Defeating The Darkness With NIKLAS SANDIN From KATATONIA

Interview by Kris Peters
Even after more than 30 years, KATATONIA continues to redefine the
emotional spectrum of their genre, effortlessly shifting between
haunting vulnerability and commanding artistry.
With sonic landscapes that evoke dystopia, inner demons, purity,
and beauty alike, the band's upcoming album Nightmares as
Extensions Of The Waking State - out June 6 - stands as a testament
to their enduring brilliance. It is another slab of melodic
heaviness from the Swedish metal outfit, a journey into sonic
bleakness that still manages to offer light and hope amid the
chaos.
HEAVY had a chat with bass player Niklas Sandin to find out
more.
Besides general album questions, we also ask Sandin if, after five
albums now with Katatonia, he is starting to feel more comfortable
with his role in the band.
"I think I'm that kind of person that, of course, I'm comfortable
with the people in the band and everything and finding my place,"
he measured. "But as a musician, I don't think I will ever be
totally comfortable. I think there's always something new to learn,
and I'm always hard on myself, you know, keeping a high standard -
hopefully a high standard (laughs). And so I'm always feeling that
I want to push myself to be even better on the new album or make
things more professional or improve on my live presence and stuff.
I like to keep myself on my toes and not be too comfortable or put
myself in the armchair and not evolve. That would be very, very
boring and not good or fair for anyone. It's been over 15 years
since I did the first live gig with Katatonia, so it would have
been awkward if I didn't feel somewhat comfortable being in the
band (laughs). It would have been 15 very long years."
In the full interview, Niklas dove deeper into Nightmares as
Extensions Of The Waking State musically, discussing the singles
and how they reflect the overall dynamics of the album. We talked
about how the album represents Katatonia moving forward, the
awesome cover and what it depicts, the album title, and its
significance, bringing in two new guitarists for the album cycle,
the overall theme of the album and if it's a body of hope or
despair and more.

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