered with effects to introduce diversity and heighten emotional impact. The mastering was handled by Thomas Eberger at Cutting Room in Stockholm, with Bogren also contributing mastering work.
The Controlled Escalation
What makes “July” distinctive within the album’s darkness is its restraint. The track begins with an ease, an almost relaxed feel, as Renkse’s verse harmonizes with guitars that feel warm despite the lyrical desperation. The rhythm section, bassist Mattias Norrman and drummer Daniel Liljekvist, locks tightly with Fredrik Norrman and Anders Nyström’s guitar work. Critics noted that despite the “lyrically disturbing” content, “July” winds up feeling like an uplifting moment within one of Katatonia’s darkest albums.
Notes About “July” by Katatonia
Release Date: March 13, 2006 (album), April 9, 2007 (single)
Duration: 4:45
Genre: Progressive Metal / Alternative Metal / Gothic Rock
Album: The Great Cold Distance (7th studio album, Track 9)
Writers: Jonas Renkse (lyrics), Jonas Renkse & Anders Nyström (music)
Producers: Jonas Renkse, Anders Nyström, Jens Bogren, David Castillo
Label: Peaceville Records
Music Video: Directed by Charlie Granberg
Single Tracks: “July,” “Soil’s Song (Krister Linder 2012 Remix),” “Unfurl”
Katatonia “July” Era Band Details
Album Details
Album: The Great Cold Distance
Release Date: March 13, 2006
Label: Peaceville Records
Recording Studio: Fascination Street Studios, Örebro, Sweden
Recording Period: June-September 2005
Producers: Jonas Renkse, Anders Nyström
Co-Producers/Engineers/Mixers: Jens Bogren, David Castillo
Mastering: Thomas Eberger at Cutting Room, Stockholm; Jens Bogren
Artwork: Travis Smith
Band Members
Jonas Renkse – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards, Programming, Lyrics
Anders Nyström – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Programming
Fredrik Norrman – Lead Guitar
Mattias Norrman – Bass Guitar
Daniel Liljekvist – Drums, Backing Vocals
Additional Personnel
Andreas Åkeberg – Backing Vocals
Peter Damin – Additional Drums, Percussion
Olle Carlsson – Band Photography
Album Production Notes
Re-released March 12, 2007 with two bonus tracks and 5.1 surround sound mix
Special Swedish edition included limited box with poster, postcards, and “My Twin” video
Three singles released: “My Twin,” “Deliberation,” and “July”
All three singles accompanied by music videos
Listed at #8 on PopMatters’ Top Metal Albums of 2006
10th Anniversary 4-disc deluxe edition released January 2017, featuring a live performance with the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra
Half-speed mastered vinyl reissue released October 2022
Interesting Facts About “July”
The Video: Warm Colors in a Cold World
The music video for “July” was shot and directed by Charlie Granberg, who also directed the video for “My Twin.” Granberg explained his vision: “It’s basically a performance video. But I wanted the feeling of the band playing in a very rough, abandoned or even bombed out house, in an extremely warm country like Mexico or somewhere in the middle east. Dark on the inside, but with sunbeams searching their way through the dust, hitting the band-members here and there.”
The director deliberately worked against expectations. “I really wanted the feeling of the outside world being so much better and brighter than the place the band is in. The biggest challenge with this video I think, was that I wanted to use really warm and grainy colors, which is kinda rare in this type of music, but at the same time wrap it in a gloomy, apocalyptic feeling. But I think the balance is there and I’m happy the band liked it so much.”
The Most-Played Album in Katatonia History
“July” has remained a live staple since its release. When Katatonia celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Great Cold Distance in 2016, they performed the entire album with the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria. The orchestral version of “July” was included in the deluxe anniversary edition.
The song’s endurance speaks to something unusual about Katatonia’s fanbase. In a 2020 live album called Dead Air, filmed during the pandemic, the setlist was voted on by fans worldwide. “July” made the cut alongside other “metallic anthems” like “My Twin.” Peaceville described the tracklisting as “flawlessly flirting between earlier singles such as metallic anthems ‘My Twin’ & ‘July’, to the stirring emotional grandeur of new song, ‘Lacquer.’” Nearly two decades after its release, “July” still resonates.
Common Questions
Q: What album is “July” by Katatonia on? A: “July” is track 9 on The Great Cold Distance, Katatonia’s seventh studio album released in March 2006 through Peaceville Records. The album was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden.
Q: What is “July” by Katatonia about? A: The lyrics explore themes of abandonment and emotional violence set against the heat of summer. The narrator experiences the month of July as “violent,” asking “why have you left me” while being devoured by heat and trapped in repetition. The warmth of summer contrasts painfully with emotional coldness.
Q: Who produced The Great Cold Distance? A: The album was produced by band members Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström, with Jens Bogren and David Castillo serving as co-producers, engineers, and mixers at Fascination Street Studios. Thomas Eberger handled mastering at Cutting Room, Stockholm.
Q: Is there a music video for “July”? A: Yes, the music video was directed by Charlie Granberg and features the band performing in what appears to be an abandoned building in a warm climate. The video deliberately uses warm, grainy colors unusual for the genre while maintaining a gloomy atmosphere.
Q: What genre is Katatonia? A: Katatonia has evolved significantly over their career. Starting as death/doom metal in the early 1990s, they transitioned to a sound combining progressive metal, alternative metal, and gothic rock after vocalist Jonas Renkse developed vocal cord problems that prevented him from screaming. Their current sound emphasizes atmospheric melodies and introspective lyrics.