Less than a week after punctuating a currently-in-progress round of European touring with fest appearances this Spring in the Czech Republic, Romania and Austria, Finland’s Swallow the Sun will return to North American shores in their full-on push to support their late-2021 album, Moonflowers (review here). It’s already their second US stint for the record behind a headlining run last Fall (review here), and they’ll be in the company of Portuguese legends Moonspell, which is nothing if not a good fit. I cannot imagine it’s the first time these two acts will have played together.

Look at that list of tour dates though. My goodness that’s a bit of loveliness to see, isn’t it? To help mark the occasion and provide me with an excuse to revisit Moonflowers this afternoon, Swallow the Sun have posted a brand new video for “This House Has No Home.” The imagery is suitably grim — a kind of Victorian/goth vibe for the protagonist in her admirably elaborate headdress — but if you haven’t heard the record in its entirety, “This House Has No Home” makes a resounding enticement. The closer of Moonflowers, it is the moment when at last Swallow the Sun answer back the melancholy tension they’ve been amassing all the while, blastbeats and blackened screams playing off the familiar downer melodies with an aplomb that has been rare over the course of the band’s arc to this point.

That is to say, it’s always been clear they could wreck shit like this, but they’ve rarely chosen to do so. The video is a welcome showcase moment for a song that earns its place as a standout. And if you’re on the fence about heading out to a show — these guys played Clifton, NJ, and brought an all-pro, kickass execution on a night when doing otherwise probably would’ve been easily justifiable — the possibility of this turning up in the set might just be enough to get you off the couch. It was for me, anyhow.

Enjoy:

Swallow the Sun, “This House Has No Home” official video

Finnish death doom masters, SWALLOW THE SUN release their new music video for “This House Has No Home”, from their recent full-length album Moonflowers. Watch the video, which was filmed, directed and edited by Vesa Ranta & Petri Marttinen from Kaira Films, HERE.

SWALLOW THE SUN have also just announced that they will be hitting the road in Europe and North America again. After a successful U.S. Winter tour in 2021, the band is happy and proud to announce a North American Tour with Moonspell and Witherfall. In addition to the tour North American tour, the band will also play shows in Finland this summer. For all who cannot wait that long, the band is currently on a European tour with Primordial and Rome, which started last Friday. Check out the full list of tour dates below and mark your calendars. For more information, head over to SWALLOW THE SUN’s Facebook page HERE.

SWALLOW THE SUN Tour Dates:
11.04. Southend, UK – Chinnery’s
12.04. Colmar, France – Le Grillen
13.04. Lyon, France – C :C :O Villeurbanne
14.04. Paris, France – La Machine du Moulin Rouche
15.04. Pratteln, Switzerland – Konzertfabrik Z7
16.04. Mannheim, Germany – Connexion Complex
17.04. München, Germany – Dark Easter Metal Meeting
18.04. Eindhoven, Netherlands – Effenaar
19.04. Berlin, Germany – Lido Berlin
20.04. Bremen, Germany – Modernes Bremen
21.04. Copenhagen, Denmark – Pumpehuset
22.04. Gothenburg, Sweden – Valand Nattklubb
23.04. Stockholm, Sweden – Slaktkyran
21.05. Tel Aviv, Israel – Gagarin Club
26.05. Oulu, Finland – Special
27.05. Tampere, Finland – Tullikamarin Pakkahuone
28.05. Jyväskylä, Finland – Lutakko
01.06. Helsinki, Finland – Tavastia
02.06. Kuopio, Finland – Sawohouse
03.06. Joensuu, Finland – Kerubi
04.06. Seinäjoki, Finland – Rytmikorjaamo
15.07. Gävle, Sweden – Gefle Metal Festival
12.08. Fortress Josefov, Czech Republic – Brutal Assault
13.08. Caransebes, Romania – Gugulan Rock Festival
19.08. Spital am Semmering, Austria – Kaltenbach Open Air
25.08. New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
26.08. Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
27.08. Greensboro, NC – The Blind Tiger
28.08. Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Heaven)
29.08. Orlando, FL – The Haven
31.08. Houston, TX – Scout Bar
01.09. Austin, TX – Come and Take it Live
02.09. Dallas, TX – Trees
03.09. StS HEADLINE SHOW w/ Witherfall, El Paso, TX – Rockhouse Bar & Grill
04.09. Mesa, AZ – Nile Theater
05.09. San Diego, CA – Brick by Brick
06.09. Los Angeles, CA – 1720
07.09. Sacramento, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
08.09. Portland, OR – Bossanova Ballroom
09.09. Seattle, WA – Substation
11.09. Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
12.09 Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater
13.09. Joliet, IL – The Forge
14.09. Indianapolis, IN – Irving Theater
15.09. Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
16.09. Montreal, QC – Cafe Campus
17.09. Quebec City, QC – Source de la Martinière
18.09. Boston, MA – Middle East Downstairs
23.10. Istanbul, Turkey – Doom Over Istanbul

