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
Nerve
Katatonia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shattered by rain
Pale dead walls
Nerves pushed in pain
Red light faced
Mirrors of the dead
People in the archways
Always closing down myself
Lower sights and never see
Worlds of noise and worlds of light
Expecting not to be
Not close enough for you
To hear a breath or steal a sigh
But just close enough for me
To take a step and pass you by
The lyrics of Katatonia's song Nerve conjure a bleak and desolate urban landscape, where high white ways are shattered by rain, and pale dead walls bear witness to the pain of frayed nerves. The image of red light faced mirrors of the dead is chilling, suggesting a world drained of vitality, where the living walk the same path as the dead. The people trapped in the archways, with eyes full of lead, convey a sense of exhaustion and despair that permeates the entire scene.
The singer seems to be trapped in this sterile, lifeless world, always closing down and never seeing. He is surrounded by worlds of noise and worlds of light, but he expects nothing from them. His low sights and lack of expectations are a defense mechanism against disappointment and pain, a way of numbing himself to the harsh realities of his existence. The final lines of the song are both poignant and ambivalent. The singer is not close enough for the other person to hear a breath or steal a sigh, but he is just close enough to pass them by. This could be interpreted as an expression of his alienation and isolation or as a moment of fleeting connection that is quickly lost.
Line by Line Meaning
High white ways
The tall, bright roads
Shattered by rain
Broken by the downpour of water from the sky
Pale dead walls
Colorless walls that appear lifeless
Nerves pushed in pain
Feeling discomfort and distress to the point of affecting one's nerves
Red light faced
Having a face that appears red from being illuminated by a red light
Mirrors of the dead
Reflecting surfaces that resemble those who have passed away
People in the archways
Individuals standing in the covered entrances
Eyes full of lead
Heavy, slow-moving eyes that convey a sense of tiredness
Always closing down myself
Continuously shutting oneself off from others and the world
Lower sights and never see
Keeping expectations low and intentionally avoiding noticing certain things
Worlds of noise and worlds of light
A multitude of loud sounds and bright displays all around
Expecting not to be
Hoping to go unnoticed and remain hidden
Not close enough for you
Being too distant for others to notice or hear clearly
To hear a breath or steal a sigh
Listening intently for even the slightest sound or sign of emotion
But just close enough for me
Being close enough for the individual to move past and leave behind
To take a step and pass you by
Being able to walk away without being noticed or recognized
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW CASH, PETER CASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind