Tag: Anders Nystrom

Melancholic metal masters KATATONIA Unveil Second Single “Austerity” + Official Video

Spellbinding New Album, Sky Void of Stars, out January 20, 2023 via Napalm Records | Pre-Order HERE!

With eleven full-length records under their belts, Swedish melancholic metal masters KATATONIA don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Yet, it comes as no surprise that the band is about to impressively solidify their unique stance in the world of metal and beyond once more with their 12th album, the hauntingly beautiful Sky Void of Stars. 

Today, KATATONIA unveil the second single and Sky Void of Stars’ album opener “Austerity”, along with a visually palpable video. The heartfelt offeringcrashes through the dark with memorable, mind-bending rhythms as it shifts with elaborate guitar riffs that perfectly showcase the musical expertise and experience of the band. Topped off by the dark, conjuring voice of Jonas Renkse and mesmerizing lyricism, the gloomy mood for the album is set. The song is now available via all digital service providers worldwide. 

KATATONIA on “Austerity”:

“We hereby present you our new single and the opening track of Sky Void of Stars – ‘Austerity’. Energetic and dark, stern and disenchanted. Enjoy.” 

Watch the official video for “Austerity” :

“Melancholy at its best! Already one of the best Doom albums of 2023!“ (EMP) 

“Another heartfelt offensive by KATATONIA“ (Metal Hammer, DE)

“…Katatonia hit with highly energetic atmosphere, holding a gloomy ambience with epic sounds and poetic lyrics to get lost in.” (Prog Report)

Founded in 1991, KATATONIA have continually embraced the dark and the light alike, and, living through genre evolutions beyond compare, ripened their own particular form of expression. From doom and death metal to soul-gripping post rock, they’ve explored endless spheres of the genre, accumulating only the very best aspects.

Emerging from the gloom, KATATONIA is a beacon of light – breathing their unique, never stagnant, atmospheric sound through this new 11-track offering, all written and composed by vocalist Jonas Renkse. Significantly shaping the genre while still staying true to their own musical values, they orbit the musical universe – leaving their imprints on the scene. Projecting their sound to the endless realms, Sky Void of Stars shines bright in metal and beyond! 

KATATONIA on the new album, Sky Void of Stars:

“Our 12th album, Sky Void of Stars, is a dynamic journey through vibrant darkness. Born out of yearning for what was lost and not found, the very peripheries of the unreachable, but composed and condensed into human form and presented as sounds and words true to the KATATONIA signum. No stars here, just violent rain.” 

Pre-Order Sky Void of Stars HERE:

KATATONIA is one of a kind in a state of perpetual evolution. With their previously released first single, “Atrium”, KATATONIA hit with a highly energetic atmosphere, holding a gloomy ambience with epic sounds and poetic lyrics to get lost in. Songs like down- tempo “Opaline” and moody “Drab Moon” fully embrace their melancholic sound while fragile “Impermanence” is accented by the original doom metal roots of the band. Like a dark star, these pieces relume the dreariness, creating an ambient auditory experience with memorable hooks while still inducing the crashing sounds of hard guitar riffs and pounding drums. The experimental mastery of the quintet and their atmospheric approach is purely vivid, making this album a thrilling sensation. With “Birds”, the artists show off their explosive potential with a quick and energetic sound, proving their genre-defying style.

Sky Void of Stars track listing:

1    Austerity

2    Colossal Shade

3    Opaline

4    Birds

5    Drab Moon

6    Author

7    Impermanence (feat. Joel Ekelöf)

8    Sclera

9    Atrium

10  No Beacon To Illuminate Our Fall

11  Absconder (Bonus Track)

Sky Void of Stars is now available for pre-order in the following configurations here:

Ltd. Deluxe Wooden Box (incl. Mediabook + Digipack Atmos Mix BluRay + Crow Pendant + Star Chart Artprint + Pin) – Napalm Records exclusive

Die Hard Edition 2LP Gatefold Ink Spot / FOREST GREEN (incl. Slipmat, Patch, 12 pages poster) – Napalm Records exclusive – SOLD OUT!

2LP Gatefold DARK GREEN – Napalm Records exclusive – SOLD OUT!