Swallow the Sun, Moonflowers (2021)

Swallow the Sun website

Swallow the Sun on Facebook

Swallow the Sun on Twitter

Century Media website

Century Media on Facebook

This was the first indoor show I attended since Jan. 2020, which is by far the longest stretch of my adult life. Probably and then some. I’ve never thought of Clifton, NJ, as my “safe space” over, say, the moon or anywhere else, but Swallow the Sun were supposed to play Dingbatz in that forgotten Spring of 2020, and I was looking forward to it since the announcement in Dec. 2019, so to see them now, almost two years and so many grey hairs later, feels a bit like symmetry in an asymmetrical time. To call it “post-pandemic” would only be wrong if one thinks about it in terms of the pandemic being over.

The last time I was at Dingbatz was probably over a decade ago. I don’t remember what or when. But the room was much as I remembered, and the bill — extra loaded with five bands, which was two locals on front of the three touring acts — was running late when I walked in. Abigail Williams was getting ready to go on, when according to the schedule I saw they should’ve been playing. Some things, then, never encounter variants. But I’ve always liked the place. Its silly bat mural was covered by Swallow the Sun‘s banner, if it’s still there at all.

Masks were rare. I had one and was warm with it on. Several others near me up front did too, and I was no less comforted by the fact that the dude to my right was also wearing sweatpants, though I didn’t see the name of his blog on the leg, which I’m not sure makes me better or worse off. Jersey metal holding its own on a Monday night. I missed Wilderun, but there was a momentary mosh while Abigail Williams played, which was adorable.

The four-piece were, incidentally, beset with technical difficulties from the outset. Before the outset, even. I kind of had the feeling when they threw up their hands and decided to go without the stage monitors that maybe it wasn’t going to be a career-highlight set for them. They ended up stopping what seemed to be early if it wasn’t, and were clearly frustrated. Sound was clipping, coming in and disappearing, vocals ultra-loud, then gone. On the way to the venue, the bluetooth in my car kept dropping out in the middle of songs. Frontman Ken Sorceron from Abigail Williams sounded like that. No fault of his own.

I don’t imagine that’s easy for a band in any circumstances, let alone one who’ve been together for over 15 years, playing a tour that’s been delayed by more than a year. I felt for the dude. He said that if anyone wanted to hear the band sound much better, to make the short trip to New York for the next show. I wouldn’t be doing that, but I wondered whether one shitty Monday night on a long tour matters to someone who’s been doing it so long, or if a couple days from now it’ll be forgotten. I guess it depends on how sensitive you are generally, how much you can write that kind of thing off. Between the bands, Saliva‘s “Click Click Boom” played on repeat, and I was reminded a bit why I felt relief when lockdown started last March. Fate is a total asshole, if you believe in that kind of thing.

