Katatonia launches "Shifts" music video -

Sunday, May 5, 2024

Katatonia launches “Shifts” music video

Katatonia is set to hit the road shortly in support of its tenth studio effort, The Fall of Hearts – a beautiful behemoth of desolate and dark forces, Katatonia’s latest offering was self-produced by its own Anders Nyström and Jonas Renkse.

Today, Sweden’s reigning progressive rock/metal king is proud to reveal their beautifully emotive music video to “Shifts,” directed by Lasse Hoile, taken from The Fall of Hearts. Stream the new video on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/_LEDye8FFlU and at Vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/180719999.

Guitarist Anders Nyström states: “As the music for this song unfolded it took off in a different direction from usually what we do. Driven by its gentle, lush and shimmering rendition of melancholy it would take you for a waltz daydreaming of the past, longing for the happiest times of your life, only to find that when the dance is over, emptiness has filled another chamber of your heart. Both Jonas and Lasse enhanced these ideas into beautifully told lyrics and a simple, but very touching video.“

Vocalist Jonas Renkse reveals how the song’s lyrical concept was born: “Once I heard Anders’ initial demo for “Shifts” I had a feeling that it needed a timeless kind of lyric. The sentimental kind of music made me think of how memories of better days can keep one alive… and it had me writing down a vague, modest thought on war, how it separates people, and ultimately brings a certain death that would only be eased by the thought of past days and a loved one.“

“You can hear that the song is about loss and how it’s hard to let go of someone once they are gone for good. The woman in the video spends a lot of time working alone which makes her struggle with coping even harder, as being alone gives you too much time to think and brings back all those memories. The concept is something that everyone can relate to, which makes it very powerful.” director Lasse Hoile explains.

Katatonia begins its European headline shows on September 22 with a special show performing The Great Cold Distance at The Ancient Theatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria before heading out on “The Fallen Hearts of Europe” tour which will be followed up by a trip to Australia for shows in December. A full list of upcoming concerts can be seen at:

https://www.facebook.com/katatonia and are also listed below.

The Fall of Hearts, the official follow-up to 2012’s acclaimed Dead End Kings, was recorded at Stockholm’s Studio Gröndahl and Tri-lamb Studio, and was self-produced by Katatonia’s Anders Nyström and 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 Fall of Hearts track list:
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] (Digital & Deluxe Edition)

“Inspiring and forward-looking, this album proves that at 25, Katatonia are still restless and refuse to rest on their laurels.” – AllMusic

“The Fall of Hearts is an absolute jewel from start to finish” – Decibel Magazine

“full of both darkness and light, heaviness and softness, drama and understatement…intricate with a lot of subtleties, but also a lot of accessibility.” – Loudwire

“a stellar point of entry into Katatonia’s craft as well as a probable centerpiece of the next several years of the band’s journey.” – Metal Injection

“full of passionate pleas, the driving need for redemption, gorgeous instrumental tones, undeniably affecting performances and extremely cool sonic accents.” – MetalSucks

“a tremendous album…the first page in an exciting new chapter for Katatonia” – PopMatters

The Fall of Hearts is the first record to feature new drummer Daniel ‘Mojjo’ Moilanen along with the addition of recently recruited guitarist Roger Öjersson (Tiamat), who came in just in time to sprinkle some blistering solos on the album. With its new lineup, Katatonia will continue to push its musical boundaries beyond its 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.

Stay tuned for more information on Katatonia and The Fall of Hearts, out now on Peaceville.

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Katatonia live:
09/22 – Plovdiv, Bulgaria @ The Ancient Theatre

“The Fallen Hearts of Europe” tour dates:
09/25 – Malmö, Sweden @ KB
09/27 – Leipzig, Germany @ Täubchenthal
09/28 – Frankfurt, Germany @ Batschkapp
09/29 – Stuttgart, Germany @ LKA Longhorn
09/30 – Cologne, Germany @ Live Music Hall
10/01 – Tilburg, The Netherlands @ Epic Metal Fest
10/02 – Berlin, Germany @ Huxleys
10/04 – Gdansk, Poland @ B90
10/05 – Warsaw, Poland @ Progresja
10/06 – Krakow, Poland @ Kwadrat
10/07 – Vienna, Austria @ Arena
10/08 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Dynamo
10/09 – Pratteln, Switzerland @ Konzertfabrik 27
10/10 – Milan, Italy @ Alcatraz
10/12 – Barcelona, Spain @ Sala Razzmatazz
10/13 – Seville, Spain @ Custom Club
10/14 – Lisbon, Spain @ Lisboa Ao Vivo
10/15 – Madrid, Spain @ Sala But
10/17 – Marseille, France @ Jas’Rod
10/18 – Paris, France @ Le Trabendo
10/19 – Strasbourg, France @ La Laiterie
10/21 – London, UK @ O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
10/23 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Trix
10/24 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg @ Rockhal
10/25 – Hamburg, Germany @ Markthalle
10/26 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Pumpehuset
10/27 – Oslo, Norway @ John Dee
10/28 – Gothenburg, Sweden @ Pustervik
10/29 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Debaser Medis
11/01 – Tampere, Finland @ Klubi
11/02 – Jyväskylä, Finland @ Lutakko
11/03 – Joensuu, Finland @ Kerubi
11/04 – Turku, Finland @ Logomo Club
11/05 – Helsinki, Finland @ The Cirkus