07-09-2012, 12:33
online listen
I'm scared
Cookie Monster's on this one
growling at me again
only one track where he didn't show
actually some nice Muse/Floyd sounding music/vocals except for that
not my thing but it may be SteveO's
1.1 from me and a converted 2.2 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - Cathedral Walls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRp9xY-ADOw
released Sept 4th, 2012
![[Image: 220px-Swallow_the_Sun_-_Emerald_Forest_a..._cover.jpg]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/19/Swallow_the_Sun_-_Emerald_Forest_and_the_Blackbird_cover.jpg/220px-Swallow_the_Sun_-_Emerald_Forest_and_the_Blackbird_cover.jpg)
Bio - from allmusic
Since they were formed in the spring of 2000 by guitarist Juha Raivio and drummer Pasi Pasanen, Finnish sextet
Swallow the Sun (later completed by vocalist Mikko Kotamäki, guitarist Markus Jämsen, keyboardist Aleksi Munter, and
bassist Matti Honkonen) have made it their mission to reanimate the corpse of classic late-'80s/early-'90s
death/doom -- first via 2003's "Out of the Gloomy Light" demo, and then via their critically acclaimed 2005 full-
length debut, The Morning Never Came.
Album Review - from allmusic
Although they've generally remained sonically true to their melodic death/doom foundations over the course of four-
and-a-half, mostly superlative albums, Finland's Swallow the Sun have also been known to inject a few alien sounds
into the mix now and then, and let's not forget 2008's major risk, the Plague of Butterflies mini-album, which was
composed by commission for a ballet! So after resuming business as (mostly) usual with its follow-up, New Moon, the
Fins' fifth full-length, 2012's Emerald Forest and the Blackbird, proposes to be a concept album about a the morbid
subject of a father burying his only child, and the disorienting flights of madness and reality that ensueâ¦or
perhaps this just reflects the band's vague grasp of the enormity of the endeavor. Luckily, this is where frontman
Mikko Kotamäki's vocal versatility comes in handy, as his equal command of clean melodies, deathly growls, strangled
rasps, plus, on this occasion, baritone narrations and quiet murmurs, really help add manifold emotions to the story
line as it unfolds. Especially memorable turns such as "Hate, Lead the Way", "Hearts Wide Shut," "Of Death and
Corruption" and "Night Will Forgive Us" also show that Swallow the Sun's enduring passion for delivering extreme
contrasts of dark and light is arguably at an all-time high. Like all of the best Swallow the Sun songs past, these
are invariably lush, powerful, cathartic musical statements; rich in texture, multiple emotions, and even nuance,
but we'd be lying to call them revolutionary, or even seriously evolutionary. In fact, the album's only moderate
leap of faith turns out to be its despondent first single, "Cathedral Walls," which pairs Kotamäki with Nightwish
singer Anette Olzon for a lovely duet (the monolithic title track also boasts a female voice in returning
collaborator Aleah Stanbridge) -- yet still takes the precaution of jamming a violent Cookie Monster break halfway
through. Given this overly prudent approach, as well as the relatively failed conceptual binding (deliciously abject
misery being the only universal theme -- but then previous StS albums also had plenty of that), one almost wishes
that Swallow the Sun had dared take a more decisive break from their sound's brutal ingredients, but don't you just
know we'd regret saying that if they actually did? So perhaps there's no other viable way forward for Swallow the
Sun other than diving into the deep end of experimentation -- either to swim in oceans unexplored, or sink to the
bottom with the renewed worship of faithful fans, who merely needed reminding that one should never take a band this
consistently great for granted.
Track Listing
1. Emerald Forest And The Blackbird
2. This Cut Is The Deepest
3. Hate, Lead The Way!
4. Cathedral Walls
5. Hearts Wide Shut
6. Silent Towers
7. Labyrinth of London (Horror Pt. IV)
8. Of Death And Corruption
9. April 14th
10. Night Will Forgive Us
I'm scared
Cookie Monster's on this one
growling at me again
only one track where he didn't show
actually some nice Muse/Floyd sounding music/vocals except for that
not my thing but it may be SteveO's
1.1 from me and a converted 2.2 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - Cathedral Walls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRp9xY-ADOw
released Sept 4th, 2012
Bio - from allmusic
Since they were formed in the spring of 2000 by guitarist Juha Raivio and drummer Pasi Pasanen, Finnish sextet
Swallow the Sun (later completed by vocalist Mikko Kotamäki, guitarist Markus Jämsen, keyboardist Aleksi Munter, and
bassist Matti Honkonen) have made it their mission to reanimate the corpse of classic late-'80s/early-'90s
death/doom -- first via 2003's "Out of the Gloomy Light" demo, and then via their critically acclaimed 2005 full-
length debut, The Morning Never Came.
Album Review - from allmusic
Although they've generally remained sonically true to their melodic death/doom foundations over the course of four-
and-a-half, mostly superlative albums, Finland's Swallow the Sun have also been known to inject a few alien sounds
into the mix now and then, and let's not forget 2008's major risk, the Plague of Butterflies mini-album, which was
composed by commission for a ballet! So after resuming business as (mostly) usual with its follow-up, New Moon, the
Fins' fifth full-length, 2012's Emerald Forest and the Blackbird, proposes to be a concept album about a the morbid
subject of a father burying his only child, and the disorienting flights of madness and reality that ensueâ¦or
perhaps this just reflects the band's vague grasp of the enormity of the endeavor. Luckily, this is where frontman
Mikko Kotamäki's vocal versatility comes in handy, as his equal command of clean melodies, deathly growls, strangled
rasps, plus, on this occasion, baritone narrations and quiet murmurs, really help add manifold emotions to the story
line as it unfolds. Especially memorable turns such as "Hate, Lead the Way", "Hearts Wide Shut," "Of Death and
Corruption" and "Night Will Forgive Us" also show that Swallow the Sun's enduring passion for delivering extreme
contrasts of dark and light is arguably at an all-time high. Like all of the best Swallow the Sun songs past, these
are invariably lush, powerful, cathartic musical statements; rich in texture, multiple emotions, and even nuance,
but we'd be lying to call them revolutionary, or even seriously evolutionary. In fact, the album's only moderate
leap of faith turns out to be its despondent first single, "Cathedral Walls," which pairs Kotamäki with Nightwish
singer Anette Olzon for a lovely duet (the monolithic title track also boasts a female voice in returning
collaborator Aleah Stanbridge) -- yet still takes the precaution of jamming a violent Cookie Monster break halfway
through. Given this overly prudent approach, as well as the relatively failed conceptual binding (deliciously abject
misery being the only universal theme -- but then previous StS albums also had plenty of that), one almost wishes
that Swallow the Sun had dared take a more decisive break from their sound's brutal ingredients, but don't you just
know we'd regret saying that if they actually did? So perhaps there's no other viable way forward for Swallow the
Sun other than diving into the deep end of experimentation -- either to swim in oceans unexplored, or sink to the
bottom with the renewed worship of faithful fans, who merely needed reminding that one should never take a band this
consistently great for granted.
Track Listing
1. Emerald Forest And The Blackbird
2. This Cut Is The Deepest
3. Hate, Lead The Way!
4. Cathedral Walls
5. Hearts Wide Shut
6. Silent Towers
7. Labyrinth of London (Horror Pt. IV)
8. Of Death And Corruption
9. April 14th
10. Night Will Forgive Us