My alarm had gone off at 5:30AM. I am not in “show-shape,” as I otherwise might be, and I’ll admit to being distracted by folks wearing bare faces around me, considerations of scary headlines from reputable sources, sweating in my mask, feet sore after an embarrassingly short amount of time, breathing in the fog machine, clicking, clicking, booming. Swallow the Sun‘s setup took a while. I’ve had the same headache for four weeks running. Can’t remember when I inhaled that hammer. I wished I had a bottle of water. I had downed an extra pot of coffee to prepare for being awake later than 8:30PM. Canceled a dermatology appointment in the morning. Clear my calendar. Edna, hold all my calls.

The coffee might’ve made the difference in, say, my ability to remain standing as long as I did. Despite my bizarre-headspace, there were a couple genuine moments of communion when Swallow the Sun played. The room, packed at the start of the set, thinned out as it edged toward midnight, but cuts like “Falling World,” “Firelights,” “New Moon” and the pairing of “Woven into Sorrow” and “This House Has No Home” from the recently issued Moonflowers (review here) had heads banging in more than just my own languid doomer nod. People were going for it.

Those last two finished out a regular set that had led off with “Moonflowers Bloom in Misery” and “The Enemy” from the same record, and I suppose that part of the challenge after 20 years is what to put in the set and what to leave out. I wouldn’t have minded “When a Shadow is Forced into the Light,” but you can’t have everything. The encore, with “Plague of Butterflies Pt. 2” and “Swallow,” was rightly and duly appreciated by those who remained, and I was one of them, though I’ll confess I’d moved to the back by then. No new album at the merch table. The live album, sure. Alas.

A show. With hoo-mans. I’ll spare you the list of gigs I’ve missed since concerts started happening in the face of covid, but there have been plenty. I don’t know if it was the fact that the band came from Finland to play Clifton or what, but there was something about this show that finally got me out of the house. Does that mean I’m about to become Johnny Outandabout? Yeah probably not. But this was a moment out of my own head that I haven’t had in too long and from here I’ll take it one at a time; show, day, minute. One thing — I was not surprised in the least to find out how much I’ve missed love music. I’ve known that all along.

Close eyes, pull out earplugs just a little bit for “Swallow” while they build that chug into sudden oblivion. “Thank you. Good night.” Indeed.

This tour rolls on — New York next, as Ken Sorceron from Abigail Williams assured — and when it’s done, Swallow the Sun will go back to Europe for an even longer stretch there supporting Moonflowers. Who the hell knows if those dates will happen, and who the hell knows when I’ll get myself out again to another venue, another town, or hell, to Dingbatz again for who knows what. I certainly don’t. But at least for the next few minutes I’m not going to worry about it, because if there’s a lesson amid all the bullshit of the last two years, isn’t it to be thankful for what you have while you have it because it can all evaporate faster than you ever thought?

When the show was over, I went outside, took off my mask. Cold air on my face. Felt like I could breathe a little bit, you know?

Thanks for reading.

Moonflowers is the eighth full-length from Jyväskylä, Finland-based Swallow the Sun, who’ve worked with Century Media since issuing their 2015 triple-album, Songs From the North I, II & III (review here). Comprised of founders Juha Raivio (guitar), Mikko Kotamaki (vocals) and Matti Honkonen (bass), as well as drummer Juuso Raatikainen, guitarist Juho Raiha, and keyboardist/backing vocalist Janni Peuhu (who’ll sit out the touring cycle for Moonflowers owing to commitments to his other band, Mercury Circle), they celebrated the band’s 20th anniversary earlier this year with the release of 20 Years of Gloom, Beauty and Despair: Live in Helsinki, captured at Tavastia Club in Feb. 2020, but Moonflowers feels no less like a victory lap when it comes to their stylistic accomplishments, sweeping grandiosity — looking at you, the solo in “Keep Your Heart Safe From Me” — emotive resonance and melding of slower extreme metal, death-doom and lush melodicism.