2LP Gatefold MARBLED TRANSPARENT/DARK GREEN – OMerch exclusive

2LP Gatefold MARBLED CRYSTAL CLEAR/BLACK –  OMerch exclusive

2LP Gatefold BLACK

1CD Ltd Mediabook (incl. Bonus Track)

1CD Jewelcase

Digital Album

[Ltd. Deluxe Wooden Box (incl. Mediabook + Digipack Atmos Mix BluRay + Crow Pendant + Star Chart Artprint + Pin)]

Experience KATATONIA Live 2022/23 

2022 North American Tour

w/ The Ocean Collective and Cellar Darling

02.12.22 – Los Angeles, CA / 1720

03.12.22 – San Diego, CA / Brick by Brick

04.12.22 – Mesa, AZ / Nile Theater

06.12.22 – Austin, TX / Come and Take It Live (+Soen as direct support)

07.12.22 – Dallas, TX / Amplified Live (+Soen as direct support)

09.12.22 – Atlanta, GA / Hell at The Masquerade

10.12.22 – Tampa, FL / The Orpheum 

2023 UK & Europe Tour

w/ Sólstafir and SOM

20.01.23 FI – Tampere / Tampereen Tullikamari (Pakkahuone & Klubi)

21.01.23 FI – Helsinki / Kulttuuritalo

22.01.23 EE – Tallinn / Helitehas

24.01.23 PL – Warsaw / Klub Stodoła

25.01.23 DE – Berlin / Huxleys Neue Welt

26.01.23 DE – Cologne / Essigfabrik

27.01.23 DE – Stuttgart / LKA Longhorn

28.01.23 CZ – Prague / ROXY Prague

29.01.23 AT – Vienna / Arena Wien

31.01.23 HU – Budapest / Akvárium Klub

01.02.23 DE – Munich / Backstage Werk

02.02.23 CH – Zurich / Komplex 457

03.02.23 IT – Milan / Live Club

04.02.23 FR – Lyon / Ninkasi GERLAND

06.02.23 ES – Madrid / Kapital

07.02.23 ES – Barcelona / La Salamandra

08.02.23 FR – Toulouse / Le Metronum

10.02.23 GB – London / O2 Forum Kentish Town

11.02.23 GB – Manchester / O2 Ritz Manchester

12.02.23 GB – Bristol / Marble Factory

13.02.23 GB – Glasgow / The Garage

14.02.23 GB – Wolverhampton / KK’s Steel Mill

16.02.23 DE – Frankfurt Am Main / Batschkapp

17.02.23 NL – Haarlem / Patronaat

19.02.23 FR – Paris / Le Trianon

20.02.23 LU – Luxemburg / Rockhal

21.02.23 BE – Antwerp / Muziekcentrum Trix

22.02.23 DE – Hamburg / Gruenspan

23.02.23 DK – Copenhagen / Amager Bio

24.02.23 NO – Oslo / Rockefeller Music Hall

25.02.23 SE – Stockholm / Fryshuset Arenan

KATATONIA – 2023 Latin American Tour

17.03.23 MX – Guadalajara / C3 Stage

18.03.23 MX – Monterrey / Cafe Iguana

19.03.23 MX –  Mexico City / Cafe Auditorio

22.03.23 CH – Santiago / Club Chocolate

24.03.23 AR – Buenos Aires / El Teatrito

25.03.23 BR – Sao Paulo / Carioca Club

KATATONIA are:

Jonas Renske – Vocals

Anders Nyström – Guitars

Roger Öjersson – Guitars

Niklas Sandin – Bass

Daniel Moilanen – Drums

KATATONIA RELEASE DETAILS OF “CITY BURIALS” & PREMIERE DEBUT TRACK “LACQUER”

THE NEW STUDIO ALBUM, AN OPUS OF ABSORBING, SOARING PROGRESSIVE ROCK & METICULOUSLY CRAFTED DOSES OF MELANCHOLY – RELEASED ON PEACEVILLE ON 24TH APRIL 

“In days and nights of black and silver, the dead end king will come. From pieces of broken mirrors there will be a crown bestowed upon his head. In reflections of shattered glass not only the seasons will turn, but also the change disguised by the lapse of time. His mind will have to come to bear the weight of everything that was left behind and forgotten. Archiving the inaccessible. Celebrating the abandoned and mourning the destroyed. The city burials.” Anders Nyström 

Katatonia, formed in 1991 by Jonas Renkse & Anders Nyström, and transitioning from early pioneers of the rising black/death/doom movement, to powerhouses of the progressive metallic rock genre. Surprising their legions of admirers by taking an unexpected break, following the conclusion of their 2016 haunting The Fall Of Hearts albumtour cycle. Joyously, 2020 brings the news that they are not only back, but newly armed with arguably their finest album to date, the enormously vivid and powerful City Burials.

