Kataan’s Nick Thornbury Gives us a Track-By-Track Rundown of Their Crushing Self-Titled EP

Modern death metal duo, Kataan recently dropped their crushing new EP, Kataan, through Prosthetic Records. As we immersed ourselves into Kataan’s atmospheric, dystopian death metal, we asked their guitarist/vocalist Nick Thornbury to talk us through the inspiration behind the songs.

1. “Erase”

“This is easily the most basic, nihilistic song I could think of. I get frustrated… I don’t know, seeing that people have to blind themselves to reality just to make it through life. Personally, I find comfort in not believing in any greater purpose, it forces some real self-reflection, and I have to create my own meaning and reason each day.”

2. “Abyss”

“This is a song about past experiences that will on some level haunt you forever. That terrible thing you said, that mistake you made, that life-altering choice that could have gone another way. I’ll go months or years without thinking about these things, then some random morning I’ll wake up, and in my half-awake state one of these thoughts will come and knock me off my feet again.”

3. “Processor”

“I love the cold and haunting imagery of concrete, machinery, empty industrial buildings…and sometimes it disgusts me. This constant tension between the amazing things we can create and the natural world is something that I can’t quite put into words. Progress is great, but there will obviously be huge costs, and we’ll all have to decide if that’s a good or bad thing. I have no idea, and that is both thrilling and terrifying.”

4. “Vessel”

“‘Every man has two deaths when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name. In some ways, men can be immortal.’ – This quote by Hemingway, damn. This song is dealing with the need to try and make some kind of lasting impact on the world. This is a purely selfish thought on my part. I think the last line kind of sums it up: ‘I fall on my knees and cry into emptiness, please let this be enough.’”

Kataan’s self-titled EP is out now through Prosthetic Records. Pick up your copy here.

Artwork for ‘Kataan’ by Kataan