Covenant’s ‘Leaving Babylon’ turns 13 on 6 September
Covenant released “Leaving Babylon” on 6 September 2013 in Europe through Dependent Records, followed by a 10 September US release on Metropolis.
Covenant released its ninth studio album, “Leaving Babylon”, on 6 September 2013 through Dependent Records in Europe (catalogue reference MINd 214/215). The album turns 13 this year. Metropolis Records issued it in the United States on 10 September 2013. Eskil Simonsson handled vocals and composition, with Daniel Jonasson on keys and vocoder, Andreas Catjar on keys and guitar, and Joakim Montelius contributing lyrics and patterns.
Daniel Myer, who had left the band’s studio lineup after 2011’s “Modern Ruin” to focus on his own projects, still co-wrote the opening title track with Simonsson. “Leaving Babylon” was Andreas Catjar’s first album with Covenant.
What is on Covenant’s ‘Leaving Babylon’
The album runs 10 tracks: “Leaving Babylon”, “Thy Kingdom Come”, “Last Dance”, “Prime Movers”, “I Walk Slow”, “For Our Time”, “Ignorance & Bliss”, “Auto (Circulation)”, “Not To Be Here” and “Leaving Babylon II”. The record was released across CD, a limited digipak CD edition, and vinyl in Europe, plus CD and digital editions through Metropolis in the US.
About Covenant
Covenant formed in Helsingborg, Sweden, in 1986, founded by Eskil Simonsson, Joakim Montelius and Clas Nachmanson. The band’s early EBM and future pop sound, shaped by acts including Front 242 and Kraftwerk, first reached record through the 1994 debut “Dreams of a Cryotank”, followed by “Sequencer” (1996) and “Europa” (1998). “United States of Mind” (2000) and “Northern Light” (2002) extended the band’s international reach, with “Northern Light” carrying the single “Bullet”. Daniel Myer joined for “Skyshaper” (2006) and “In Transit” (2007) before those studio duties eventually passed on.
“Modern Ruin” followed in 2011, and “Leaving Babylon” arrived in 2013 as the first Covenant album with Andreas Catjar in the lineup. The band’s next studio album, “The Blinding Dark”, was released in 2016 through Dependent Records, covered here in Covenant – The Blinding Dark (CD Album – Dependent Records) and in the release interview Covenant: “The Blinding Dark” – release interview and tour updates.
Andreas Catjar-Danielsson, who played keys and guitar on both “Leaving Babylon” and “The Blinding Dark”, died on 29 July 2024 after a long illness, reported in Andreas Catjar-Danielsson (Covenant) has lost battle against cancer. Covenant later issued the charity release “Andreas EP” through Dependent Records in his memory, covered in Covenant charity release ‘Andreas EP’ out now on Dependent Records.
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!