On paper, this has been their aesthetic foundation all along, since 2003’s The Morning Never Came brought such revitalizing energy to a modus that bands like Katatonia and My Dying Bride, even Paradise Lost, had largely left behind at that point, but it says little of the craft Swallow the Sun bring to their material, their refinement across offerings like 2005’s Ghosts of Loss, 2007’s Hope, 2009’s New Moon (review here) and 2012’s Emerald Forest and the Blackbird (discussed here) commitment to challenging themselves in songwriting and performance two decades on from their inception, and the ensuing influence they’ve had on European doom in doing so.

At 52:40, Moonflowers is the second-shortest album that Swallow the Sun have ever made by all of nine seconds — 2019’s When a Shadow is Forced into the Light (review here) ran 52:31 — but that brings into emphasis the efficiency of a track like second cut “Enemy” or the opening semi-titular “Moonflowers Bloom in Misery,” which vary in structure between gracefully flowing sections and smashes between loud/quiet tradeoffs, and along with the subsequent, longer “Woven into Sorrow” and “Keep Your Heart Safe From Me,” welcome the listener back into the morose world the band are so adept at creating.

What might seem like novelty, a bonus instrumental version of Moonflowers that features the orchestral sections of the tracks performed by Finland’s Trio NOX further serves to highlight Swallow the Sun‘s songwriting. “Moonflowers Bloom in Misery,” or the later “The Void” — which is plenty flowing in either incarnation — as even the melodies that in the “full” versions fill out and complement the songs prove memorable enough to stand on their own. On Moonflowers proper, it is the earlier tracks that do the bulk of the work in carrying forward the lasting impression; the choruses of “Moonflowers Bloom in Misery,” “Enemy” and “Woven into Sorrow” acting like the more straightforward fare ahead of the atmospheric side B that begins with “All Hallows’ Grieve,” which features Oceans of Slumber vocalist Cammie Gilbert alongside Kotamaki, and continues into “The Void” and “The Fight of Your Life” ahead of the striking, black metal-adjacent finish of “This House Has No Home,” which is something of a sucker-punch after the immersion preceding.

In the overarching structure, Moonflowers doesn’t operate so differently from When a Shadow is Forced into the Light, but where there it was the opening title-track as the standout, here the material after lives up to the high standard that “Moonflowers Bloom in Misery” sets. “Enemy” hits hard at the outset but sets its course initially led by the melody before the crash cymbal and the growling prechorus take hold, shifting to the hook itself, which is also clean-sung. The growl of Kotamaki and his arrangements of melodic and brutal vocals aren’t to be understated when it comes to the crucial aspects of Swallow the Sun. On “Woven into Sorrow,” he moves between a verse that brings to mind the Queensrÿche radio hit “Silent Lucidity” and a set back chorus, building to an eventual release of tension in the second half that is a defining moment for the record as a whole, let alone the first four of its eight component pieces.

It’s worth noting that the vinyl edition of Moonflowers breaks down across four sides with two songs each. As to how flipping platters between “Enemy” and “Woven into Sorrow” or “The Void” and “The Fight of Your Life” might change the listening experience, I can’t say, but the linear progression from the first half of the album into the second is such that Swallow the Sun effectively lead their audience farther down a path until the forceful delivery of “This House Has No Home” acts as a lash-out payoff for everything that preceded it.

That the band remain so identifiably themselves across the span of Moonflowers is a joy and a triumph in itself, if perhaps an expected one given that they are 20 years on from first getting together. Whatever the format in which one might encounter it, what Moonflowers adds to Swallow the Sun‘s legacy, pedigree or whatever you want to call it is another representative forward step in their steady growth. They are not revolutionizing their sound or the genre as a whole — they weren’t the first in their style by any means — but they have over time made themselves a standard-bearer in melodic death-doom precisely because of efforts like this, and the reward for the listener comes in letting go and trusting the band to lead the experience as they do.

