📅 Interview Date: May 2025
🎤 Interviewer: Jai That Aussie Metal Guy
🎸 Guest: Niklas Sandin (Bass – Katatonia)
📺 Watch the Interview Below! 👇
Swedish masters of melancholic metal, Katatonia, are back with what may be one of their most emotionally charged and musically daring records to date. Titled Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State, their 13th studio album is set to drop on June 6, 2025 via Napalm Records, and it’s a haunting, beautiful plunge into the spaces between consciousness and chaos.
Ahead of the release, Jai That Aussie Metal Guy caught up with longtime bassist Niklas Sandin for a deep dive into the making of the album, the band’s evolving sound, and what it’s been like ushering in a new era for Katatonia.
🎧 “There’s a lot of emotional weight to this one,” Niklas shared. “It’s heavier, darker in parts, but also really dynamic—it opens doors we hadn’t walked through before.”
🔥 Nightmares That Resonate
Recorded between a converted church in rural Sweden and their Stockholm studio, Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State sees Katatonia pushing boundaries with thunderous riffs, ambient synths, and some of the most atmospheric production of their career. The record marks the introduction of new guitarists Nico Elgstrand and Sebastian Svalland, who inject fresh fire into the band’s DNA without losing what fans love about the Katatonia sound.
From the crushing beauty of “Thrice” to the pop-laced doom of “Warden”, and the ambient Swedish-language track “Efter Solen”, the album proves that over three decades in, Katatonia is still evolving—fearlessly.
💿 Pre-Order Katatonia’s New Album
🎧 Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State
📆 Out June 6, 2025 via Napalm Records
🎵 Features the singles “Thrice,” “Lilac,” “Wind of No Change,” and more.
👉 Pre-order now via Napalm Records
🎥 Watch the Full Interview Now
👇 Click below to check out the full conversation with Niklas Sandin as he and Jai That Aussie Metal Guy talk all things Katatonia, nightmares, and the evolution of a modern metal institution. 👇
