Interview with Anders Nyström. This transcript was the source material for an article that was published in Unrestrained #16. Katatonia lurks at the point of rupture between the last semblance of hope and the grim embrace of oblivion. Within this space of turmoil, the band maps a sonic territory scarred by pain and betrayal, where every relationship is necessarily in a state of decay. The inherent charm of Katatonia, however, is its ability to shape this place of utter despondency into a location that is actually desirable on some deep dark level. Passionate melodies and provocative musicianship adorn the otherwise austere perimeter of this space, while the band's brilliantly-crafted songwriting provides an inviting terrain that draws the listener into a state of introspection. Katatonia's most recent album, Last Fair Deal Gone Down (Peaceville / Snapper), continues to explore the sound that was introduced on Discouraged Ones (1998) and refined on Tonight's Decision (1999), while further plunging into the existential crisis represented in its music. Depressive lyrical themes are animated by the passionate vocal display, while the instrumental prowess of the new lineup builds upon existing performance levels and illuminates new potentialities for development. Below is an interview with guitarist Anders Nyström, conducted shortly after the release of Last Fair Deal Gone Down. Tate: How would you describe the studio vibe while you were recording? Anders: The studio vibe was good in the beginning, but it got instantly lost because we ended up coming in and out of the studio and splitting the whole session into parts. I don't really know why it happened, but I think that it had to do with the studio and the producer, Tomas Skogsberg. He brought in other bands, smaller bands like demo bands just for a week, and we took a break off. And then the ball just kept rolling, the breaks were longer between going in and out, I think that all in all we spent more than half a year recording this album. But if you threw all of that effective time together, it would only be like two months. But the vibe in the studio...you lost some spirit doing this - going in and out. We would maybe record the vocals for a night, then just have a break for a week, then go in and record another track for the vocals, have another break for two days. You have to build up some kind of spirit in the studio. We had to build that up each and every time that we went back there. So this recording really felt like it was never coming to an end, and it was filled with hassles. But we finally made it, and now it feels better than ever. Tate: How do you feel that breaking up the studio recording affected the final album? Anders: I think you could now, when you have some perspective...I mean, sure the vibe got lost and stuff during the recording, but by all those breaks we got the time to really focus on what we had done, really analyse what we had done in the first hour that we came back. And we would listen to it, and ask if this is good shit, or can we do it even better. I think we did re-record a lot of stuff when we had put things in perspective. So I think that the breaks were healthy in that way. But I don't know what would have happened if we had been in there for the whole time, and did it all in just one take. Maybe it would have been magic and we would have been ready with the album in just a few weeks. Tate: So what were some of the other hassles that you had to overcome? Anders: Well, there were many struggles being in the studio for that long. I mean, you're not supposed to work when you're doing the studio shit, but the money wasn't coming in because we spent such a long amount of time there, so we had to take daytime jobs and record at night, so it was like twenty-four hours a day just working for half a year. Working during the day to get the money, and working during the night to get the record done. So all kinds of hassles revolved around that, really. Tate: In what ways would you say that The Last Fair Deal Gone Down differs from Tonight's Decision? Anders: Well, first of all we have a new lineup. It's the first time in the band's career that we are a five-piece band with all permanent members. We have a new drummer called Daniel, who is just an unknown local talent that we found, which has a lot to do with the sound of the new album. It's like each and every person can now focus on his own thing, doing his own instrument. Since Daniel is such a kickass drummer, we could really expand the rhythm section this time and have the arrangement more intense and complex than we have ever had them before. Also we have recruited a new bassplayer called Mattias, which is also Fredrik's (the other guitarist's) younger brother. So it felt good in that way. Everybody concentrated on their own thing, it was nice. And also we focused one hundred percent on production this time, we were really determined to make it more powerful and also more open. If you compare it with Tonight's Decision, I think that the overall sound is more open and big. Tate: What are some of the songs on the new album that you feel push Katatonia's sound and make it progress into new and different areas? Anders: There are a couple of tracks on it that really expand into new territories and that are...a way of us experimenting into new territories and scenes. Like the third track is probably the most different track we have ever done with Katatonia so far. "We Must Bury You" is the title. That track has a very strange arrangement which we intentionally did, and it also has these kind of drum loop things going behind it. I'm not too keen on the drum