Because there isn’t really an aspect of Swallow the Sun that’s left to chance at this point, but for every layer of depth in the mix of a track like “The Fight of Your Life” and for every fluid shift in “Woven into Misery,” the construction supporting it is likewise thoughtful and complete. There is never a doubt as to the band’s control of the procession — that’s not to say “dirge,” but one could — and whether one engages with it on the level of mood or simply delights in the cathartic pummel of its heaviest stretches, Moonflowers is a stirring reminder of why Swallow the Sun have endured as long as they have and why they’ll hopefully continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Swallow the Sun, “Woven into Sorrow” official video

Swallow the Sun via Trio NOX, “Moonflowers Bloom in Misery” official video

Swallow the Sun website

Swallow the Sun on Facebook

Swallow the Sun on Twitter

Century Media website

Century Media on Facebook

Before everything went to shit, I was going to go see Swallow the Sun at Dingbatz in Clifton, New Jersey. And after the pandemic hit and of course the tour got canceled like everything else, I thought to myself, “well there’s no way that chance will ever come again. A band coming from Finland to play 20 minutes from my house at a club with a big goofy bat painted on the back of the stage.”

And here we are. I’ll be honest, playing Dingbatz, on a weeknight, a few days after Thanksgiving, does not sound to me like it’s going to be a banger night for the tour. Maybe not packed. But you know what? I’m gonna go. I’ll probably buy merch too, unless it’s all longsleeves or whatever. I’ll go because it’s a show the loss of which I was feeling for more than a year (yes, really; I’ve been listening to this band since their first record) and because they have a new album coming out and I’m looking forward to that too. There’s a video for one of the songs at the bottom of this post. It sounds a little like Queensryche early on, but they do well with it.

So yeah. I’m glad this tour and this show are happening:

SWALLOW THE SUN ANNOUNCES U.S. MOONFLOWERS TOUR 2021

PRE-ORDER THEIR FORTHCOMING ALBUM MOONFLOWERS HERE: https://swallowthesun.lnk.to/Moonflowers

Finnish death doom masters, SWALLOW THE SUN, have just announced their Moonflowers Tour 2021, which will included support slots from Abigail Williams and Wilderun. The band will be touring the U.S. starting November 20th in Mesa, AZ and wrapping on December 19th in West Hollywood, CA. Tickets are available for purchase, HERE: https://www.facebook.com/swallowthesun

SWALLOW THE SUN will be on tour supporting their forthcoming full-length album, Moonflowers, which will be released worldwide via Century Media Records on November 19th. Moonflowers will be available as Ltd. Deluxe sky blue 3LP+2CD & Art Print Box Set, Ltd. 2CD Mediabook, Gatefold black 2LP+CD and digital album (incl. Bonus album) and can be pre-ordered, HERE: https://swallowthesun.lnk.to/Moonflowers

Just last week, the band released their first track and music video off the album for “Woven Into Sorrow”. “Woven Into Sorrow” is the first heavy version to be released off the record, as the band already released classical editions of the songs featured on Moonflowers. Check out all of the released classical/instrumental Trio N O X versions of tracks off Moonflowers for “Moonflowers Bloom In Misery – Classical Version”, “Enemy – Classical Version”, “Woven Into Sorrow – Classical Version”, “Keep Your Heart Safe From Me – Classical Version”, “All Hallows’ Grieve – Classical Version”, “The Void – Classical Version”, “The Fight Of Your Life”, and “This House Has No Home”.

SWALLOW THE SUN U.S. TOUR DATES:
w/Abigail Williams and Wilderun
November 20 – Mesa, AZ – Nile Theater*
November 21 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad*
November 22 – Dallas, TX – Trees*
November 23 – Austin, TX – Come and Take it Live*
November 24 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar
November 26 – Orlando, FL – The Haven
November 27 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
November 28 – Baltimore, MD – Angels Rock Bar
November 29 – Clifton, NJ – Dingbatz
November 30 – Brooklyn NY – The Monarch
December 1 – Montreal, QC – Cafe Campus
December 2 – Quebec City, QC – La Source de la Martiniere
December 3 – Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground
December 4 – Rochester, NY – Montage Music Hall
December 5 – Detroit, MI – The Sanctuary
December 6 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Crafthouse
December 7 – Joliet, IL – The Forge
December 8 – Madison, WI – The Crucible
December 9 – Minneapolis, MN – Cabooze
December 10 – Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room
December 11 – Denver, CO – Herman’s Hideaway
December 12 – Salt Lake City, UT – Liquid Joe’s
December 14 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
December 15 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
December 16 – Portland, OR – Bossanova Ballroom
December 17 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Upstairs
December 18 – Santa Ana, CA – Stages
December 19 – West Hollywood, CA – Whiskey A Go-Go
*no Abigail Williams

