Swallow the Sun have been on a slow, steady arc of evolution since their early days of crushing doom-death. Over the years their overall sound lightened and expanded, adding more Goth rock elements along the way. 2019s When a Shadow is Forced into the Light moved away from brute heaviness toward glumly melodic, introspective soundscapes, and 2021s Moonflowers continued that drift while painting with a gray-forward palette. For Shining the band wanted to push further into new territories and brought in 2-time Grammy nominee producer Dan Lancaster, known for his work with acts like Blink 182 and Muse. The result is what the band refers to as “the Black Album of Death Doom.” It’s a much more polished, slick, and restrained version of Swallow the Sun, with shorter songs and a radio-friendly lean to their writing that approaches straight-up Goth rock and darkwave. Naturally, this comes at the expense of sheer heaviness. Will this shiny new version of Swallow the Sun be palatable to metal fiends or have they crossed the dreaded Rubicon?
The newly streamlined, polished sound is evident on opener “Innocense Was Long Forgotten.” It’s very depressive with the Finnish coldness still in place. It sounds a lot like Dawn of Solace at points and it’s full of morose vocals and despondent melodic harmonies. It’s 50 Shades of Gray all day with a decent chorus but the whole enterprise feels underwhelming, safe, and cautious. Lest Swallow the Sun give the impression they forgot the metal, “What Have I Become” leverages latter-day Amorphis-esque death roars and crunching guitars alongside plaintive piano and forlorn clean vocals. The metal may be present yet things still feel neutered and drained of needed vitality. This is the pattern that plays out over Shining. There’s an effort to balance mellower offerings like “MelancHoly” with harder fare like the blackened “Kold,” but the overall impact remains moderate to low. Things often feel too self-consciously rigid and tightly regulated to truly shine with songs rarely grabbing hold of your throat and heart. Worse, the material sometimes sounds uncomfortably similar to H.I.M.
There are a few highlights on Shining that show Swallow the Sun can still push a song to a higher plateau. “November Dust” drills deeper into pure Goth, with elements of Fields of the Nephilim and Type O Negative coming together for a bleak, unhappy marriage in a graveyard. Mikko Kotamäk goes full Carl McCoy here with good results as the band fully commits to the dejected energy. It’s an engaging song on an album that sometimes seems unwilling to let the listener in. “Charcoal Sky” is a muted success, going deeper into the death and black elements minimized or forgotten elsewhere. It sounds like a slightly more menacing Amorphis, with Mikko doing an impressive Tomi Joutsen homage as he roars over heavy, crunchy riffs and subtle orchestration. It’s not perfect but it stands out amid the dry writing. The nearly 9-minute closing title track is a microcosm of the album, pairing good moments with flat ones. I’m especially fond of how much Mikko sounds like David Sylvian here and I credit the band for making the song as listenable as it is over its runtime. However, it still feels like it’s lacking something special and essential.
The individual players are as talented as ever. Mikko is a very good vocalist capable of effective Goth-centric crooning and conveying the proper emotional heft. His death roars and blackened rasps remain biting and effective too. However, he feels as if he’s playing things too safe and can come across as rather anodyne. The main issue is the lack of fire and brimstone in the surrounding music. Juha Raivio and Juho Räihä feel underutilized on some tracks, their playing being too stripped-back and minimalist. When they do cut loose you get some impressive leads and harmonies, as on the title track, but too much of the album feels stuck in rudimentary Goth leads and restrained sullen doodling. This adds to a lurking sense of malaise that undercuts the enjoyment.
I came into Shining hoping to be washed away in the moist tears of a heartbroken sadboi but instead, I was greeted by a cold, sterile album that feels emotionally distant and tough to reach. It’s almost like the band put up walls to keep the listener watching from a distance and the result is an overly safe and pedestrian slab of Goth rock with metal uprisings. Swallow the Sun are now doing the same kind of music as The Eternal, but not nearly as well.1 Shining is easy on the ears but fairly drab and forgettable. That’s the real source of sadness here.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Lame Ass Stream
Label: Century Media
Websites: swallowthesun.net | facebook.com/swallowthesun | instagram.com/swallowthesunofficial
Releases Worldwide: October 18th, 2024
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