Metal Wani writer Anne Catherine Swallow recently had a chat with Katatonia mastermind Anders Nyström. Anders discusses the pressure he felt before writing the band’s tenth album The Fall Of Hearts and the recent lineup changes in Katatonia‘s universe.

Says Metal Wani: “In our interview, he explains the challenging aspect of still creating a fresh and unconventional sound, but also speaks about the elements that didn’t change since the bands creation – may it be the simplicity of their songs or their fundament of true emotions, that has always been more important to the Swedes than high-end technical perfection. However, Anders doesn’t always need to plunge into a horrible sea of depression to write his music and describes the setting that he usually needs for his songwriting, but also points out why no Katatonia song has ever been written on tour. We asked for his personal interpretation on why the band often uses birds in their artwork, maybe it be on covers or in promotional photographs and as a little bonus, the founding member of the band and axemaster reveals his opinion on Axl Rose joining AC/DC.”

Katatonia recently released a lyric video for “Old Heart Falls” (streaming below), a track from their eagerly awaited 10th studio album. The new album, The Fall Of Hearts, is set for release on May 20th through their long-time home of Peaceville Records.

The official follow-up to 2012’s 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.

The dramatic yet desolate artwork was created by long time Katatonia designer and illustrator Travis Smith.

Tracklisting:

“Takeover”
“Serein”
“Old Heart Falls”
“Decima”
“Sanction”
“Residual”
“Serac”
“Last Song Before The Fade”
“Shifts”
“The Night Subscriber”
“Pale Flag”
“Passer”

Bonus Tracks:
“Vakaren” (CD/DVD & Deluxe Edition)
“Sistere” (LP & Deluxe Edition)
“Wide Awake In Quietus” (Digital & Deluxe Edition)

“Old Heart Falls” lyric video:

Trailer:

Announcement video:

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.

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, 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.

Katatonia comment on The Fall Of Hearts: "This album is probably everything we unknowingly ever dreamed of to release. It's a bleak but adventurous journey through our elements, we haven't held back, we have pushed to get forward and backward in the ever spiralling night of our musical legacy."

Pre-order The Fall Of Hearts at this location.

Katatonia have confirmed the following festival appearances for 2016:

June
19 - Clisson, France - Hellfest

July
3 - Helsinki, Finland - Tuska Festival
9-10 - Bouckenborgh, Belgium - Anterwerp Metal Festival

August
5 - Corroios, Portugal - Vagos Open Air Festival,
17-20 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany - Summer Breeze Festival