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
Follower
Katatonia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My incapacity
Shame
Idle mind
No
You have changed me
My mouth is shut
So when you come
I'm too unprepared to come along
I hold your hand so hard
My knuckles turn white
When you clear the streets
And kill the lights
See the line
Border to freedom
The words
Underlined
My name
You have changed it
Your tone change to cool
This is how you tell me once again
How I have nothing on you
How everything is supposed to end
Father
I won't make it
It's the journey of a life
Fix my eyes on the sun
What have I done
The lyrics of Katatonia's "Follower" are full of raw emotion and self-reflection. The singer is struggling to come to terms with their own incapacity and shame, feeling trapped in their own mind. They feel as though they are no longer in control of their own life or destiny, that someone else has changed them, and that they are unable to speak or act of their own accord. When they are faced with a situation where they need to take action, they feel unprepared and helpless, holding onto someone else for support. The line "Fix my eyes on the sun, what have I done" shows a sense of desperation and a search for something bigger than themselves to give them strength.
The theme of autonomy versus control by others is prevalent throughout the song. The singer feels as though their name has been changed, and they are now a follower rather than a leader in their own life. The lines "Your tone change to cool / This is how you tell me once again / How I have nothing on you / How everything is supposed to end" show that the person who has changed them is someone they feel inferior to, and who they believe has power over them. This feeling of being overpowered is mirrored in the line "When you clear the streets / And kill the lights", where the singer is powerless to prevent someone else from taking control of their environment.
Overall, "Follower" is a deeply introspective and emotional song that is about the struggle for control over one's own life. It portrays the often-painful journey of self-discovery and the search for meaning and purpose in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Hurts to see
It causes emotional pain to witness
My incapacity
My inability to change or improve
Shame
Feeling bad or guilty about something I did or failed to do
Idle mind
Having nothing to do or think about that is productive
No
I disagree with what you just said or suggested
You have changed me
I am different now because of something you did or said
My mouth is shut
I am not speaking or expressing myself
Stupidity have shut my mouth
Lack of intelligence or good judgement has caused me to be silent
So when you come
At the times when you arrive or show up
I'm too unprepared to come along
I am not ready to join or participate in what you have planned or suggested
I hold your hand so hard
I grip your hand tightly with force
My knuckles turn white
My hand becomes pale due to the tight grip
When you clear the streets
When you remove or chase away people from an area
And kill the lights
When you turn off or remove sources of illumination
See the line
Observe or notice the boundary or limit
Border to freedom
The line represents the boundary between being free and being controlled
The words
The written or spoken language
Underlined
Highlighted or emphasized for emphasis or clarity
My name
My identity or sense of self
You have changed it
You have influenced or altered my personal identity or sense of self
Your tone change to cool
Your way of speaking has become calm and aloof
This is how you tell me once again
This is your way of communicating with me repeatedly
How I have nothing on you
I have no advantage or leverage over you
How everything is supposed to end
The belief or expectation that things will eventually come to a conclusion or conclusion
Father
Term of address for a male parent or an older male authority figure
I won't make it
I am not going to succeed or survive
It's the journey of a life
Life is a journey of experiences and growth
Fix my eyes on the sun
Focus my attention on the hope and positivity in life
What have I done
Regret or confusion about past choices or actions
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Stef Bagaria
In my opinion, the best album ever put out by Katatonia.... Perfect mix of melancholy and heaviness... Top notch
Emilian Toutkewicz
Yes
Wilson Jimenez
the groove in this song is absolutely hypnotic. it just entrances you, absolutely amazing.
Eonean
The greatest, the best, the saddest, the most mysterious Katatonia song! Drums rule and the tuned down guitars!
1111Sean1111
I recently found this band, absolutely love this album.
W M
The bass and drums in the verses work together so well. Such a haunting song.
Velkan
So true. If you want to travel around the world, Katatonia is the band to carry with you haha
slashjunkie
This is my favorite song on this album. It's so haunting and evocative. Makes me feel like I'm the passenger in a speeding car at night.
Meshuggapeth
I love all Katatonia but this album has the best sound. The bass hits so hard. I see why the band said they’ve heard people using this album to check sound systems
Fireguy65
Yes! This whole mix is so flawless, the bass and the kick drum are impeccable