ALBUM REVIEW: Swallow the Sun - Shining

Few bands bring despair, melancholic beauty and heartache that Finns Swallow the Sun have managed for nearly quarter of a century. With each album, there appears a natural progression, which sees them evolve in an organic way, never forced, and with an ever-growing appreciation from fans both old and new. Following on from 2021’s stunning Moonflower, Swallow the Sun bring us their latest and ninth album. 

Ten songs, that span 50 minutes, switch from six-minute songs that grab the emotions to shorter blasts which remind you that underneath the beauty lurks a distinctly heavy metal band who can open the riff factory and let loose. A new moment for the band appears with the arrival of two-time Grammy nominee producer Dan Lancaster, best known for work with Bring Me the Horizon, Muse, Don Broco and Blink 182. A departure for him, and for the band. The result is something a bit special for fans of this genre. 

I’ve seen a few edgelords commenting that this isn’t as gripping or classic as previous albums. I’m never going to get involved in a big debate on this type of challenge, for music is most definitely something personal and subjective. For me, this is an album crafted for winter, for repeated plays, and something that pulls at emotions in different ways and at different times. Opener Innocence Was Long Forgotten is the ideal beginning. It’s a moody, dark track, pierced by some searing guitar work that compliments the beautiful vocals of Mikko Kotamäki. Underpinning songs with layered synths is something that the band have shown progression with over the years, and they provide the intro to What Have I Become, which features ferocious death growls before easing back into calmer waters. Exploring intrinsic values of being human, the contrast of purity and beauty which is lost and the struggle and disillusionment of human interactions. 

It’s a rollercoaster of a ride, demonstrating the high levels of artistry that exist within the band. And it’s that quality that separates bands like Swallow the Sun from the flotsam. Tracks like MelancHoly and the jaw dropping arrangements on Under the Moon & Sun, once more utilising croaking rasps in addition to the clarity of the clean vocals, which make you stop in your tracks. This is spellbinding stuff.

Badged as death doom by many, there are tracks where the icy tendrils of black metal extend their reach. Kold is a harrowing example, the harmonics that thread through the song combine with a deliciously dangerous melody and another mix of vocal styles that send the shivers up and down the spine. Plenty of heavy riffs as well, don’t for one minute think this is some soft rock release; far from it. And there probably isn’t as addictive a track released in 2024 as the pounding Charcoal Sky, penultimate song on the release, and one that instantly claws into the brain and demands attention. It’s rare to use the word groove in such a genre, but that’s exactly what we get here, and the venomous lyrical delivery merely enhances the song. 

Of course, with several of the songs short in length than one might expect from this band, it’s something of a relief to find the title track is a mighty nine-minutes long. A sprawling and carefully carved epic, one couldn’t ask for and a powerful finale to an album that cements, should they need any cementing, this band in the top tier of heavy metal bands for the modern age.

Shining is released on 18th October via Century Media.

Review by Hutch