KATATONIA: Nightmares Worth Leaving Home For With NIKLAS SANDIN

Interview by Ali Williams
KATATONIA return to Australia this October with Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State and crowds that can span several generations. The Australian run starts at Crowbar in Brisbane on October 7, with Atticus Chimps and PARHELION supporting. Released on June 6, 2025, the record is the thirteenth studio album from the Stockholm band whose music has expanded from death/doom into gothic and progressive music. When bass player Niklas Sandin spoke with HEAVY even he acknowledged the demands of saying the album title aloud. “It’s kind of a tongue twister,” he laughed. The group remain enthusiastic about touring the album, with Australian listeners next to hear the songs after the Japanese and New Zealand dates.
Those listeners cover a considerable age range. Sandin describes crowds stretching from people only just old enough to attend through to fans in their seventies and eighties. “It’s a big, big variety, and a lovely mix of people,” he says. Decades can separate their birthdays without anyone needing to explain why they are still going to gigs. He appreciates how concerts allow people with different values and backgrounds to enjoy something together, and extends that observation across live music. A shared interest gives people who might never otherwise meet a reason to talk. Sandin is amused by the reverse situation in sport, where people who get along perfectly well can suddenly fall out over the team someone supports. Enjoying a band together seems a considerably more pleasant way to spend the evening.
Full interview and write up heavymag.com.au




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