Swallow the Sun "The Morning Never Came" CD
[Olympic]
Holy shit! It's funny, just recently I was bitching about the fact that I haven't heard anything in the doom vein that really blew me away lately, and then this Finnish act's debut shows up, and not knowing what to expect I threw it on only to be greeted by absolutely fucking excellent doom metal. Seriously, from the opening run of 8+ minute opener "Through Her Silver Body" with its somber lead lines over plodding chord progressions it's very fucking clear that this band is fucking awesome. Expect moderately paced tempos that aren't too slow, lots of melodic lead lines and dual guitar harmonies over emphatic power chord rhythms, a few sparse accents of keyboards seeping into the background, some clean passages for added dynamics and atmosphere, and some absolutely punishing vocal growls that are very powerful. As far as offering some references to their general sound, I'd cite early My Dying Bride without the pretentious overdramaticism meets early Katatonia/October Tide meets the more contemporary and diverse air of recent Novembers Doom, but there are definitely a lot of other influences happening that keep things fresh and interesting. For one thing the rhythm section, while keeping things fairly locked down, doesn't just poke along with the same repetitious patterns. Instead, while the tempos are relatively consistent, the basslines and percussive accents really pop out from time to time to keep things from feeling stagnant. Also admirable is the fact that the keyboards are very tactfully employed - always working in the background as added texture rather than taking an unnecessarily colorful role at the forefront. The guitar work isn't tiresome either, make no mistake. There are actually some guitar solos, a lot of the layered melodic riffs get much more creative and intense than most "doom" bands, and there's just an overall sense of real emotion and feeling to the songwriting - which of course makes this material stand out as being well above average within its particular niche. Really, the songwriting is top fucking notch: The riffs are great, the transitions and structures are superb... everything just flows really well and maintains a consistent aesthetic that never falters, despite being a lengthy record. There are definitely a number of songs that top eight or nine minutes, but there are just as many that run more like five to six - which, while certainly not "brief", does change things up and add a little more breathing room to the record as a whole. And they're not trying to be the heaviest, most sinister band out there either. This isn't some sort of completely apocalyptic, brooding, "evil" piece of work at all - rather the compositions are quite moving and carry much more character and intrigue. Yes, it's dark and ominous and a lot of its force comes from such traits, but there's so much more. Among some of the more unexpected twists, "Swallow (Horror Pt. I)" has some chunkier rhythmic picking patterns in the middle along with quick breaks of snarling vocals and twisted noise textures; while "Silence of the Womb" brings in some beautiful singing vocals as well as some deeply spoken lines over ethereal synths, samples, and faint bass/drums. Early on "Deadly Nightshade" is one of the first tracks to really start exploring some different rhythmic runs and added spice coming from the rhythm section, throwing around a few more changes and lots of cool guitar parts that have just the right amount of unique creativity involved. "Hold This Woe" is even based almost entirely around singing vocals, taking a slightly slower and more stripped down approach that lets melody and a bit of "catchiness" seep in for a damn memorable track - though at eight minutes it's certainly not something you could call "traditional" or "basic" in framework! "Under the Waves" is among the most menacing songs, with a bit more emphasis on pulsing heaviness and moody lead lines, but even it carries a bit of an odd heavy rock undercurrent to some of its chord progressions. The title track brings back the soft singing over chorused clean guitars, opting for the growling during the chorus - which is actually another really memorable moment with lots of creative note choices - shifting back and forth in this manner while building up and stripping down over the course of more than nine minutes. Closing the disc is a bonus track, a cover of "Solitude" by Candlemass, which of course fits in perfectly but still retains its own classic flare. The recording is very nice as well. For the most part the mix is clear and yet very full and lush with layering. The synths are perfectly placed, the vocals lean a tad out front without causing any problems, the percussion is crisp, etc. At first it takes a bit of time to get used to the guitar tone as there is a nice texture to it that lends a certain cold ruggedness to its periphery, but I like that. The only thing that would improve the production would be to turn up the bass guitar. The basslines are excellent and the tone is slick as hell, but too often the playing dissipates behind the guitars and vocals. I'd also like to hear the drums sound as full and resonant as the guitars and vocals, but for the most part everything is in place. I'm not blown away by the layout as I feel there's a lot of space wasted, but I do enjoy the bleak artwork on the front and the way the cover looks rather elegant in its simplicity. And, if nothing else, the layout is for the most part quite consistent in its use of heavy blacks and grays. Only brief snippets of lyrics are included for each track, such as lines like, "We prepare for our final run, when the winter swallows the sun..." So I'm not totally sure what's going on there, but several references to ghosts and the passing of seasons, not to mention the death (Murder?) of a female "character" do hint at a potential concept album dealing with several seedy topics. God damn, this is just an awesome fucking record. There's not one weak song herein, and it's impossible to express how strong the best tunes really are. Entirely recommended, and any fan of this general style that doesn't appreciate this disc is totally worthless. This is absolutely going to be one of the best releases of 2005, and I expect to see Swallow the Sun really start to make some waves in the coming years. (9/10)
Running time - 63:06, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Through Her Silver Body, Deadly Nightshade, Hold This Woe, The Morning Never Came]
Olympic Recordings - http://www.olympicrecordings.com

This review has been displayed 4862 times.