Katatonia, the Swedish purveyors of dark progressive rock/metal, have released more details of their eagerly awaited 10th studio album – The Fall of Hearts is released today through their long-time home of Peaceville Records.
The official follow-up to 2012’s acclaimed Dead End Kings was recorded at Stockholm’s Studio Gröndahl & Tri-lamb Studio, and was self-produced by Anders Nyström & Jonas Renkse. Mixing and mastering duties were carried out by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Ihsahn, Devin Townsend) at Fascination Street Studios, with Karl Daniel Lidén (Switchblade, The Ocean, Greenleaf) brought in as engineer. With the dramatic yet desolate artwork created by long time Katatonia designer and illustrator Travis Smith.
Katatonia have spent the past four years since the release of Dead End Kings touring the world, as well as expanding their fanbase through two special albums on Kscope, the sister label of Peaceville. 2013 saw the release of Dethroned & Uncrowned which exploded the core of the songs on Dead End Kings creating new moods and textures. In 2015, they released the live acoustic album and concert film, Sanctitude. Both releases illustrate the band’s journey toward this, their current more progressive sound.
Anders Nyström “we’re proud to even have accomplished a tenth album. With that now in the bag, we’re pleased to see where it has taken us musically. We knew we had to come up with a great follow-up to Dead End Kings as we never considered Dethroned & Uncrowned to be our last album, but nevertheless that album also played a leading role in where we could potentially take our sound.”
The Fall of Hearts is an immersive and frequently disarming journey through the bleakest of metaphysical winters, but your guides through the fog have just enough hope in their hearts to ensure that the experience is both hugely enriching and quite unlike anything else the world has to offer. Mankind’s inevitable demise may be looming ahead, but Katatonia continue to wring life-giving drops of hope from the fabric of our collective downfall.
The Fall of Hearts is the first record to feature new drummer Daniel ’Mojjo’ Moilanen and with the addition of their recently recruited guitarist Roger Öjersson (Tiamat), who came in just in time to sprinkle some blistering solos on the album, guitarist Anders Nyström commented on the addition of Roger Öjersson: “We’re delighted to welcome our neighbour Roger, a true multi-musician extraordinaire, into our spiraling ways of darkness. Currently with this five-piece, there’s nothing hold back or limiting Katatonia’s potential, neither in the studio nor on stage. Our ever growing ambition may now begin to manifest our vision.”
Katatonia will continue to push their musical boundaries beyond their roots in the metal scene while drawing in new fans from across the musical spectrum like peers such as Opeth and Anathema have also done, cementing Katatonia’s place as one of the most revered and cherished of all bands in the world of modern heavy music.
The Fall Of Hearts tracklist:
Takeover [07:09]
Serein [04:46]
Old Heart Falls [04:22]
Decima [04:46]
Sanction [05:07]
Residual [06:54]
Serac [07:25]
Last Song Before The Fade [05:01]
Shifts [04:54]
The Night Subscriber [06:10]
Pale Flag [04:23]
Passer [06:25]
Bonus Tracks:
Vakaren [04:54] (CD/DVD & Deluxe Edition)
Sistere [04:11] (LP & Deluxe Edition)
Wide Awake In Quietus [04:59] (feat. guest guitarist Gregor MacKintosh) ( (Digital & Deluxe Edition)
The Fall Of Hearts will be released on the following formats :
Deluxe 12” hardbook featuring:
- 30+ page artwork book, with alternative album artwork from Travis Smith.
- CDThe Fall Of Hearts 12 original album tracks plus 2 bonus tracks ‘Sistere’ & ‘Vakaren’.
- DVD-V The Fall Of Hearts 12 original trackshi resolution stereo & 5.1 audio (DTS 96/24 5.1 & 96/24 Stereo LPCM) mixed by Bruce Soord.
- Special Double 10″ vinyl edition of The Fall Of Hearts 12 original tracks plusbonus track ‘Wide Awake In Quietus’ (with MP3 download code)featuring guest guitarist Paradise Lost’s Gregor Mackintosh.
2 Disc CD & DVDMediabook featuring:
· CD The Fall Of Hearts 12 original album tracks plus bonus track‘Vakaren’.
· DVD-V The Fall Of Hearts 12 original tracks and includes hi resolution stereo & 5.1 audio (DTS 96/24 5.1 & 96/24 Stereo LPCM) mixed by The Pineapple Thief & Katatonia collaborator Bruce Soord offering audiophiles an outstanding listening experience.
CD featuring:
· The Fall Of Hearts12 original album tracks with a total playing time of 67:32 minutes.
Double gatefold 180g heavy weight LPfeaturing:
· The Fall Of Hearts12 original album tracks plus bonus track‘Sistere’(with MP3 download code).
Digital download featuring:
· The Fall Of Hearts 12 original album tracks plus bonus track ‘Wide Awake In Quietus’ featuring guest guitarist Paradise Lost’s Gregor Mackintosh.
Live appearances for 2016:
29/04/16 – Norway, Kopervik – Karmoygeddon Festival
19/06/16 – France, Clisson – Hellfest
03/07/16 – Finland, Helsinki – Tuska Festival
9-10/07/16 – Belgium, Bouckenborgh – Anterwerp Metal Festival
29/07/16 – Romania, Sibiu, ARTmania Festival
05/08/16 – Portugal, Corroios – Vagos Open Air Festival
17-20/08/16 – Germany, Dinkelsbühl – Summer Breeze Festival
28/08/16 – Mexico, Mexico City – Circo Volador
31/08/16 – Chile, Santiago – Teatro Cariola
02/09/16 – Argentina, Buenos Aires – Uniclub
04/09/16 – Brazil, São Paulo – Overload Music Fest
22/09/16 – Bulgaria, Polvdiv, Roman Theatre
01/10/16 – The Netherlands, Tilburg, Epic Metal Fest
21/10/16 – UK, London, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
