KATATONIA
City Burials (Mediabook CD)

Katatonia - captured during the band's 2020 lockdown session - perform an extensive 88-minute set of fan favourites spanning two decades of material. 

Limited 2CD/DVD set.

2020 saw Katatonia present its eleventh studio opus - the poignant City Burials - to unanimous acclaim. Following closely in its footsteps, the Swedish dark rock masters present Dead Air to further immortalise these strangest of times. With a somewhat unforeseen global event transpiring this year which resulted in touring being made all but impossible for artists internationally, Katatonia conducted a more intimate “lockdown” show which was streamed live from Studio Grondahl, Stockholm on May 9th. 

Dead Air offers fans a full 88-minute set with inclusions spanning two decades of material, and debut performances of three City Burials’ album tracks. 

The tracklisting contains a very literal selection of fan favourites overall, having being voted for exclusively by the band’s worldwide fanbase, flawlessly flirting between earlier singles such as Metallic anthems My Twin and July, to the stirring emotional grandeur of new song, Lacquer. The recording, mixing and engineering work was orchestrated by David Castillo, notable for his extensive body of work with Katatonia to date, and the performance itself was professionally filmed by Blackbox Video. 

Nightmares have never sounded so beautiful! Swedish grandeurs of melancholic heaviness, KATATONIA, return with Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State, set for release on June 6, 2025 via Napalm Records. Once again, the Stockholm-based unit masterfully navigates the tightrope act between nocturnal darkness and Scandinavian despair while subtly weaving a sense of hope into the listener’s heart. Since emerging in the early nineties, KATATONIA has projected a beacon of light for the forgotten and the lonely ones, offering solace to those willing to lose themselves in the band’s immersive soundscapes. From their roots in death-doom metal to the post-metal entity they embody today, their art remains as haunting as ever. Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State marks the next step in KATATONIA’s evolution, building upon the foundation of their previous album, Sky Void of Stars (2023). Crystal-clear production highlights the interplay between silence and intensity, while the contrast of heavy riffs, delicate guitar harmonies, ethereal synthesizers, and atmospheric nuances create captivating tension. Tracks like ""Thrice"" and ""Warden"" pulse with dynamic energy, while ""Lilac"" sees Jonas Renkse’s unmistakable vocals intertwining with hypnotic rhythms and progressive elements. A near-ceremonial piece, ""Wind of No Change"", merges subtle electronic textures with KATATONIA’s enigmatic soundscapes, while ""Temporal"" balances fragility and strength - its intense verses culminating in a soaring, emotionally charged chorus. The breathtaking ""Efter Solen"" (Engl. After the Sun), featuring Swedish lyrics, evokes echoes of Jonas Eika’s 2018 short story collection, with minimalistic yet striking instrumentation.

Even after more than 30 years, KATATONIA continues to redefine the emotional spectrum of their genre, effortlessly shifting between haunting vulnerability and commanding artistry. With sonic landscapes that evoke dystopia, inner demons, purity, and beauty alike, Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State stands as a testament to their enduring brilliance. The album was produced by Jonas Renkse, recorded by Lawrence Mackrory at NBS Audio and The City of Glass, mixed by Adam Noble, and mastered by Robin Schmidt at 24-96 Mastering.

KATATONIA'S CLASSIC 1997 RELEASE OF TIMELESS DEATH/DOOM MELANCHOLY, FEATURING MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT ON VOCALS.

Katatonia was formed in 1991 by Anders Nystrom & Jonas Renkse. Their debut album, 'Dance Of December Souls', was released in 1993, gaining the band recognition for their eclectic brand of gothic doom/death metal & joining acts such as Paradise Lost & My Dying Bride as one of the genre's defining bands. On future albums a newer, sleeker Katatonia sound came to the fore, starting with a streamlined & structured collection of melodic dark rock songs that became third album 'Discouraged Ones'; widely regarded as the main evolution point for what eventually became modern day Katatonia.

In the wake of 1996's epic & sublime 'Brave Murder Day', which further established the Swedes as one of the leaders of melancholic metal, the 1997 EP 'Sounds Of Decay' continued with this masterful blend of sombre melodic & hypnotic death doom metal. 'Sounds Of Decay' was recorded at Stockholm's Sunlight Studios & notably featured Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals.

This edition of 'Sounds Of Decay' is presented on digipack CD format & includes the bonus track 'Untrue', which was not originally included on the 1997 release.