There is nothing left of the death metal roots and the growl singing that could still be heard on their 1993 debut "Dance Of December Souls". One can compare the evolution of Katatonia with that of her compatriots Opeth. In 2003 they had their commercial breakthrough with "Viva Emptiness". Creative stagnation has always been a foreign word for the band from Stockholm, which is why they don't shy away from experiments like on the last recording "Dethroned & Uncrowned". On the current album "Fall Of Hearts" a warmer sound has surprisingly crept in. Singer Jonas Renkse and guitarist Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström tell us how this happened.
eclipsed: "The Fall Of Hearts" sounds more concentrated than your last album. A conscious effect?
Differently "Blakkheim" Nyström: With every album you try to get the best out of yourself and I think that we succeeded very well with "The Fall Of Hearts". With the new disc we didn't want to immerse ourselves too deeply in modern technology, but to incorporate a kind of retro sound. Of course you can't completely do without the modern tools, but we wanted to use them in such a way that the disc doesn't sound sterile.
Jonas Renkse: I can only agree with that. Nowadays too many albums suffer from this cold sound and the soul of the music gets lost. I am sure that many records would sound better with a more earthy production.
eclipsed: What is the most beautiful moment during the recording process?
Nyström: Clearly when the product is ready. It's a hard piece of work, and we always give one hundred percent, so at the end of the day you can get a little tired. But what I particularly liked, yes, even overwhelmed me was when I heard the drums, I just thought: Wow, what a sound! This has taken our music into a whole new dimension.
eclipsed: "The Fall Of Hearts" sounds very nostalgic. Are you nostalgic?
Nyström: Basically we are all nostalgic, we just don't admit it. We like to look into the past. This starts with my music, I love music of the sixties and seventies, and of course this is reflected in our music.
