While I’ve seen Swallow The Sun a couple times and have enjoyed the songs I’ve heard, I was completely unaware that they’ve released nine albums, with their debut coming out more than 20 years ago. and while I have albums by Trees of Eternity and Barren Earth, I’ve never listened to a full album until now. and I’m so glad that I did. The Finnish quintet pack so many emotions into the music, but I guess that’s required when, anecdotally, Finnish does not lend itself to being an emotional language.

The album commences with the beautifully entitled “Innocence Was Long Forgotten”, where Juha Raivio and Juho Räihä’s mesmerising guitars are only eclipsed by Mikko Kotamäki’s sweetly sung vocals, while Juuso Raatikainen’s drumming adds the heaviness required, with the help of Matti Honkonen’s bass, but also the lightest touch when that’s all that’s called for.

A lovely chunky guitar riff ushers in “What I Have Become”, but then it fades gently to have you kicked in the gut by a growled roar, and once that is replaced by serene piano the clean vocals come in, only for the heavy guitars to return accompanied by the growls this time. The way the melodies and heaviness weave and fight for dominance is only outshone by Juuso’s footwork for the final 30s of the song.

Living up to its name, “MelancHoly” is a very subdued affair, and even when the guitars get heavier, they still retain their unaggressive air, which is perhaps emphasised by the melodic nature of the vocals.

Even slower still is “Under the Moon and the Sun”, where the ultra-slow tempo uses the keyboards flowing under the guitars to bring additional melodies to the fore. When the guitars build up, it’s only in volume and not speed or intensity to add to the mournfulness of the song.

When the death growls ensue on “Kold”, it’s a bit of a surprise because the melodic nature of the song had me expecting clean vocals first, but they too make an appearance for the choruses, along with some female vocals, to add a depth that contrasts perfectly with the anger in the verses, while the lead solo is impressive to say the least.

“November Dust” is soft and doomy with an eerie crackle over the piano into, but when the guitars come in to replace it, it crisps up nicely as the thrum of the bass complements Mikko’s deep baritone, before the meandering lead solo elevates the mood for the final third of the song.

While I’d like to think that “Velvet Chains” was written with Aleah in mind, I’m not finding any details of who actually sings with Juuso on the track, as the exquisite female vocals tug at heartstrings over the piano and guitar.

Ultra doomy with a goth tinge is “Tonight Pain Believes”, but suddenly the guitars intensify for the chorus before fading back to leave the bass and piano to accompany the vocals.

Picking up the tempo nicely with a chuggy rhythm and plenty of growls is “Charcoal Sky”, but once the guitars are replaced by a slow bass and drum melody, the clean vocals come in with a gaiety that belies the heavy growls that shall be returning in a moment only to have a lead wind its way towards the end of the song.

The album wraps things up with the nine-minute opus and title track “Shining”, where the song goes from melo-death to acapella along with a whole host of other emotional phases that are encapsulated perfectly in the lead solo over blasting that becomes a trippy sounding acoustic and vocal duet.

The more you listen, the more you hear on this album, and I’m constantly surprised by the little things that just keep slipping in.

(8/10 Marco Gaminara)

https://www.facebook.com/swallowthesun

https://centurymedia.bandcamp.com/album/shining-24-bit-hd-audio