Ah so it was the moon that swallowed the sun…or was it? One question that is a little easier to answer is whether or not these Finns are capable of releasing a bad album, and if we’re going purely on their existing musical output leaving the crystal ball out of the equation then the answer is a resounding No. Swallow The Sun are fast becoming one of the top names the death-doom genre has to offer, and New Moon once again shows Mikko Kotamaki and co. bear their heart and soul and produce what is an incredibly honest album. As with previous albums, this isn’t going to please those of you with a short attention span as it isn’t the sort of album to reveal itself to you in an instant. Truth be told, this didn’t blow me away on first listen but remembering the effort it took me to get into the magnificent Hope album I persevered and most importantly told myself not to be tempted to review this one until it had passed by my ear canals at least a dozen times for it to sink in, and as expected it suddenly all clicked into place and there was no looking back.

At the heart of the music lie some really strong and sturdy melodies that, once they have worked their way inside you, will pull up a cushion and make themselves well and truly at home. This is especially true of the Katatonia-esque ‘Falling World’ which has a nice crunch to the riffage, while the clean vocals here are both seductive and beautiful. As the lyrics suggest, this kind of lends you to close your eyes and just feel the melody draw you in as all but the tiniest glimmer of hope slips through to the bottom of the mix. Truly this is the kind of album you listen to when you’re not especially high in spirits, which I’m sure existing STS fans will be delighted to hear. ‘And Heavens Cried Blood’ really weeps; it’s filled with sorrow and yet offers an uplifting surge of hope. With its piano led intro this track begins kind of like a reflection, opening with an air of mystery not allowing one to know what to expect; these melt against layers of bendy guitars that soon overpower all else with their overwhelming thickness.

There’s something almost lullaby-esque about ‘Sleepless Swans’ with its hypnotic melody, and there’s definitely a swan-like elegance to this one which moves gracefully along the water, reflecting through slow, maudlin tones until mid way it all seems to be stricken by tragedy. One gets the feeling of swans sailing into sudden glutinous waters tainted by oil and suddenly there’s a futile struggle as the grim reaper comes for their avian souls. ‘Lights On The Lake’ is, in a word, stunning. The gossamer vocals of Aleah (also of Trees Of Eternity – link below) trail a soft light across the surface which really lends an eeriness that contrasts against the deathliness of the more powerful sections of the track. Arguably this is my personal favourite on the album, but then there are some extremely close contenders.

As ever, the dynamics are spot on and on tracks like ‘Sleeping Swans’ the high pitched guitars lull you into a soporific state that soothes the soul, while the intense despairing vocals attempt to crush it down. ‘Servant Of Sorrow’ is quite an upbeat number by doom standards and this has some huge riffs which are shrouded by winding melodies. You can really feel the ‘Weight Of The Dead’ pulling you down on the final track, which is apocalyptically devastating. A creepy aura is laid down here which seems to lurk beneath the surface as guitars steamroll over everything. There is something almost mournful about this as it leads you out, and really rounds things off nicely. To finish off, I also love the artwork and layout for the inlay and each little picture kind of tells a story. Another fine effort from these Finnish doomsters.

http://www.myspace.com/swallowthesundoom
http://www.myspace.com/treesofeternityofficial

Luci Herbert

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