Anders Nyström Leaves Katatonia
Anders ‘Blakkheim’ Nyström is for sure right in his assertion that Katatonia fans are somewhat broken into cliques or collectives or at very least online professions of faith for different eras of the band. Inevitable maybe, for an act whose early albums had a distinct impact on a genre while at the same time the band themselves grew in different directions. Nyström played on 13 records with Katatonia. They’re not all gold, but the horrible truth is that regardless of what year a record came out, Katatonia have remained consistent in the level of their craft as their sound has continued to progress. Nyström and frontman Jonas Renkse, up to this point, were the remaining founders of the band.
I don’t know what this means for Bloodbath, if Nyström and Renkse will continue to collaborate in Katatonia‘s brutal death metal cousin outfit. A quick look at social media shows a fest date at Party San in August, if that’s an answer.
And of course the future of Katatonia itself is something of a question in terms of personnel and sound alike. Nyström mentions Renkse proceeding with “new members,” while Renkse, in his somewhat shorter post, doesn’t say much more than he’s moving forward. Fair enough, as the progression of time do be linear like that. If it’s not the end of the band, it’s at least bound to see a significant shift in the dynamic, on stage and in the studio. I’ll be curious to see how it shakes out… moving forward.
From social media:
Says Anders Nyström:
“Sad but true.
The time has come for me to confirm that the roads ahead Jonas and I have chosen for both Katatonia and ourselves have grown too wide and far apart, and as a result, our long-term collaboration has drawn to a close.
With him and I being the duo that founded Katatonia almost 35 years ago, and owing to the fact that we managed to take our mission this far, it’s inevitable that our band’s legacy will continue to play a huge role for both of us and always live on, albeit in a different light either captured by our past, future or the many chapters in between.
To each our own, we may all have our own preferences and different levels of appreciation for either the early, mid or later Katatonia eras, but it seems like any willingness to embrace them all, in order to honor our history through live activities, has unfortunately failed to sustain. Needless to say, I still love ALL our albums, but with the early stuff being neglected for so many years, a feeling of having “unfinished business” with a style that goes far back to our roots has just grown stronger and stronger. I can’t help feeling adamant that songs from our early-mid discography deserve to be equally acknowledged and likewise targeted for our live show repertoire, the essential medium where the past should always be alive! Unfortunately, that door has been kept shut and left everything we did pre-millennium in a void.
Avowed, with one of us gone, Katatonia could and should have been mutually laid to rest while exploiting the freedom to continue in any desirable direction under a new name. But with Jonas now regrouping with new members and navigating further in his own direction, I no longer need to wait and see which way the wind is blowing to enter that void and grab hold of what’s been abandoned. After all, Katatonia’s legacy is resting on both ends of the timeline.
Come what may, I’d like to thank Jonas and the rest of my ex-colleagues for the incredible ride we shared through four compelling decades.
Blessed be!”
Says Jonas Renkse:
“Anders Nyström and I are going our separate ways. A decision not taken lightly, but for everyone to thrive and move forward with their own creative preferences as well as personal schedules this has become the realistic option. Anders and I started the band in 1991 and his impact on the band’s trademark sound is undeniable. As bleak as this sounds, and is, it’s further evidence of life getting in the way of our preferred plans. I wish Anders all the best for the future.”
https://www.instagram.com/katatoniaband/
https://www.facebook.com/katatonia
https://katatonia.com/
https://www.facebook.com/napalmrecords
http://label.napalmrecords.com/
I think it has been Jonas’ band for a few albums now. I don’t think it will change Katatonia’s sound very much. Not sure I particularly like the tone of the respective announcements but I suppose relationships often come to an end…