Katatonia is a Swedish doom metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas… Read Full Bio ↴Katatonia is a Swedish doom metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band started as a studio-only project for the duo, as an outlet for the band's love of death metal/doom metal. Increasing popularity led them to add more band members for live performances, though outside of the band's founders, the lineup was a constantly changing, revolving door of musicians throughout the 1990s, notably including Mikael Åkerfeldt of the band Opeth for a period. After two death/doom albums, Dance of December Souls (1993) and Brave Murder Day (1996), problems with Renkse's vocal cords coupled with new musical influences led the band away from the screamed vocals of death metal to a sound combining elements of doom metal, alternative metal and progressive metal.

The band released two more albums, Discouraged Ones (1998) and Tonight's Decision (1999), before settling into a stable quintet lineup for all of the 2000s. The band released four more albums with said lineup: Last Fair Deal Gone Down (2001), Viva Emptiness (2003), The Great Cold Distance (2006) and Night Is the New Day (2009), with the band slowly moving away from their metal sound while adding more progressive rock sounds to their work over time. While lineup changes started up again into the 2010s, Renkse and Nyström persisted, and the band continued on to release their ninth and tenth studio albums, Dead End Kings (2012) and The Fall of Hearts (2016). After touring in support of the album through 2017, the band entered a hiatus at the beginning of 2018. The band returned from their hiatus in February 2019, with their eleventh studio album, City Burials, released in April 2020 and twelfth studio album, Sky Void of Stars (2023).

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katatonia

Studio albums
Dance of December Souls (1993)
Brave Murder Day (1996)
Discouraged Ones (1998)
Tonight's Decision (1999)
Last Fair Deal Gone Down (2001)
Viva Emptiness (2003)
The Great Cold Distance (2006)
Night Is the New Day (2009)
Dead End Kings (2012)
The Fall of Hearts (2016)
City Burials (2020)
Sky Void of Stars (2023)

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Katatonia was a Polish death/thrash metal band. They released one demo, "It's Only a Dream", in 1993 before splitting up. See here: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Katatonia/55254

Distrust
Katatonia Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Running my way towards oblivion
Inside my head electric insomnia
In your mind I'm fed with distrust
Heading for anything better than this

I want to be forgotten
I want you to forgive
How I'm losing all this

It's just the way I live

Running my way towards oblivion
Inside my head smokescreen's gone
Leaving all this to be undone
Heading for anything better than this

Running my way towards oblivion
Outside my head only the dark

In your mind I'm the end of it all
Heading for anything better than this

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Katatonia's "Distrust" speak to the internal struggle and desperation of the singer. The opening line, "Running my way towards oblivion," sets the tone for the entire song. The singer is in a state of desperation, seeking escape from their thoughts and their reality. The phrase "electric insomnia" is particularly powerful, as it conveys the intensity of their pain and the inability to escape it even in sleep.

The singer is also grappling with feelings of distrust, as if they have been wronged or betrayed by someone close to them. However, they seem unsure if this distrust is justified or if it is just a symptom of their own mental state. They long for forgiveness and for release from their own destructive tendencies, singing, "I want to be forgotten / I want you to forgive / How I'm losing all this / It's just the way I live."

Ultimately, the song is a cry for help and a search for something, anything, better than the singer's current situation. They hope for escape from their own thoughts and to find forgiveness and understanding from others. The repetition of the phrase "Heading for anything better than this" drives home the sense of desperation and longing for something more.

Line by Line Meaning

Running my way towards oblivion
I'm living recklessly and self-destructively

Inside my head electric insomnia
I am restless and unable to find peace in my thoughts

In your mind I'm fed with distrust
You doubt and question my intentions

Heading for anything better than this
I am seeking a better, more fulfilling life

I want to be forgotten
I desire to be free from the weight of my past mistakes

I want you to forgive
I hope for your mercy and understanding

How I'm losing all this
I'm experiencing loss and failure in various aspects of my life

It's just the way I live
This is simply the pattern and cycle of my existence

Smokescreen's gone
I can no longer hide behind illusions and facades in my mind

Leaving all this to be undone
I am abandoning unfinished projects and unresolved issues

Outside my head only the dark
My external reality feels bleak and depressing