On March 7th, 2026, Katatonia brought their headlining "Waking State of North America" tour to The Underground in Charlotte, NC. This tour is in support of their recent album, "Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State," which was released in June 2025. This headlining North American tour ran from February 27th to March 12th with opening support from Rivers of Nihil and immediately followed their North American tour as support for Opeth that ran from February 5th to February 25th.
RIVERS OF NIHIL
Rivers of Nihil is a progressive death metal band based out of Reading, PA. It seems as though they have been touring consistently since their 2018 release of "Where Owls Know My Name." That album really put them on the map, and all of their work since then has been phenomenal as well. I personally was excited to see them perform again, because they are never disappointing to see live. Their set was a good mix of highlights from the releases over the past 8 years. The set included songs such as "Rivers of Nihil," "The Silent Life," "The Void From Which No Sound Escapes," and "House of Light," and they topped off their set with "Where Owls Know My Name." Their most recent self-titled album was released in June 2025, so I was hoping to see some new material played and was not disappointed at all.
I will always recommend seeing Rivers of Nihil perform to any avid progressive metal listener. Their performances are always accurate and precise! Their current lineup seems really tight, and it's like they mesh well together. Drummer Jared Klein is a personal favorite drummer of mine, and he always crushes his performances. Vocalist and bassist Adam Biggs has really taken well to doing vocals while playing and has dialed in a perfect sound and energy. Guitarists Brody Uttley and Andy Thomas mesh wonderfully together as well. You really can't go wrong with seeing Rivers of Nihil live. They have a fantastic vibe, and it never gets old, especially when they bring Patrick "Patty" Corona on tour with them to play saxophone. That really adds so much atmosphere to the live experience and music. It was fun seeing him come out on stage several times throughout the set and to hear him even improvise a few bits on some of the songs! My only complaint is that the set seemed a bit short considering this bill was only Rivers of Nihil and Katatonia. I did drive 3 hours to see this show and was hoping it would have been a little bit longer, but overall I enjoyed the set and their performance!
KATATONIA
Katatonia is a progressive death metal band based out of Stockholm, Sweden. They originally formed in 1991 with more of a doom/death metal sound but evolved to more of a progressive death metal sound over the years. I have listened to Katatonia for many years, but this was the first time I was able to see them perform! I wasn't really sure what to expect from their performance, as I don't personally know anyone else who has seen them perform live before either. They hopped on stage at 9:15pm and started off their set with "Thrice," "Soil's Song," and "The Liquid Eye." They had moody, atmospheric lighting to match the tone of their performance. Seeing them perform was definitely an experience!
I wish I could have seen the whole set; however, the venue implemented a new rule where photographers have to bring their gear back to their cars after they shoot the first three songs. Unfortunately, The Wonder Years were playing at the venue next door, and their show had started an hour before the Katatonia show, so I had to park pretty far away. I feel like I spent most of the set walking to and from my car just to put my gear away, which really took away my ability to become fully immersed in the experience that Katatonia was offering. From what I did see performed, it seemed like it was a mesmerizing performance! The crowd seemed to be entranced in the music.
I was expecting them to primarily play songs off of their recent album, "Nightmares As Extensions of the Waking State," but they only played a few from it! The set included a lot of songs from their previous albums, such as "Nephilim," "July," "Dead Letters," "Lethean," "No Beacon to Illuminate Our Fall," "Rein," and "Old Heart Falls." The set was lengthy, lasting about an hour and a half, but it didn't feel like it was long at all when watching and becoming fully immersed in the music. Katatonia finished the night with an encore of "Forsaker." I would definitely love to see them perform again!
Katatonia's North American tour is now over, but it seems as though they will be taking it to Latin America and will be there from March 15th until March 21st. They will also be traveling to New Zealand and Australia this upcoming fall.
