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
Leaders
Katatonia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stand in line
Reveal your true self and conform
I sold my song
Crossed the borderline
I found something I'd never admit to
Come here
I have sold my weakness too
Come here
I split my heart in two
But you don't have it in you
Carbon soul
Transparent and played out
See you soon in non-fiction
I sold my song
My mouth was sewn
But it's coming undone and that's why I sold out
The song "Leaders" by Katatonia seems to be about conformity and the struggles of artists to stay true to themselves while trying to conform and be successful in the industry. The line "Leaders come, stand in line, reveal your true self and conform" seems to suggest that those in power or those who are successful follow a certain set of expectations and directives that the singer may be disillusioned with. The line "I sold my song, crossed the borderline, I found something I'd never admit to" hints at the fact that the singer may have compromised their own artistic integrity to be successful. However, it seems that this acceptance of conformity may be fraught with difficulty as evidenced in the line "My mouth was sewn, but it's coming undone and that's why I sold out." The singer may feel trapped and unable to express themselves fully, and so they have "sold out" in order to be successful.
The lines "Come here, I've paid up for you, I have sold my weakness too" suggest that the singer has given up a part of themselves in order to succeed and is now offering themselves up to someone else. The line "But you don't have it in you" implies that despite the singer's attempts to reconcile with their actions, they may still feel that the listener or other artists lack the same level of authenticity or personal sacrifice as they've made.
Overall, the lyrics in "Leaders" touch on a subject that is common in the music industry, the desire to succeed and the sacrifices that come with it. However, it also highlights the conflict that arises when trying to balance artistic integrity with commercial success.
Line by Line Meaning
Leaders come
People who are in power or have authority come
Stand in line
Get in line, make sure you follow a certain order of things set by the leaders
Reveal your true self and conform
Unveil your true nature and fit into the prescribed mold expected by the leaders
I sold my song
I have given up on my originality and creativity in exchange for something of value, like money or fame
Crossed the borderline
I have disregarded my own boundaries and limitations for the sake of pleasing the leaders
I found something I'd never admit to
I discovered something personal about myself that I would never confess to anyone
Come here
Approach me or listen to what I have to say
I've paid up for you
I have done something beneficial for you, although there may have been a cost to myself
I have sold my weakness too
I have given up or compromised parts of myself that I consider weak or vulnerable to achieve something in return
I split my heart in two
I have divided my emotions and feelings, probably due to a difficult decision or situation
But you don't have it in you
But I don't believe you have the same capacity or strength to do what I have done
Carbon soul
I am like a lifeless, inanimate object that has lost its original worth and value
Transparent and played out
I am so obvious and predictable that I have become boring and irrelevant
See you soon in non-fiction
I will expose my truth and reality soon, not through fiction or imagination but through reality
My mouth was sewn
I have been forcefully silenced and prevented from speaking out
But it's coming undone and that's why I sold out
But the constraints placed upon me are becoming undone, making me fearful and leading me to compromise my values and principles
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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