Katatonia celebrates 30 years of the band with an extensive collection »Mnemosynean«, out now via Peaceville Records
Katatonia celebrates 30 years of the band with a brand new compilation album, »Mnemosynean«, which was just released this Friday, October 1st, 2021 via Peaceville Records.
»Mnemosynean« contains an extensive collection of all of Katatonia’s rarities and B-sides, including tracks from the band’s numerous EPs, limited special edition bonuses, cover songs, as well as a series of collaborative remixes.
Disc 1:
01. Vakaren
02. Sistere
03. Wide Awake In Quietus
04. Night Comes Down
05. Second
06. The Act Of Darkening
07. Ashen
08. Sold Heart
09. Displaced
10. Dissolving Bonds
11. Unfurl
12. Code Against The Code
Disc 2:
01. Wait Outside
02. Sulfur
03. March 4
04. O How I Enjoy The Light
05. Help Me Disappear
06. Fractured
07. No Devotion
08. Quiet World
09. Scarlet Heavens
10. In The White (Urban Dub)
11. My Twin (Opium Dub Version)
12. Soil’s Song (Krister Linder 2012 Remix)
13. Day And Then The Shade (Frank Default Remix)
14. Idle Blood (Linje 14)
15. Hypnone (Frank Default Hypnocadence Mix)
Marking 30 years since the formation of one of the most enigmatic & aurally captivating bands to grace the dark rock/prog genre, »Mnemosynean« contains an extensive collection of all of Katatonia’s rarities and B-sides, including tracks from the band’s numerous EPs, unused album songs, limited special edition bonuses, cover songs, as well as a series of collaborative remixes.
The journey of »Mnemosynean« spans the gothic-soaked experimental epic »Scarlet Heavens« recorded all the way back in 1994, through to tracks recorded during the sessions for the stellar 2016 opus, »The Fall Of Hearts«.
The intriguing title of »Mnemosynean« itself represents memories & was selected because tomb inscriptions dating back to 400 BCE say that the dead could keep their memories by avoiding drinking from the Lethe, and drink instead from the stream flowing from the lake of Mnemosyne (the goddess of memory).
Following an early string of deathly doom-inspired releases which firmly & quickly established Katatonia as a leading force in the 1990s underground, the Swedes came to true prominence following a transition to a more metallic, sleek, dark & depressive rock style while fully embracing concepts of urban and social decay, but also retaining some of the distinguishing traits from their early repertoire, such as the melancholy-laced & instantly identifiable melodic guitar leads.
Photo by Ester Segarra
The »Mnemosynean« packaging includes a new band biography courtesy of music journalist Eleanor Goodman, as well as full lyrics plus backgrounds to the track origins described by founding members Anders Nyström and Jonas Renkse, along with other close Katatonia collaborators.
The artwork for this release has been created by long-running Katatonia visual artist Travis Smith.
Katatonia is:
Jonas Renkse – Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Programming
Anders Nyström – Guitars, Programming, Backing Vocals
Roger Öjersson – Guitars
Niklas Sandin – Bass
Daniel Moilanen – Drums
»Mnemosynean« is available through Peaceville Records on 2 CD, deluxe gatefold triple LP on black vinyl, deluxe gatefold triple LP on white coloured vinyl and digitally.
Order your copy here: omerch.com/shop/katatonia or katatoniaband.lnk.to/Mnemosynean
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well