With the winds of a new direction steering the band on their latest journey, City Burials stands as Katatonia’s new triumph of deep & enigmatic progressive rock – the fruits of a rejuvenating and profound chapter in the band’s legacy; a catalyst for its creators, with a collection of moments constructed out of the fragments of an ever-evolving life. Compiled into one of their most important modern works and statements to date, the finely-honed instrumentation provides a multi-textured backdrop with the voice of Jonas Renkse guiding us through these latest trials of loss and ruin. 

The proof of Jonas and Anders’ enduring artistic bond is displayed throughout City Burials absorbing 58 minutes of meticulously crafted melodies and inspired, idiosyncratic arrangements.  From the spine-tingling dynamics of opener “Heart Set To Divide” through and the simmering menace of “Lacquer” to the wildly evocative sorrow-scapes of “City Glaciers” and the exquisitely delicate “Vanishers” (featuring a guest vocal from Anni Bernhard, of Stockholm art rockers Full Of Keys) Katatonia’s eleventh studio album is a showcase for a partnership that was magical from the very start.

Inspired by an injection of fresh blood into Katatonia’s creative brew, with their most recent recruit, guitarist Roger Öjersson, whose contributions have been extremely significant, City Burials is an album that sees the band reclaim part of their heavy metal roots, via several moments of exuberant, old school classicism, deftly woven into these new songs’ kaleidoscopic fabric. Although songs like “Behind The Blood” and “Rein” are as heart-rending and immersive as any in Katatonia’s illustrious catalogue.

The result is an album that looks certain to push the band ever further into the spotlight. With grand plans for extensive touring around the world in support of their latest and perhaps greatest album, Katatonia are wringing fresh hope from life’s gloom-sodden tapestry.

City Burialswas produced by Nyström/Renkse and recorded at Soundtrade Studios, Tri-Lamb Studios & The City Of Glass, throughout October & November 2019, with engineering work handled by Karl Daniel Lidén and mixing and mastering from Jacob Hansen, who states “Once in a while you end up working with artists that are special, and that particular session being something you’ll remember forever. This session is one of them, and only for good things! Proud to say I mixed and mastered the new Katatonia album”.

City Burials also sees the return to the Katatonia fold ofAnders Eriksson (Frank Default) beloved for his keyboard contributions to Night Is The New Day, Dead End Kings and various remixes.

Artwork appears courtesy of Lasse Hoile, the image itself representing the ongoing era of the Dead End King.

City Burials Tracklisting  

1 Heart Set To Divide [05:29] 

2 Behind The Blood [04:37] 

3 Lacquer [04:42] 

4 Rein [04:21] 

5 The Winter Of Our Passing [03:18] 

6 Vanishers [04:56] 

7 City Glaciers [05:30] 

8 Flicker [04:45]

9 Lachesis [01:54] 

10 Neon Epitaph [04:32] 

11 Untrodden [04:29] 

Bonus Tracks available on various formats 

12 Closing Of The Sky [05:26] 

13 Fighters [03:37]

City Burials will be released on CD, deluxe mediabook CD with bonus tracks, black and coloured vinyl LPs with bonus track and digitally (Digital pre-orders receive “Lacquer” as an instant download) . Pre-orders available HERE  

Look out for news on exclusive European ‘City Burials’ launch show and album bundle coming soon!

KATATONIA LIVE

Katatonia will be appearing at various festivals in 2020 with details of headline tours coming soon.

Jan 31– Turkey Izmir, Arena

Feb 01 – Turkey – Ankara, Milyon Performance Hall 

Feb 02 – Turkey – Istanbul, IF Performance Hall

Feb 28 – Greece – Gagarin 205, Athens (NITND show)

Mar 14 – MEX – Heaven & Hell Festival (https://hellandheavenfest.com/lineup/)

Mar 20-21 – NL – Prognosis Festival, Eindhoven ****

Apr 11- DE – Munich, Backstage – Dark Easter Metal Meeting (http://mrw-concerts.de/dark-easter-metal-meeting/)

May 16 – Austria – Vienna Metal Meeting 2020 (https://www.viennametalmeeting.com/?lang=en)

Jun 10 -11 – Poland – Mystic Festival, Krakow (https://www.mysticfestival.pl/en)

Jun 13 -14 – Romania, Bucharest, Maximum Rock Festival (https://www.facebook.com/Maximum-Rock-Festival-132903160204572/)

July 16-18 – Finland, John Smith Festival, Peurunka, Laukkaa (https://johnsmith.fi/esiintyjat/)

