Katatonia Concerts Setlist

In 1991, Swedish musicians Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström came together in Stockholm, piecing together the beginnings of Katatonia-an outfit which at that point existed solely within a studio framework. What at that time began with their vent of death metal would eventually flower into something considerably broader, but, of course, they wouldn't have realized this at that particular moment in history.

The duo actually had been playing together since 1987 but things got serious in '91 when they recorded their first demo, "Jhva Elohim Meth. The Revival." The underground metal scene took notice, and soon a small label, Vic Records, came calling. It was through this increased exposure that the addition of bassist Guillaume Le Huche helped them take to the stage, and by late 1993, they had recorded and released their first full album, "Dance of December Souls," a haunting piece of death-doom metal which would set up their reputation for bleak, melancholic soundscapes.

Things were never exactly easy, however. After Le Huche's departure in 1995, the band entered a period of depression and went on hiatus for a year. It was during that period that Renkse engaged in another venture entitled October Tide with guitarist Fredrik Norrman; a coming together which would prove essential when Katatonia re-emerged in 1996.

The turning point came with their second album "Brave Murder Day." The problems with his voice prohibited Renkse from continuing screaming, so they had to stand in with their friend, the vocalist of Opeth, Mikael Åkerfeldt. Actually, this challenge opened new doors for the band and pushed them to experiment with clean vocals and more melodic approaches.

By 1998, Katatonia had reinvented themselves with "Discouraged Ones," embracing melodic metal while retaining their dark edge. They signed with Peaceville Records, their first partnership with a major label, and Renkse focused entirely on clean vocals, stepping away from the drums to develop his distinctive singing style.

The late '90s brought another important change: the band finally found stability. Over the years, the band had shuffled members in and out until the Norrman brothers and drummer Daniel Liljekvist came in, setting up a solid lineup that would carry them through their next evolution. With this stability, they got to lay the foundation to explore their sound and really set the stage for the progressive metal powerhouse they'd become over the course of the next several decades.