Back gigging in may playing Night is the New Day in full.
(https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/52578891_10157042094544907_4768651095817846784_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=44d0fbaadb2f44e75f429b83a18f1b21&oe=5CEAE1F1)
Would love to see them again. Overdrive have said they're announcing a band doing three Irish dates in May. Really hoping it's them!!
One band id love see do an old school set,even a mid period set would be unreal.A set made up of material from Discouraged ones to Viva Emptiness would do me.
Class , with only one date in the UK the chances of three shows here are unlikely
Quote from: Paul keohane on February 20, 2019, 08:37:10 PM
One band id love see do an old school set,even a mid period set would be unreal.A set made up of material from Discouraged ones to Viva Emptiness would do me.
Didn't they do the mid period set in London,last fair deal gone night?A brilliant gig if you haven't seen it.
Shame it doesn't look like we'll be getting a date, Night is the New Day flows very well from track to track, should make for a great show. Have yet to see these guys live.
The vinyl 10th anniversary edition they're releasing looks pretty nice too
Quote. Have yet to see these guys live.
Tut tut, they've only been here 6 times! :laugh:
To be fair they only popped up on my radar in the last 6 months, looking forward to getting a chance to see how they come across live
Really enjoying the variety of different genres they've touched on, always nice to find a band that's not afraid to develop and evolve a bit!
I'm heading over to this with the missus, looking forward to it.
Handy the London gig is on a Saturday night
From their Facebook:
Quote"Anders Nyström and I are going our separate ways. A decision not taken lightly, but for everyone to thrive and move forward with their own creative preferences as well as personal schedules this has become the realistic option. Anders and I started the band in 1991 and his impact on the band's trademark sound is undeniable. As bleak as this sounds, and is, it's further evidence of life getting in the way of our preferred plans. I wish Anders all the best for the future."
Jonas Renkse
I wonder what that will mean for their sound going forward, will they become even more mainstream? I always got the impression that Renske was the one pushing them in that direction.
No surprise but wonder why it took them so long to announce they had parted ways,Blackheim played an important part in the early years that gave Katatonia that unique sound and their best work.
The later Katatonia albums sounded more influenced by Renske.
First five is all I need with Katatonia, tried a good few of their later albums and they do nothing for me. One of the dullest live bands I've ever seen too
I only saw them once, the double headliner with In The Woods in Charlie's about 30 years ago. They were fantastic on the night but I don't think Renkse even played, he was too pissed to go on or something to that effect. Did he sleep under the stage?
I was less than sober on the night myself so the details escape me but I remember them being mighty.
I haven't listened to them for years but that Cure sounding period was alright. Totally different prospect to the band as they were in their heyday, obviously.
Haven't been interested in anything they've released in a long time now, think the last genuine one for me was Great Cold Distance. It was an amazing creative journey up until then. They're a crap live act, though I thought that was charming the first few times I seen them. The last time or two it became more irksome because the sets do be surprise free with feck all stuff from the albums I do enjoy.
Sky Void of Stars is a good album, I thought they were good in Dolans last time
Discouraged Ones and Brave Murder Day would fairly be enough for me. Last one I thought had anything going for it was The Great Cold Distance
Not sure I would be purchasing a new Katatonia, unless the reviews were stellar. At least an 8 on the Thornoneter.
Can't see it somehow :laugh:
"Sad but true.
The time has come for me to confirm that the roads ahead Jonas and I have chosen for both Katatonia and ourselves have grown too wide and far apart, and as a result, our long-term collaboration has drawn to a close.
With him and I being the duo that founded Katatonia almost 35 years ago, and owing to the fact that we managed to take our mission this far, it's inevitable that our band's legacy will continue to play a huge role for both of us and always live on, albeit in a different light either captured by our past, future or the many chapters in between.
To each our own, we may all have our own preferences and different levels of appreciation for either the early, mid or later Katatonia eras, but it seems like any willingness to embrace them all, in order to honor our history through live activities, has unfortunately failed to sustain. Needless to say, I still love ALL our albums, but with the early stuff being neglected for so many years, a feeling of having "unfinished business" with a style that goes far back to our roots has just grown stronger and stronger. I can't help feeling adamant that songs from our early-mid discography deserve to be equally acknowledged and likewise targeted for our live show repertoire, the essential medium where the past should always be alive! Unfortunately, that door has been kept shut and left everything we did pre-millennium in a void.
Avowed, with one of us gone, Katatonia could and should have been mutually laid to rest while exploiting the freedom to continue in any desirable direction under a new name. But with Jonas now regrouping with new members and navigating further in his own direction, I no longer need to wait and see which way the wind is blowing to enter that void and grab hold of what's been abandonded. After all, Katatonia's legacy is resting on both ends of the timeline.
Come what may, I'd like to thank Jonas and the rest of my ex-colleagues for the incredible ride we shared through four compelling decades.
Blessed be!"
Anders 'Blakkheim' Nyström
It was a sin that they ignored all those great 90s releases once they had their Anathema moment alright. They should have split years ago, or changed name or something and good for him for finally bailing out. Would be great if he played the old stuff live somehow - and even the mid-era stuff has a lot of quality in it.
