Finland’s Swallow the Sun issue their new three-part album, Songs from the North I, II and III, this week via Century Media, and as anticipated, they have a corresponding final installment in their series of lyric videos preceding the record’s arrival. First came “Heartstrings Shattering” (posted here), which basked in the band’s well-honed, emotionally potent death-doom style. Then there was the mostly-acoustic “Pray for the Winds to Come” (review here), which showcased the melodic side of their sound.

The stated concept for the album being to show where the band is sonically and parse the dual light/dark aspects of that sound, then the only thing left to show off is the harsh, extreme deathliness in what they do, and “Abandoned by the Light” certainly hits that mark. It’s worth pointing out that neither it nor “Pray for the Winds to Come” is completely separate from the other — that is, there’s a bit of synth on “Abandoned by the Light” that adds melody even to its grueling nine-minute crawl, and likewise, the acoustic track had its underlying sense of foreboding.

Might seem like a long way to go for Swallow the Sun to prove their versatility, but if you don’t know them as a band willing to go a long way, you’re missing the point.

Euro tour starts Nov. 26. Video and dates follow. Enjoy:

Swallow the Sun, “Abandoned by the Light” lyric video

SWALLOW THE SUN just premiered their new lyric video for the track “Abandoned By The Light.”

The single “Abandoned By The Light” comes from the third album which is said to be the most extreme offering in the triple album series, a complete ride into SWALLOW THE SUN’s most horrific abyss of finely-crafted, conscience-crushing funeral doom.

“Abandoned by the Light is a prime example of how heavy the third album is. It is – like the rest of the album – long, menacing and relentless, with occasional glimmer of something that could be mistaken for hope. Enjoy!” states Aleksi Munter of SWALLOW THE SUN.

Songs from the North I, II & III from SWALLOW THE SUN will be released worldwide on November 13, 2015 and is available for pre-order now at: http://smarturl.it/sftnCMDISTRO

In continued support of the forthcoming release, SWALLOW THE SUN will perform their signature brand of gloom, beauty, and despair live throughout Europe on headlining dates beginning later this month. They will be accompanied by fellow countrymen Wolfheart. Complete list of dates below.

SWALLOW THE SUN live:
11.26. Berlin, K17, DE
11.27. Hamburg, Headcrash, DE
11.28. Rotterdam, Baroeg, NL
11.29. Apeldoorn, TBC, NL
11.30. Paris, Glazart, FR
12.2. Lissabon, RCA Club, PT
12.3 Porto, Hard Club, PT
12.4. Valencia, Rock City, ES
12.5. Barcelona, Apolo 2, ES
12.6. Madrid, Caracol, ES
12.8. Montpellier, Secret Place, FR
12.9. Pratteln, Z7, CH
12.10. Brescia, Circolo Colony, IT
12.11. Ljbubljana, Orto Bar, SL
12.12. Budapest, Dürer Kert, HU
12.13. Kosice, Colosseum Club, SK
12.14. Krakau, Club Rotunda, PL
12.15. Vienna, Viper Room, AT
12.16. Munchen, Backstage, DE
12.17. Weinheim, Café Centraal, DE
12.18. Vosselaar, Biebob, BE
12.19. Bochum, Matrix, DE

SWALLOW THE SUN is:
Juha Raivio – guitar
Markus Jämsen – guitar
Mikko Kotamäki – vocals
Matti Honkonen -bass
Aleksi Munter – keys
Juuso Raatikainen – drums

Swallow the Sun website

Swallow the Sun on Thee Facebooks

Swallow the Sun on Twitter

Century Media website

Hey, wait a minute! I think I see what’s happening here. I’m onto you savvy marketing types. About two weeks ago, Finnish death-doomers Swallow the Sun unveiled a lyric video for the track “Heartstrings Shattering” (posted here) that came from the first chapter of their upcoming three-part full-plus-length album, Songs from the North I, II and III, which is due out Nov. 13, 2015, via Century Media. Now here we are, edged just a little bit closer to the release date, and there’s a lyric video for “Pray for the Winds to Come,” which is taken from the second part of the same record!

See where I’m going with this? I’m willing to wager that if all goes according to plan, about a week and a half or two weeks from now we’ll see another Swallow the Sun lyric video coming down the PR wire, this one for a cut from the third, final and most extreme portion of the Songs from the North triptych. I’ve got no confirmation of that, so it’s entirely possible Century Media will throw a curveball, but it seems fair to think of “Pray for the Winds to Come” as part of a whole series rather than a standalone entity unto itself, which of course is true of the album from whence it comes, the second part being where the band indulges more of their atmospheric side, acoustics and lush arrangements common throughout its tracks, as opposed to the third part, which is entirely deathlier, or the first, which draws from both sides in Swallow the Sun‘s heretofore underappreciated standard modus.