Aug 5-8 – CZ – Brutal Assault Festival, Fortress Josefov (https://brutalassault.cz/en)

Aug -5-8 – DE – Party San (https://www.party-san.de/en/bands-2020)

Aug 7-9 – BE, Alcatraz Festival, Kortrijk (https://www.alcatraz.be/en/index)

Aug 14-16 – US, Las Vegas – Psycho Fest (https://www.vivapsycho.com/)

**** Prognosis Festival – will be a Katatonia by request set – vote for your favourite song to be included here (voting closes 21st February)

Katatonia are:

Jonas Renkse – vocals

Anders Nyström – guitar

Niklas Sandin – bass

Daniel Moilanen – drums

Roger Öjersson – guitar

KATATONIA TO RELEASE 10TH ANNIVERSARY 4 DISC DELUXE EDITION OF ‘THE GREAT COLD DISTANCE’

katatonia-the-great-cold-distance

‘A winding trawl through myriad dark moods, at times supremely heavy, at others barely whispered, but always swathed in their own unique brand of somber atmospherics’ – 4/5 – Kerrang

‘Absolutely astonishing’ – 9/10 – Rock Sound

‘Make no mistake – this is a great album’ – Terrorizer

Hailed as one of the leaders of the death-doom genre alongside My Dying Bride & Paradise Lost, Sweden’s Katatonia have spent the last 25 years ever changing and evolving to become the much loved purveyors of dark progressive rock/metal we know today.

This year marks not only the band’s 25th anniversary but also 10 years since the release of their Peaceville album ‘The Great Cold Distance’.  Now the band is set to re-issue this classic album on special edition CD and vinyl. Founding guitarist Anders Nyström comments:

“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’, so in the light of its 10th anniversary this year, it’s with much pride and joy to announce the ultimate edition featuring all the scattered bits and pieces related to this album. “

Originally released in 2006, The Great Cold Distance, Katatonia’s seventh studio album, was recorded and mixed at Fascination Street, Örebro Sweden, produced by Nyström/Renkse on and co-produced, mixed & engineered by Jens Bogren & David Castillo. The album featured 3 singles, now classic Katatonia songs – “My Twin”, “July” and “Deliberation”. Vocalist Jonas Renkse, at the time of the album’s release stated: “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.”

The new 4 disc deluxe hardback 40 page book edition of the album, to be released on 20th January 2017, will include 3 bonus discs featuring b-sides and bonus songs, a new 5.1 remix of the album by Bruce Soord (Wisdom Of Crowds) and a live album of Katatonia playing ‘The Great Cold Distance’ in its entirety with the renowned Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria, performed in September 2016. The design of this essential 10th anniversary edition has once again been taken care of by long time collaborator Travis Smith.

The double gatefold LP version of the original album is set for release on 9th December, and includes the b-sides & bonus songs. Both the black vinyl and limited edition red vinyl versions are available to pre-order now:

PRE-ORDER LINKS:

4 disc deluxe hardback book: https://www.burningshed.com/store/peaceville/product/241/8087/

2 LP gatefold: https://www.burningshed.com/store/peaceville/product/241/8086/

Ltd edition 2 LP gatefold on red vinyl (available exclusively through the Peaceville webstore & Omerch) – https://www.burningshed.com/store/peaceville/product/241/8085/ / http://www.omerch.eu/shop/katatonia/

Friday 21st October, at London’s 02 Shepherds Bush Empire, Katatonia will play their biggest UK headline show to date which will feature a very special 2 set performance.

One set will see Katatonia perform ‘The Great Cold Distance’ in its entirety.

The other set will feature a wide selection of tracks panning the band’s 25 year including most recent album ‘The Fall Of Hearts’. Support comes from Agent Fresco & VOLA.

Tickets are on sale now – www.myticket.co.uk and www.seetickets.com

Katatonia are currently on tour in Europe with their Fallen Hearts Of Europe tour before heading to Australia for headline shows in December.

https://www.facebook.com/katatonia

www.katatonia.com

http://www.omerch.eu/shop/katatonia/

(Featured image by Therés Stephansdotter Björk)

Review – Katatonia – The Fall Of Hearts – by Shawn Dudley

katatonia-fall-of-hearts-medium-res-cover

When 2016 draws to a close and I begin compiling my “best of the year list” one album that is definitely going to be near the top is ‘The Fall Of Hearts’, the quietly brilliant 10th album from Katatonia.  It’s the “sleeper hit” of the year in my opinion.  It’s not the most flamboyant release; it’s not aggressively pushing boundaries or showing off how technically proficient the band members are at every opportunity.  Instead it’s an album of subtle nuance and variation, the sound of a band perfectly comfortable in their own skin continuing to evolve and improve along their already distinctive path.