loop thing in general, but we felt that it would be nice just to get some of it, just to try it out, but not dominate the new sound or take it in a new direction, just incorporate some of it. So I think that track is really, really different for us. And also the last track is pretty much different. I heard people comparing it to bands like Alice In Chains and Megadeth and stuff. Tate: Really? Anders: So if people say that, then it has to be different from Katatonia, because I've never heard comparisons with Megadeath or Alice In Chains before! Tate: One thing that has really come to the forefront - especially on Tonight's Decision but also the new one - is the Paradise Lost kind of guitar sound. There is some definite Gregor MacKintosh there. I take it he is a very large influence for you? Anders: He has always been an influence, right from the beginning. Paradise Lost can be counted as one of the key bands [explaining] why we started Katatonia, really. We were so influenced by their early album, Gothic, when we started out, so we pretty much forged our sound at the time. I can recall that it was way back in 1992, and that got us going, and we started wandering our own path ever since. But I have always kept...I mean, that kind of lead guitar sound is my absolute all time fave sound. So it is a really important part of Katatonia. And I will never deny that it's totally influenced by Gregor Mackintosh. But I don't rip off his riffs I believe, just his emotion and sound. Tate: What would you describe as the perfect setting for listening to Last Fair Deal Gone Down? Anders: That's a very individual question, I think. Tate: What would be your perfect setting for listening to the album then? Anders: I think it would be...I really prefer listening to music that I find dear to me at night, when there are no people around. Nothing to distract you. I really wanted the emptiness of the night to surround you. Having it dark. And I think that headphones can have a really good effect, because then you can distance yourself from all of the outside sounds. You don't get distracted by anything. You just climb into your own world by putting on your headphones and just being alone at night. I think that's the ideal circumstance. Tate: What kind of feeling or response would you hope that the music of Katatonia creates in its audience? Anders: That's also pretty individual, but Katatonia for us is our way of expressing ourselves, of expressing our negative side. It's done in a completely honest and realistic way. I think that many people see some kind of symbolism in everything that we do, and relate to it in the same way that we do really. Connecting Katatonia with the darker side of life. Tate: When you were writing and recording Last Fair Deal Gone Down, did you have a mental image of how the album as a whole would flow, or did you record the songs first and then concern yourself with arranging them on the album later? Anders: We pretty much had the album done by doing demos before we entered the studio. I've got a little home studio here, so I sit all night long just doing the best demo tracks that can do out of them. And we lived by those tracks for a while, until we knew exactly how the album was going to turn out. Tate: How would you describe Katatonia's songwriting process? Anders: The current song process is me sitting here during the nights, just composing. When I give it on tape or something to Jonas, the vocalist, I let him fool around with the melodies, the vocal melodies. If he can't come up with them, I always have something in my own head. I don't like to present songs to him that are totally finished, because want to have his - I want to have an outside input to my songs, to see if there is something better. And that way I leave some doors open for others to add their stuff. So it's mostly me doing the music, and that has to do with the fact that we aren't rehearsing as a band [yet], because this is the first time that we have a stable lineup. So, we'll probably start rehearsing as a new band again [soon]. And hopefully Fredrik, the other guitarist, will start writing again, because he hasn't written any music at all actually. So I hope that we're gonna go back to the rehearsing path again - it's the best for the band really. I really enjoy doing the music here at home, but I've learned that outside input can be very, very healthy. Tate: Are you already talking about the new album? Anders: Oh, this is just speculation for the future. We aren't talking about how it's gonna sound really, but we're talking about how we're going to do it. We're planning technically how we're gonna prepare ourselves for the album. I don't think that we're going to record it for quite a while though, because this album is so fresh now, and I think it has some value to just be around for a while. I remember some people said when we were going to record this album, they were like, "oh, you just came out with an album - why the rush?" But that has to do with pretty long delays from recording the album and releasing the album. So for us the tracks were already one year old when we had recorded the album [Tonight's Decision], because we had already done demos and then it took like half a year from the recording to the release. So for us, when an album is released, it's already almost two years old. So it's not strange that we want to go back and record again. Tate: When you are writing alone, do you find that the creative process comes easily to you, or is it something that you have to struggle with? Anders: Oh no, it's totally natural. I think I got Katatonia in my fingers right now. It really feels like we