OCTOBER TIDE's Fredrik Norrman (ex-Katatonia), co-founder and guitarist of the Swedish, melodic death metal group, reports that the band has been writing songs for their sixth studio album, follow-up to 'Winged Waltz' from 2016, and has booked a studio for the end of November, to start the recording process.
Norrman commented: 'We havn’t made much noise about this so far, but we have written a bunch of songs latley. In fact, we have almost a whole album more or less finished'.
The plans are to have the album - whose mixing and mastering duties will be handeled by Karl Daniel Liden (Bloodbath, Katatonia, Cult Of Luna) - completed by late January, and released on Agonia Records in spring 2019.
OCTOBER TIDE's last live appearance took place in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) on October 26th. Shortly before the recording sessions, the band will travel south to Bucharest (Romania), where they'll perform at the Metal Gates Festival with Rotting Christ, Shining and Draconian. Whilst recording the album, they'll play a show at December Doom Festival in Vantaa (Finland), with plans to do a special setlist from their debut release,'Rain Without End'.
Formed in 1995 by Katatonia members, Jonas Renkse and Fred Norrman, OCTOBER TIDE spawned two, now-cult releases, 'Rain Without End' (1997) and 'Grey Dawn' (1999), before going on hiatus for over eleven years. Reunited in 2009, the Swedes released three studio albums: 'A Thin Shell' (2010), 'Tunnel Of No Light' (2013) and 'Winged Waltz' (2016), all of which featured exceptional guitar work, on top of the band's emotional touch on death metal.
Upcoming shows:
2018-11-17: Bucharest @ Metal Gates Festival, ROM
2018-12-01: Vantaa @ December Doom Festival, FIN
2018-12-07: Göteborg @ Sticky Fingers, SWE
ONLINE
LINEUP
Alexander Högbom | vocals
Fredrik Norrman | guitars
Jonas Sköld | drums
Johan Jönsegård | bass
Mattias Norrman | guitars
BIOGRAPHY
OCTOBER TIDE originated with a 1995 demo tape created by KATATONIA members Jonas Renkse and Fred Norrman. Much of the material was written during a break-up of KATATONIA (which would end up being only temporary). In 1997 the two signed to VIC Records to release their debut, "Rain Without End". In 1999 OCTOBER TIDE would release their second and last album entitled "Grey Dawn" which had Mårten Hansen (of A CANOROUS QUINTET) replacing Renkse on vocal duties.
The album received much deserved praise from fans and the media alike. Renkse and Norrman made a decision to not grant interviews nor tour whatsoever, which resulted in short lived public profile. These two albums continue to live on in the underground community and are widely regarded as two treasures to result from the temporary break-up of KATATONIA.
Despite staunchly refusing the notion of future material for an astounding 11 years, OCTOBER TIDE returned in 2010 with ”A Thin Shell”, a new full-length masterpiece released through Candlelight Records.
Recorded at Black Lounge studios with producer Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY) and featuring artwork by Travis Smith (OPETH, TESTAMENT etc) "A Thin Shell" delivers what fans have anxiously awaited from this treasured band. Seven doom-laden and emotive songs that are every bit as heavy as they are catchy fill the impressive recording that officially closes the band’s self-imposed, decade-long hiatus.
After the release of “A Thin Shell” the band toured heavily playing shows and festivals from Finland in the north to Spain in the south and from Ireland in the west to Slovenia in the east.
In early 2012 OCTOBER TIDE parted ways with both the vocalist and bassist due to family and musical reasons and new members in form of Mattias Norrman (ex-KATATONIA) and Alexander Högbom (VOLTURYON, SPASMODIC) were quickly recruited.
Some weeks during the fall 2012 were spent at Black Lounge studios recording ”Tunnel of no Light”, OCTOBER TIDE’s anticipated fourth album which was released in April 2013 through the bands new label home, Pulverised Records.
Following the release OCTOBER TIDE played several shows & festivals all over Europe securing themselves as one of the leading European death/doom bands.
In the fall of 2015 OCTOBER TIDE recorded their latest album, “Winged Waltz”, which was released on April 22, 2016 through Agonia Records, their new label partner. The album has received outstanding reviews and is hailed as their most powerful and well-thought release so far, a true masterpiece of melodic and melancolic doom/death!
DISCOGRAPHY
Rain Without End - 1997
Grey Dawn - 1999
A Thin Shell - 2010
Tunnel of No Light - 2013
Winged Waltz - 2016