‘The Fall Of Hearts’ is the first album of new studio material in 4 years and also marks the debut of a couple new members to the fold; guitarist Roger Ojersson and drummer Daniel Moilanen (who really makes his presence felt in the arrangements).  In the intervening years since 2012’s ‘Dead End Kings’ the band has been focusing on stripping down their sound, first via the remix album ‘Dethroned & Uncrowned’ and secondly their live acoustic concert recording ‘Sanctitude’.  The lessons learned from this approach have carried over to the new album, adding subtlety and space to the arrangements and allowing the new compositions to really breathe and flow.  Katatonia’s compositions in the past were often more straight-ahead than others within the Prog Metal field, being primarily based off a standard verse-chorus-verse structure.   ‘The Fall Of Hearts’ offers a much more impressionistic approach, the more fluid nature of the arrangements really showing off Jonas Renkse’s gorgeous melodies to greater and more dramatic effect.

live-alessandra-tolc

(Photo by Alessandra Tolc)

Opening track Takeover is an excellent demonstration of how this new approach has been applied.  The song starts abruptly without an intro, immediately dropping you into its melancholic setting.  The rhythmic thrust of the song is understated, dreamlike; it creates the subtle impression of floating.  This feeling remains even once the heavier guitars come into play around the 1-minute mark.  There is something very “painterly” about the feel of this piece; it’s elusive, ethereal, like watercolors in varying shades of gray.  It’s simultaneously lovely and haunting, the metallic elements used effectively to create a subdued feeling of menace lurking just below the surface.  It’s a stunning beginning to the album and invites the listener to abandon their preconceived ideas and just let go, just experience it.

The unique feeling also presents itself on the more direct, mainstream songs on the album.  The singles Serein and Old Hearts Fall are deceptively accessible, the melodies so inviting that the listener might not even notice that the underlying arrangement is still quite complex and unexpected.  That is not an easy balance to strike for any band, especially in the Prog Metal genre, which is not exactly well renowned for subtlety.  Yet even the heavier compositions on the album never lapse into the expected clichés, they never get as militaristic or bombastic as you expect them to. The heavy riffs are applied with the same level of care and precision as the more melodic sections.

logo

(Photo by Sebastian Dominguez)

Katatonia is often mentioned along with Opeth when the discussion of Swedish Prog Metal comes up.  Jonas Renkse and Mikael Akerfeldt were roommates in the late 90s and remain best friends to this day.  Mikael also contributed the harsh vocals to their classic early death-doom album ‘Brave Murder Day’.  While there are similarities (especially in the approach to ballads) overall Opeth is a lot more extroverted in their approach and cover a lot more stylistic ground.   There is an undeniable kinship between them however, which presents itself in a few occasions on ‘The Fall Of Hearts’.  The beautiful acoustic-driven ballads Decima and Pale Flag show an affinity with Opeth’s ‘Damnation’ album and one of the albums heaviest tracks is Serac, which wouldn’t sound out of place on ‘Watershed’.  But in reality the main thing these bands have in common is they both have very distinct, identifiable personalities and they are both led by very gifted singer/songwriters.

‘The Fall Of Hearts’ is a long album (67 minutes not counting bonus tracks) and thus takes a little while to fully reveal itself, but it’s such a rewarding experience that the effort is more than repaid.  I’m partial to the second half of the album, which gets a little darker, heavier and more complex yet never loses the melody and accessibility.  The light/heavy dynamic is used to great effect on tracks like Last Song Before The Fade (my personal favorite), The Night Subscriber and the uncharacteristically extroverted Passer, which allows new guitarist Roger Ojersson a turn in the spotlight.  It also features Shifts, one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs I’ve heard this year in any genre.

While there are many albums from 2016 that have gotten more hype and publicity than ‘The Fall Of Hearts’, I’m not sure if many of them attain the artistic cohesiveness that Katatonia has achieved here.  This album took me completely by surprise, slowly worked its magic on me over the course of several months until it became indispensible.  Now hardly a day goes by where it doesn’t end up in my stereo at some point, still methodically revealing its charms, becoming ever more rewarding with each listen.  The very definition of a “sleeper hit”.

Released May 20th 2016

Buy The Fall Of Hearts direct from the band