Hardly any other band is able to look back on such an eventful and diverse past as the Swedish trio TIAMAT. At the time when what used to be a rough extreme metal band was gaining its first tour experience as supporting act for Unleashed, it could not be predicted that such a beautiful butterfly would hatch out and enthuse the world in 1994 with its successful album, “Wildhoney”. This masterpiece of Gothic metal which impressed with a feeling for the melody, paired with deep abysses remained in the German charts for a period of 10 weeks, where it reached position 29. After TIAMAT reinforced their reputation as an excellent live band when they appeared as supporting act for Type O Negative, they commenced their triumphant progress throughout Europe in 1995 as a Headliner, appearing amongst others at such renowned festival institutions as Dynamo, Roskilde, Hultsfeld, Wacken and the WDR Rocknacht (from German television). In the same year, their career reached an additional peak with them touring the USA with the metal legends Black Sabbath and Motörhead. They subsequently gave 60 concerts in Europe as the supporting act for Black Sabbath. In order to achieve their next developmental stage, the Swedes retired for a certain period of time, so that nothing was heard of them in 1996. However, it was to be shown that it was more than worth waiting then as their stroke of genius, “A Deeper Kind Of Slumber” saw the light of day, this adult combination between the non-melodramatic Gothic metal and psychedelic Pink Floyd elements not only produced amazed faces everywhere but also opened new doors to the mainstream and alternative scene. Guest performances at numerous European Festivals such as Graspop, Zillo, Visions, Hultsfeld, Strange Noise or With Full Force finally culminated in the Headliner position at the legendary Dynamo Festival. TIAMAT then went on an extensive Headliner tour throughout Europe before they took a break lasting almost two years. During this long time, their creative frontman Johan Edlund not only carried out a successful remix of Rammstein’s "Stripped”, but also perfected the extraordinary and highly individual band sound.

The decisive difference between “Skeleton Skeletron” and the previous albums was described by the songwriter, singer and guitar player Johan Edlund. The development is mirrored in his own journey through life, which since the production of “A Deeper Kind Of Slumber” has drawn him out of the deep Swedish forests and into the pulsating metropolis of Dortmund. When he left for Bali at the beginning of this year in order to write lyrics, he returned with empty hands as he realised that “Skeleton Skeletron” only lives and breathes on the city asphalt, but not on the exotic beaches of some far-off paradise.

He makes the urban influences audible by the use of guitar music which is harder when compared with “A Deeper Kind Of Slumber” and the will to produce driving rock songs in a crisp format which lasts max. 5 minutes. However, these influences become clear through an exact observation of the reality on the streets of modern cities: keyboards with the best sounds of the eighties blink for a short period in the songs as in cheap neon signs and the laconic love stories spread itself out over a successful tribute to other artistes such as Tom Waits or Nick Cave ("Best Friend Money Can Buy"). The longing for the other natural world which he explicitly allowed to flow into his art on the last two albums only forms the basis on “Skeleton Skeletron” which provide the songs with a melancholic distance to their rock aspects. By rejecting the opulent sound creations on the last album, it becomes clear that one thing has is of utmost importance for TIAMAT: the good song. During the production, which Edlund realised and tested with the producer Dirk Dräger in the Woodhouse Studio, Hagen, it increasingly emerged that more focus should be placed on the work with Anders Iwers and Lars Skold, instead of merely on Edlund´s composing skill. The individual songs are to organically grow and each of the foundations introduced by the band remained untouched throughout the complete lengthy studio production. Meanwhile, the atmospheric elements which still dominate on “A Deeper Kind Of Slumber” searched for their own niches between the reefs. It can be audibly noticed that they feel comfortable there as “Skeleton Skeletron” is not a break with the past.

It is exactly this logical and above all, consequent further development of TIAMAT´s inimitable sound makes this band so versatile and each of their records exciting. “Skeleton Skeletron” is an album that one should hear when the last summer of this century is in the process of taking its leave.