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/: :\
/:: Artist :: Swallow the Sun ::\
:: Album :: Shining ::
:: Year :: 2024 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Metal Source :: CD . ::
:: Label :: Urubuz Records R.date :: 2024-12-18 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: UBZ#231 S.date :: 2024-08-18 __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 262kbps :..
. Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo .
. Size :: 98.22 MB .
. .
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 1. Innocence Was Long Forgotten 4:22 ::
:: 2. What I Have Become 4:08 ::
:: 3. MelancHoly 3:40 ::
:: 4. Under the Moon & Sun 6:11 ::
:: 5. Kold 3:49 ::
:: 6. November Dust 6:17 ::
:: 7. Velvet Chains 3:19 ::
:: 8. Tonight Pain Believes 4:16 ::
:: 9. Charcoal Sky 4:50 ::
:: 10. Shining 8:52 ::
:: ::
:: ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 49:44 ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: Okay, letÆs get this off my chest right off the bat. When the ::
:: news about Dan Lancaster being the producer of the new SWALLOW ::
:: THE SUN album first caught my attention, I honestly did not ::
:: know what to think of it. I mean, it took me quite a long time ::
:: to get my head around the new sound of, say, BRING ME THE ::
:: HORIZON, to which he made a hefty contribution production-wise. ::
:: Here, we werenÆt talking about MUSE or BLINK-182 but the grand ::
:: masters of Finnish death-doom, for fuckÆs sake! Yeah, sure, the ::
:: band has been expanding their sound into lighter and somewhat ::
:: more Gothic realms for quite some time already and the results ::
:: have been poignantly impressive with each new installment. ::
:: Still, when the first single, ôInnocence Was Long Forgotten,ö ::
:: was released ahead of the album, in the summer, I must admit to ::
:: having approached it with extra caution. While the song turned ::
:: out to be a majestic beast, featuring all the signature quirks ::
:: of these gloomsters, the use of AutoTune, for example, filled ::
:: me with a subtle sense of foreboding. IÆm not categorically ::
:: against the idea of bands refining their signature sound but, ::
:: frankly, I wasnÆt really sure that going for the mainstreamish ::
:: pop-metal aesthetic would suit this band particularly well. So, ::
:: when the bandÆs ninth studio album, ôShining,ö came out on ::
:: October 18th, 2024, via Century Media, I approached it with ::
:: even more caution. What if this endeavor would turn out to be ::
:: the first-ever SWALLOW THE SUN outing to disappoint me?! That ::
:: would be something completely unheard of, considering what a ::
:: gut punch of an album the previous effort, ôMoonflowers,ö ::
:: (2021) was, let alone the fact that this band boasts one hell ::
:: of a flawless back catalog. ::
:: ::
:: The first summer single opens the album with an almost ::
:: schlager-like mood, albeit one thatÆs remarkably dark and ::
:: Gothic. The first thing that made me prick my ears when the ::
:: single came out was the somewhat slicker and more polished ::
:: overall sound. The melodies do resonate with the familiar ::
:: SWALLOW THE SUN aura and the mood is very similar to the ::
:: lighter tracks on their 2019 album ôWhen a Shadow is Forced ::
:: into the Light.ö Still, the production û the AutoTuned vocals ::
:: in the chorus, in particular û felt a bit strange, at first, to ::
:: be honest. Now, having conditioned myself to the new sound, the ::
:: initial shock has worn off and the song has grown onto me ::
:: rather nicely. The song has a good pinch of KATATONIA infused ::
:: in its wistful melodies, a bit like ôThis Cut is the Deepestö ::
:: had on their 2012 album ôEmerald Forest and the Black Bird.ö ::
:: ::
:: The album opener is followed by the next single, ôWhat Have I ::
:: Become,ö and I guess it was placed as the second track û as ::
:: well as released as the second single û because it features ::
:: some harsh vocals and heavier riffs almost as if to remind us ::
:: that û no! û SWALLOW THE SUN isnÆt going pop all the way! ::
:: Peculiarly enough, the chorus is one of the catchiest on the ::
:: album, and the more I listen to it, the more convinced I become ::
:: that this is one of the tightest bangers in this selection. The ::
:: balance between the catchy choruses and heavier stuff is just ::
:: pristine. It sure helps that, in the growled vocal department, ::
:: vocalist Mikko KotamΣki is one of the most impressive metal ::
:: vocalists around. ::
:: ::
:: Next, released as the third single, ôMelancHolyö gears up on ::
:: the pop aesthetic even more. The atmospheric verses traverse ::
:: familiar waters and, yet, there is a glimmer of hope, both in ::
:: the melodies and the lyrics, that shines perhaps a few notches ::
:: brighter than what we have been accustomed to when it comes to ::
:: this death-doom squad. Upon the release of this album, I came ::
:: across some YouTube reaction videos in which people claimed ::
:: that it was next to impossible to listen through those earlier ::
:: albums in one go because the heaviness is so opaque, whereas ::
:: this new endeavor is much less challenging in this respect. ::
:: Well, IÆve never had that problem but, then again, IÆm a Finn. ::
:: During the first couple of spins, I must admit that I slightly ::
:: missed that impenetrable heaviness now and then but, to give ::
:: credit where it is due, this new lighter aesthetic does suit ::
:: the band rather well. The songcraft hasnÆt changed that much û ::
:: the melodies still resonate thick with the bandÆs signature ::
:: aura and the balance between the light and the dark works ::
:: wonders. ::
:: ::
:: Perhaps a little disclaimer is in order here û old-school fans ::
:: need not fear that the band has gone awry altogether. At its ::
:: lightest, this new album showcases the band reaching such ::
:: lightness that we havenÆt experienced before despite all the ::
:: lighter tracks on those previous albums. The heavier stuff ::
:: might not come off just as heavy as the band used to be û not ::
:: at first, at least û but there are plenty of heavy riffs and ::
:: growls, too. ôCharcoal Sky,ö for one, nods toward the ::
:: black-metal aesthetic rather remarkably, almost as if to drive ::
:: the point home that SWALLOW THE SUN still arenÆt pulling any ::
:: punches. ::
:: ::
:: I heard that the band calls their new endeavor ôthe Black Album ::
:: of Death Doomö and they could be right on the money û their new ::
:: sound is remarkably more radio-friendly and will probably lure ::
:: a wealth of new fans while rubbing some of the older fans the ::
:: wrong way, just like that colossal METALLICA offering did back ::
:: in 1991. I sure wish that SWALLOW THE SUNæs new effort will ::
:: prove just as influential and successful because, letÆs be ::
:: frank here, after the initial shock, this new, softer approach ::
:: actually sounds pretty damn good. I guess it speaks volumes ::
:: about the bandÆs songcraft. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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