Light is at the end of the tunnel for Swallow the Sun.
With Shining, their ninth album, Juha Raivio (guitar, Hallatar, ex-Trees of Eternity), Matti Honkonen (bass), Mikko Kotamäki (vocals, Kuolemanlaakso, Hedonihil, ex-Barren Earth), Juuso Raatikainen (drums, Hedonihil, Endless Forms Most Gruesome) and Juho Räihä (guitar, Before the Dawn, Hedonihil, Gloria Morti) continue their partnership with Century Media Records, the label that has accompanied them for almost ten years.
Innocence Was Long Forgotten‘s soaring melodies immediately sweep us into their comforting whirlwind, before the clean vocal parts take over, formalizing the band’s softer approach. The instrumental will bring back the heaviness in due course, but also the darkness, as on What I Have Become, where the growl reappears, offering both aggression and a heavier atmosphere in duality, particularly on the final where the two voices come together. MelancHoly picks up on some of this contrast, but toning down the rawer elements to offer refined harmonics and a short passage of saturated vocals at the end of this short track, which gives way to Under the Moon & Sun, where the band once again offers a very delicate sound. The mix remains crystal-clear, however, allowing us to appreciate every note before the growls energize the riffs welcoming the solo, then the final chorus fades out to let Khold plunge us back into a more tense atmosphere. Saturated vocals predominate on this track, which revives the band’s earlier influences, both in terms of power and anxiety, before November Dust presents its leads and deep vocals with solemn melancholy. The dissonant rhythm remains harmonious at all times, even during the denser parts, and then Velvet Chains returns to this ambient minimalism, backed by a few female backing vocals. The track is fairly short and leans towards Post-Rock, as does Tonight Pain Believes, which is also fairly succinct, but features some heavier parts. Doom captivates us once again with Charcoal Sky, awakening the vocalist’s macabre vocals, which fit perfectly with this anguished climate and jerky riffs, before the album enters its longest track, entitled Shining, which ties together all the elements that characterize the band’s identity on this album. We move from a thick, tortured rhythm to very calm choruses where only a few clear notes dance with the vocalist, before transforming into long, penetrating laments when the growl energizes the mix.
Swallow the Sun continues its sonic evolution with Shining, daring to incorporate elements that one would readily associate with the Post and almost Shoegaze scene. And yet, the heavy and dark Doom roots are always present, popping up by surprise to captivate us once again. Don’t settle for just one listen.
85/100