They announced a European tour with the last video, but in case you don’t feel like clicking back, those dates follow here as well with more info on Songs from the North I, II and III. Enjoy:

Swallow the Sun, “Pray for the Winds to Come” lyric video

SWALLOW THE SUN posts new lyric video for “Pray for the Winds to Come”

SWALLOW THE SUN just posted a brand new lyric video for their song “Pray for the Winds to Come”, taken from the second part of their upcoming triple album!

Songs from the North I, II & III will be released on November 13, 2015 via Century Media Records.

Incorporating dark menace and gradations of death, black and funeral doom, each of the three albums of Songs from the North I, II & III embodies the band’s unofficial band motto, “Gloom, Beauty & Despair”

Songs from the North I continues in the vein of the albums before it – first-rate death-doom in the typical style of SWALLOW THE SUN.

Songs from the North II is a beautiful, acoustic foray representing the group’s ability to unplug and revel in the darkness.

Songs from the North III is the most extreme album, a complete ride into SWALLOW THE SUN’s most horrific abyss of finely-crafted, conscience-crushing funeral doom.

In support of the new album(s), SWALLOW THE SUN will embark on a European headline tour for November/December 2015 accompanied by fellow countrymen Wolfheart and further support bands that will be announced soon. See below for the complete list of dates!

SWALLOW THE SUN live:
11.26. Berlin, K17, DE
11.27. Hamburg, Headcrash, DE
11.28. Rotterdam, Baroeg, NL
11.29. Apeldoorn, TBC, NL
11.30. Paris, Glazart, FR
12.4. Valencia, Rock City, ES
12.5. Barcelona, Apolo 2, ES
12.6. Madrid, Caracol, ES
12.8. Montpellier, Secret Place, FR
12.9. Pratteln, Z7, CH
12.10. Brescia, Circolo Colony, IT
12.11. Ljbubljana, Orto Bar, SL
12.12. Budapest, Dürer Kert, HU
12.13. Kosice, Colosseum Club, SK
12.14. Krakau, Club Rotunda, PL
12.15. Vienna, Viper Room, AT
12.16. Munchen, Backstage, DE
12.17. Weinheim, Café Zentralbar, DE
12.18. Vosselaar, Biebob, BE
12.19. Bochum, Matrix, DE

SWALLOW THE SUN is:
Juha Raivio – guitar
Markus Jämsen – guitar
Mikko Kotamäki – vocals
Matti Honkonen -bass
Aleksi Munter – keys
Juuso Raatikainen – drums

Swallow the Sun website

Swallow the Sun on Thee Facebooks

Swallow the Sun on Twitter

Century Media website

I’ve posted about Finnish death-doomers Swallow the Sun a few times over the years, and apart from a track stream I did for their last record, 2012’s Emerald Forest and Black Bird (posted here), the response is usually pretty quiet. Well, I’m gonna keep posting about them because I think they’re a cool fucking band and they’re prone to doing wacky stuff like putting out a triple-album, which they’ll do in Nov. in the form of Songs from the North I, II and III. Kudos to Century Media for what I can only assume was a toss-the-hands-up-and-say-what-the-hell decision to get behind such a massive undertaking, and to the band itself, because if you’re gonna go low and slow, you might as well also go completely overwhelming.

The PR wire has release details:

SWALLOW THE SUN finishes massive recording session; new triple album to be released in November

Melancholy death-doom metal masters SWALLOW THE SUN have completed their massive recording session! The Finnish sextet’s last album, Emerald Forest And The Blackbird, was released in winter 2012; come November 2015, the long wait between recordings will finally be over.

The new SWALLOW THE SUN release will be a triple album entitled Songs From The North I, II & III.

Main songwriter and guitarist Juha Raivio comments on the triple album concept: “Making a triple album in this godforsaken digital and modern day and age…Many will say it’s madness. I say it is to bring worth, heart and respect back into the music and to the album format where it belongs. This should never turn into a shallow fast food industry where music is only downloaded one song at a time.

These albums hold life, death, gloom, beauty and despair in their deepest levels and forms. The three chapters are different but connected, one long journey through these songs written up here in the North.

Music is holy, albums are holy. See you on the other side friends.”

Stay tuned for more news about Songs From The North I, II & III coming soon!

SWALLOW THE SUN is:
Juha Raivio – guitar
Markus Jämsen – guitar
Mikko Kotamäki – vocals
Matti Honkonen -bass
Aleksi Munter – keys
Juuso Raatikainen – drums

SWALLOW THE SUN online:
http://www.swallowthesun.net
https://www.facebook.com/swallowthesun
https://twitter.com/swallowthesunfi

Swallow the Sun, Emerald Forest and the Blackbird (2012)