found ourselves and everything is so stable. I'm totally positive that I know what the Katatonia formula is about. It just comes at me. But preferably at night. Tate: Peaceville - it seems like an appropriate match in a lot of ways. How did you initially hook up with them? Anders: Actually, it's a long story. We actually were already about to sign with Peaceville back in 1992 when we did our old demo. It was about to happen, but nothing [ended up happening]. And we went on with that little Italian label called Avant Garde Music. Then the time when we changed the style a little and went into the clean vocals and stuff, we were contacted immediately by Peaceville. I think they just...I mean, it seems that the kind of style that we play today is their absolute favorite style. So they just approached us and said, "hey, it's time that you signed now, it's taken like eight years, but here we are." Stepping up to Peaceville was like stepping up the ladder really. And Peaceville has always been a favorite label for us as fans too. We used to buy the albums coming out on Peaceville. I mean the Paradise Lost Gothic album was released on Peaceville. So it just felt good joining Peaceville's forces. Tate: I wasn't sure who I would be speaking with, but I thought that it might be Jonas, who I know is close friends with Mikael from Opeth. I was just wondering if you could comment on the Opeth connection. Anders: Mike and Jonas, they used to live together, which was for reasons like not being able to have their own apartments and stuff. And they are the best of friends, so they got along very well, but they don't live together anymore - they've got separate apartments now. I mean, you can't share an apartment with your girlfriend and your best friend, it can't last forever! But Opeth is pretty much...I mean, everybody pretty much considers Opeth and Katatonia brother bands, that kind of connection. And I can see that because most of the things that we have done, we have done together. We have gone out playing live a lot together. Mike has been on, I think it's two of our releases doing the vocals, and he has also helped in co-producing the vocals on the other releases. We're totally big fans of each other's band. So I can perfectly understand that people ask about it. Tate: Regarding the lyrics, they are primarily written by Jonas, correct? Anders: Yeah. Tate: What is your perspective on how the lyrics impact him personally? Anders: Oh yeah, everything that you read is coming from his own mind, you know. Everything is very honest and realistically taken out of his own life. It doesn't have to be experienced in daily life, but his thoughts are like that. That's how he lives, really. What you read in the lyrics is a very accurate description of Jonas' life. Tate: Tell me about the album cover and how it contributes to the overall vibe of the new album. Anders: Well, with the title we wanted to...I mean, we consider the title to be a blend of a statement and a question to ourselves. We're asking ourselves if the last fair deal has gone down. And we're just waiting to find out the answer, really. So we just found that the symbolism with the cover artwork, I mean, we saw it instantly when we looked at it. And the answer is in the picture really. Because the picture is a portrait of an old decayed bathroom, totally deserted and totally left to decay. So the symbolism is there, everything is gone. Tate: How would you describe the differences between Katatonia in the studio, and Katatonia live? Anders: Obviously we are far more professional in the studio, that is really where this band has been living and breathing for the last few years. I mean, we didn't even really tour for the last two albums. We didn't do a proper gig for them I think. So we have a lot to catch up on with the live songs, which we are very eager to do now with the new album, because we all feel that the new songs have great potential to be played live. And also, this is the first time that we have a real, stable lineup to do this. I am really sure that we aren't the best live band yet, but we are trying to become one. We have a lot to pick up in that field. Tate: What are some of the difficulties with translating your music from the studio to the stage? Anders: There is a lot of confusion about how you are going to transform drum loops and keyboards. Like, we don't have a keyboard player. So if you really want to have it sounding like the album [played] live, you have got to have some prerecorded material with you, and that's always a hassle. There are always technical problems with that kind of stuff. But fortunately we have been using the formula that less is more, and have always been pretty sparse. We're not having full-blown keyboards pumping out all of the sounds. We have got some great guitar processors which we can simulate some of the keyboard sounds from and pull it off pretty good live. Tate: Tell me about the Teargas EP. There are two songs, "Sulphur" and "March 4", which don't appear on the full album. Anders: They were taken straight from the same session. Actually, we argued a bit about which tracks to take off the album and what tracks to have on. Because you are limited with the playing time and stuff, they don't want the album to be too long or too short. It has to be pretty accurate. So we just figured that two tracks from the recording had to be taken off, and we just decided that it was going to be those tracks. But personally I am very very much into one of those tracks, and hope...one of them is my favorite, so for me, it just makes the single more exclusive. Tate: Which track is it that you hold as your