Kallocain by Paatos

I've finally written my review of the new Paatos album - this has been sitting here for some months now, and I just never got around to it. It's now been published on M/C Reviews, but here it is as well:

Dark Horse Running: Kallocain by Paatos

To be honest I would have expected a little more recognition for this band by now. With Stefan Dimle on bass duties and Reine Fiske of Landberk contributing the occasional song idea (as well as playing guitar on their debut CD), Paatos is well-connected in the Swedish Progressive Rock scene; what's more, this latest CD (which follows their 2002 debut Timeloss) was mixed by Porcupine Tree leader Steven Wilson, who is fast accumulating a sizeable portfolio of clients. Wilson's involvement shows - he brings to Paatos the smooth and lush sonics which have always been a feature of his own band.

Kallocain, released by Inside Out, does not make any drastic changes from the debut album's formula, though - the band is solidly anchored down by the percussion of Huxflux Nettermalm and Dimle's bass, who provide a slightly harder edge on a few tracks here. Indeed, there is a strong sense of rhythm to Paatos's music (as there was with the first album, which even touched on drum'n'bass territory in the track "Quits"), and I would have liked the band to go and explore that direction even further - the codas of tracks like "Look at Us" and "Reality" see Paatos locked solidly into the groove and flexing its instrumental muscles (courtesy of Johan Wallén on keys and especially new member Peter Nylander on guitar), but fading all too soon. This may be a good band to see live!

Above that musical foundation drift Petronella Nettermalm's vocals; often almost sighed into the microphone, they have a lullaby quality which contrasts effectively with the band's energy. Listening to her voice on Kallocain seems like the aural equivalent of looking at the world through a glass of dark liquid, but perhaps that is an image conjured up only by the presence of a track titled "Absinth Minded"; whatever it is, an otherworldly, candles-at-midnight feel is established here.

A further addition to the mix is the occasional violin (prominent particularly in the first track, "Gasoline") which blends well with the liberal doses of Mellotron that are almost obligatory in Swedish Prog. So, why does Paatos remain relatively less well-known than its scandinavian counterparts such as Anekdoten, The Flower Kings, White Willow or the reunited Trettioåriga Kriget? The band seem well suited especially to fill the void left by Landberk's demise - and now that Inside Out has taken on the band, perhaps it finally will.

Details:
Kallocain, by Paatos. 51 mins. InsideOut Music America, 2004.