Sounds like he's planning to tour the early stuff which would be fantastic and long overdue
Wonder if he'll resurrect Diabolical Masquerade too?
Would be there with bells on if he tours the early material!.
Brave Murder Day is one of my favourite albums, and I'd have the Sounds of decay up there with one of the best EPs ever.
Anything up to ,and including Viva Emptiness is good with me.
Quote from: Floss on March 18, 2025, 01:41:03 PMIt was a sin that they ignored all those great 90s releases once they had their Anathema moment alright. They should have split years ago, or changed name or something and good for him for finally bailing out. Would be great if he played the old stuff live somehow - and even the mid-era stuff has a lot of quality in it.
Yeap I wonder did they split in 2017 but Renske got the naming rights and has continued?
Its a pity how it ended as the new stuff isnt half as god as the early stuff.
.
Ya here's hoping he tours the old stuff, that'd be great to see, everything up to VE is pretty great (after that they're interchangeable for me). I saw an interview with him a while back where he didn't 100% close the door to another Diab Masq album so it'd be great if he did that (but it'd have to involve Swano too i think)...
New track and new album out in the summer.
Both the artwork and song seem ai generated
Hmm, I like the lead early on and the swirly guitar motif on the chorus, it's not bad...I think at this stage Jonas' vocals ,good as they are, tend to bring a degree of homogeneity to the songs. I'm still on board though and will be buying.
Sounds like Porcupine Tree to me, and grand but not particularly exciting at that. Is this similar to what their most recent albums are like? I think Fall of Hearts is the last one I listened to, but I don't really recall it.
Yeah, they're pretty interchangeable. Porcupine Tree is a good reference indeed. Can see why Anders bailed.
QuoteI think Fall of Hearts is the last one I listened to, but I don't really recall it.
You've only missed one - Sky Void of Stars if that one was the last you listened to. Personally I think everything since Great Cold has been crap. The music's complexity may have increased but with the monotonous vocals it all sounds the same. These guys used to be one of my favourite bands but I'd be far more interested in what Anders comes up with next.
Quote from: Pagan Saviour on April 09, 2025, 07:09:09 AMQuoteI think Fall of Hearts is the last one I listened to, but I don't really recall it.
You've only missed one - Sky Void of Stars if that one was the last you listened to. Personally I think everything since Great Cold has been crap. The music's complexity may have increased but with the monotonous vocals it all sounds the same. These guys used to be one of my favourite bands but I'd be far more interested in what Anders comes up with next.
"City Burials" was after fall of hearts.
Bizarre. Very chaotic time signatures and hard to wrap the head around what's happening which is just about the opposite of what I expected from them having not heard anything they have released in twenty years. It has the expected laconic vocal delivery on top but the music is almost djenty. Though also sort of chilled sounding. Dunno what to make of it but maybe it's worth another listen.
By the way, when I say djent it is my shorthand for "wha?"
Forgot about City Burials which says it all really.
Follow up statement from Blackheim.
https://bravewords.com/news/guitarist-anders-blakkheim-nystrom-i-will-never-part-ways-with-my-legacy-within-katatonia-which-follows-my-soul-beyond-the-grave/?amp=1 (https://bravewords.com/news/guitarist-anders-blakkheim-nystrom-i-will-never-part-ways-with-my-legacy-within-katatonia-which-follows-my-soul-beyond-the-grave/?amp=1)
Cool, sounds like we will get an old school tour from him at some point.
A bit lousy he won't be able to use the band name.
I wonder could he persuade a few heavy hitters to fall in and do a tour?, Swano,Akerfeldt?.The Norrman brothers surely in the mix.
Not too bothered about the name and would go see that in a heartbeat over Katatonia who are soulless live these days.
I'm going to a festival with them playing in July so have been delving into their stuff as I've only really listened to DODS and BMD. I know they got more melodic but it is not what I was expecting at all, not sure what to think actually, the late 90's stuff is pretty good/typical of the sort of goth metal route PL, Anathema etc went down.
But then checked out the early 2000's stuff...was this well received at the time? I had Viva Emptiness on earlier, there's some decent riffs but there's an almost nu-metal buzz off it that sort of has me questioning it, definitely a big Tool influence there as well. Oh and the lyrics are awful "he went too far the fucker, it's not like I owe him money, this is different" should not be uttered in a song once never mind as a recurring pre-chorus :laugh:.
Viva was definitely well received from what I can remember!.After this is when their sound became very sterile and polished.I check out after Viva tbh.
I was bet into it when it came out
Picked up a cheap copy of Nightmares last week — the price spoke to the completist in me. I can't state enough how awful it is. Toe-curling levels of cringe.
These guys used to be one of my favourite bands, but they're still mining the same formula. The stupid MIDI samples they unbelievably still use — quaint in the past — sound utterly ridiculous in 2026.
Take the track Efter Solen, for example; it wouldn't sound out of place at Eurovision. Everything is so soulless and sterile, really missing Nystrom, even on poorer latterday records some of his playing/writing would shine here and there.
I checked out a recent setlist, the earliest they go from now is Great Cold difference. Horrific.
Yeah I'd have no interest in seeing them live anymore as that last time I saw them in limerick wasn't great and he also said he wouldn't be playing any old or mid era stuff live anymore..