Hailing from the land of the midnight sun, Swedens We Are The Catalyst was formed in November of 2012 with the intent goal of being a light in the dark for those who need it the most. And being from a part of the world where half of the year is spent in darkness, it´s not odd that their sound is often melancholic in style. The name “We Are The Catalyst” is meant as encouragement to overcome and challenge the darker parts of ourselves and others, to invite the listeners to keep fighting in a rough and dark world, and try to encourage them to be their best self, even when it might seem hopeless. They have been described as many things, among others Alternative Metal, Emotional Rock, Metalcore, Electronic Rock, Pop Metal, Dark Rock, etc, all blended into a unique mix with a strong modern feel.
The members Cat Fey , Kenny Boufadene, Joni Kaartinen and Håkan Strind spent years touring with their former band, the Modern Metal act One Without (sharing bills with Dead By April, Evergrey, Katatonia and more, as well as releasing albums on Lifeforce Records and other labels) and have channeled their skills and passion into We Are The Catalyst. After doing their first live show in March of 2015, the band embarked on a 10 day tour of China, being specially invited to perform at the prestigious “Sound of the Xity” music expo in Beijing, as well as playing stand-alone shows and Chinas biggest music festival “Strawberry Festival” in Shanghai, where WATC headlined the “Planet Stage”.
In June of 2015 WATC won first prize in a competition organized by Metal Hammer, Bloodstock and the Dutch Symphonic Metal band Delain, where the prize was to perform at Bloodstock Open Air, with bands like Trivium, Sabaton, Within Temptation and more, as well as opening for Delain at their Birmingham show on their UK tour. This coincided with WATC doing their first UK headline tour of 13 shows in October/November. In December WATC returned to the UK for the third time that year, now headlining the second stage at the festival “Planet Rockstock” with bands like The Darkness, FM and Rival Sons. In the last couple of years, We Are The Catalyst songs on streaming services like Spoify, Deezer etc. has been listened to over 3 million times with no label backing involved.
In 2017 We Are The Catalyst signed a management deal with Perfection Management in California. They are a management/consulting company formed by Phil Quartararo (former CEO of Warner Music Group and EMI as well as Co-founder of Virgin) Grammy winning producer Bob Cutarella, and Chris Carlucci (ex-Universal) They also co-manage Linkin Park and are retained consultants for U2, Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, The Coronas, Paula Abdul and others.
The band’s debut EP from 2013, Panem Et Circenses, was a critical and fan favorite, earning the band spots on several major soundtracks and video airplay in over 20 countries. Considering their pedigree, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Released worldwide by Ferocity Records, it hit harder, it soared higher, and it cut just a little bit deeper. Case in point was their single for “Don’t You Worry Child,” a blunt assessment of the heartbreaking truths surrounding child abuse in the world and the steps that we can all take to help end this terrible affliction.
At the start of the music video for the single none other than talk-show legend Jerry Springer is addressing the viewer with a request to help raise funds, as all profits from the single go to The Fostering Network and helping children in need find loving homes.With their album “Elevation”, released on September 2nd of 2016, the band took their sound to a new level. Darker, heavier and more emotional while still maintaining the WATC trademark melodic modern sound.
UK rock & metal promoter Matt Seddon said of WATC and the album “Elevation”: “We Are The Catalyst are a shining light in the rock and metal world right now. It´s rare to find a band who can hook you and captivate you as well as this band do. By combining soaring vocal lines and catchy melodies, We Are The Catalyst have set the benchmark for modern metal bands – providing an intense and awe inspiring listening experience that will have you begging for more. Their new album Elevation is going to take the world by force!”
We Are The Catalyst is on radio rotation with the tracks – “Delusion” and “One More Day”.
We Are The Catalyst is:
Cat Fey – Vocals
Kenny Boufadene – Guitars & Vocals
Håkan Strind – Drums
Joni Kaartinen – Bass
OFFICIAL LINKS:
http://www.watcofficial.bandcamp.com
http://www.wearethecatalystofficial.com
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/we-are-the-catalyst/582847799
http://www.facebook.com/watcofficial
http://www.youtube.com/watcofficial
https://open.spotify.com/artist/06q1JEvxIDhmuBnDj0V6qw
http://www.twitter.com/officialwatc