favorite? Anders: It's "Sulphur". If it was on the album, it would have created a pretty strong identity, I think. It has a very cool acoustic intro building up the song, and that just flows right into the chorus. So I really like how that songs works. I would have preferred to have it on the album, but as I have said, it just makes the single more exclusive and maybe it's a good way to get people listening to the EP rather than just playing the album when the album is out. Tate: What is the weirdest show that you have played, or the strangest touring experience that you have had? Anders: [pauses] It was in Austria. We arrived at the gig, went into the venue. This so-called venue, we got served some dinner and stuff. The whole place just looked like a little like a small apartment or something, like when you were coming home to your mother or something. And we were just like, "hey how long is it to the venue from here?" And they just pointed at a little tiny stage where like, two sofas could fit maybe. Two sofas and an armchair. And they said, you are gonna play there tonight. And that was just hilarious, because we had to sit on chairs on the stage. So it was like an unplugged version, as we couldn't plug out. And people were just standing there in that little room, and they were peaking in from the doorways. Some people had to stand outside the house and peak inside the windows. That was hilarious. I can't remember what the venue was called, but it was in Austria. And the funniest thing that it had a big poster from King Diamond coming there. And we were like, hey what's King gonna say when arrives here? He probably ate and took off! Tate: How close are the members of Katatonia outside of the musical environment? Anders: Me and Jonas are pretty close. We pretty much formed the band from being best friends way back when we were teenagers. So we pretty much hang out, we drink together and stuff. The other guys, they all live a little bit up north in Sweden, so we don't meet them as much. Actually I just meet them when it is band-related. Tate: How did you first come into contact with Daniel [the new drummer]? Anders: I think our other guitarist, Fredrik, just fooled around helping out some local band, and just discovered a talent in him. He just found a local unknown drummer that was really kicking some ass. So I think Freddy just suggested that he would join us, and we tried him out and he [Daniel] was already a huge fan of Katatonia, so everything just fit at once. Which was perfect for us, because we have had problems finding members for eight years. So finally we have a stable five-piece lineup. And also the bass player, Mattias, I mean, being the younger brother of Fredrik, it was just as easy. I think that he was just going to be a session musician on a tour that we did, but after that he just kind of matched all of our requirements and became a permanent member at once. Tate: What do you think that this particular album represents in the context of the musical career of Katatonia? Anders: I'm really confident that musically we have found ourselves and we are doing this because we are where we are. But we are a very underrated band, we have always been very underrated. So coming to the place we are right now has to do with us keeping our goals way up there on the horizon and pumping our ambition into the band. We always strive to be ahead, seeking something to achieve that we haven't already. Which is why many people have problems with us evolving and changing the sound a bit. It feels really good, it's a very safe album in that we found a style. And we won't stray away from this style now, not at all. Tate: In what ways do you see it changing or progressing, even if only slightly? Anders: It's really hard to say since we haven't started the writing for the new album yet. But I think that we want a good formula with a hard rhythm guitar at the bottom. We've got some twin lead guitarists doing melodies, and we've got Jonas' vocal style. He prefers to sing in a bit more of a high range, as that's where he is more confident singing. So we all know the ingredients to do a really good album - we have just got to take care that we won't repeat ourselves. I mean, we can't do The Last Fair Deal Gone Down another time now. Some people said that Tonight's Decision was too [similar] to Discouraged Ones, whereas my opinion was that Tonight's Decision had better songs than Discouraged Ones had. And, for Last Fair Deal Gone Down, we expanded the sound, grasped a little bit of new territory, and wrote even better songs. So probably we are going to continue with that, but I cannot see right now where we're gonna go with the new songs. Tate: When you first moved into the new sound that was first featured on Discouraged Ones, was there a particular moment when you decided to go in that direction? How did you determine to move more in that direction? Anders: It just opened up a door. We really figured out that we were keeping ourselves limited doing the previous style. Doing the songs with verses and choruses was a real challenge for us. We hadn't been doing that before. We had done long adventurous songs, like up to twelve minutes, before, so it was very challenging to break that down and start from the beginning again, doing the traditional way of building up songs. And also basing all of the songs on the vocal melody. With Discouraged Ones, it was a total rebirth for the band, and it definitely set the whole form.

| Main | News | Interviews | Reviews | About | Links | Newsletter |

© 2002 Chaotic Critiques.
All writing property of the respective author(s)
and may not be used without permission.