Mnemosynean - DELUXE Mediabook 2-CD

An extensive collection of rarities and B-sides celebrating the 30th anniversary of the enigmatic dark-prog masters Katatonia.

2CD in deluxe mediabook with artwork by Travis Smith, a band biography by Eleanor Goodman, full lyrics and background on the songs by founding members Anders Nyström and Jonas Renkse as well as other close Katatonia collaborators.

Mnemosynean ranges from 1994's gothic-infused experimental epic Scarlet Heavens to tracks recorded during the sessions for 2016's The Fall of Hearts, and includes tracks from the band's numerous EPs, unused album songs, limited edition specials, cover songs and a number of collaborative remixes.

The title Mnemosynean stands for memories and was chosen because tomb inscriptions dating back to around 400 BC state that the dead could preserve their memories by avoiding drinking from the Lethe and instead drank from the stream that flowed from the lake of Mnemosyne (the goddess of memory).

After a series of doom-inspired releases that quickly established Katatonia as a leading force in the 1990s underground, the Swedes gained true notoriety after a transition to a more metallic, sleek, dark and depressive rock style (fully incorporating concepts of urban and social decay, but also retaining some of the defining characteristics of their early repertoire, such as the melancholy-tinged and instantly identifiable melodic guitar leads).