Swedish melancholic progressive metal band Katatonia is exclusively premiering the second video from its upcoming album, The Fall of Hearts (May 20, Peaceville Records), today on Billboard.com. The clip is for the album track “Serein,” whose title guitarist Anders Nystrom says means “when rain falls but you can’t see any cloud.”
“It’s a cryptic metaphor” for the song’s title, he explains, adding, “You’ll never really get [what it means] out of me.”
The clip is in a quasi-lyric video format. Watch the video below:
Per Google Translate, the French word “serein” means “serene” or “placid.” Such inscrutable messages have long been part of the mystique that has contributed to the longevity of the band, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Singer Jonas Renske doesn’t shed much more light on the song, saying only, “‘Serein’ is one of the more straight-forward songs on the album, very guitar-driven, quite upbeat but still packed with emotion. Looking forward to trying this one out live!”
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“Serein” was preceded on March 30 by the lyric video for “Old Heart Falls,” which was directed by Lasse Hoile (Anathema, Steven Wilson). Renske said in a statement about that video, “A song with lush textures, distinct dynamics and a memorable chorus are the trademarks to some of the most beloved Katatonia songs. ‘Old Heart Falls’ substantiates all of those attributes, but is not by any means defining the album as a whole. There is more to come…”
[Editor’s note: This has been updated with a corrected quote from Anders Nystrom.]