Swallow the Sun - Shining (2024)

Always consistently good over the years, Swallow the Sun has constantly strived to deliver some of the most melancholic and depressing Death/Doom Metal music. With “Shining”, the band shakes things up and infuses more Gothic Metal elements to their original sound, creating a very interesting and different aural experience. With a ‘livelier’ sound, this release unravels ten tracks and around 49 minutes of crafty music that will certainly turn some heads. When something is labeled as the “Black Album” of Death Doom, you know there will be some controversy around it.

Opening with “Innocence Was Long Forgotten”, we instantly get a very distinctive difference in the band’s traditional style. While you still have the bleakness of Swallow the Sun, you also get some softer touches, making the song sound like Lacrimas Profundere, Beseech, To/Die/For, etc. There are definitely some vintage STS elements on songs like “What I Have Become”, at least in some parts, perfectly blending new elements with the old. Mikko Kotamäki does a great job mixing up his traditional snarls and growls with more emotive clean vocal sections.

This release is definitely an interesting mix of ‘old’ and new, with pieces like “Kold” and “November Dust” having those crushing Doom riffs and pummeling faster paced sections, but still featuring some ‘fancier’ keyboards and atmospheric arrangements. There is definitely some cognitive dissonance when songs like “Tonight Pain Believes” and then “Charcoal Sky” blasts its way right after. We had to give this release more than a few spins to really get with the program and enjoy the release and its progression.

Overall, “Shining” is a pretty solid release that while not 100% your typical Swallow the Sun album, it has more than its fair share of moments to balance the new. Being huge fans of Gothic Rock/Metal, the band excels at incorporating these elements to their music, creating some more dynamic and engaging songs. While some people will have a hard time with this release, stick with it and give it more than a few spins, this one is a grower, not a shower.

Label: Century Media

Release: October 18th, 2024

Genre: Gothic Metal/Rock / Death/Doom Metal

Country: Finland