2022
Jan-24 München, DE – Backstage (Halle)
Jan-25 Ljubljana, SLO – Orto Bar
Jan-26 Milano, IT – Legend Club
Jan-27 Montpellier, FR – Secret Place
Jan-28 Barcelone, ES – Bóveda
Jan-29 Madrid, ES – Sala, Caracol
Jan-30 Toulouse, FR – Le Rex
Jan-31 Lyon, FR – CCO Villeurbanne
Feb-01 Paris, FR – Backstage
Feb-02 Köln, DE – Essigfabrik
Feb-03 Bochum, DE – Matrix
Feb-04 Copenhagen, DK – Pumpehuset
Feb-05 Stockholm, SE – Nalen
Feb-06 Oslo, NO – Parkteatret
Feb-07 Götebord, SE – Valand
Feb-08 Hamburg, DE – Headcrash
Feb-09 Leipzig, DE – UT Connewitz
Feb-10 Luzern, CH – Schüür
Feb-11 Martigny, CH – Caves Du Manoir
Feb-12 Meyrin, CH – Undertown
Feb-13 Nantes, FR – Le Ferrailleur
Feb-14 London, UK – Underworld
Feb-15 Glasgow, UK – Slay

SWALLOW THE SUN is Mikko Kotamaki (vocals), Matti Honkonen (bass), Juuso Raatikainen (drums), Juho Raiha (guitars), and Juha Raivio (guitars).

http://www.swallowthesun.net
https://www.facebook.com/swallowthesun
http://www.centurymedia.com/
https://www.facebook.com/centurymedia

Swallow the Sun, “Woven into Sorrow” official video

Swallow the Sun via Trio NOX, “Moonflowers Bloom in Misery” official video

How do you make a new Swallow the Sun album even more melancholy? Add a bonus version of the songs redone in string arrangements, I’d think should do it. Such is the case with the long-running Finnish death-doomers’ upcoming work, Moonflowers — which is about the most Swallow the Sun-esque thing I can think of for them to call a record — which is set to release on Nov. 19. They’ve linked up with Trio NOX, also from Finland, and are going to be piecemealing out one instrumental track at a time in a series of animated videos ahead of the first single from the album proper, which is a pretty clever way to build momentum leading up to a release when, say, you can’t tour.

Oh, and apparently the moon on the album cover is painted in guitarist Juha Raivio‘s blood. Maybe that’s true, maybe not, but it’s a fun claim to make either way. I know you don’t really care, but this band is great.

The PR wire has all the preliminaries and release dates and thisses and thatses. Dig:

SWALLOW THE SUN ANNOUNCES NEW STUDIO ALBUM ‘MOONFLOWERS’

BAND ANNOUNCES BONUS INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM; WATCH “MOONFLOWERS BLOOM IN MISERY”

Finnish death doom masters, SWALLOW THE SUN, announce their new album Moonflowers. The album, which they have written, recorded and mixed is set for release on November 19th, 2021.

SWALLOW THE SUN will also be releasing a bonus album featuring instrumental versions of all the regular album tracks off Moonflowers. The instrumental album has been composed for strings and was recorded at Sipoo Church in Finland. The strings were performed by the group called “Trio NOX” from Finland. Watch the animated video for “Moonflowers Bloom in Misery”, the first instrumental version and animated video released off the forthcoming bonus album, HERE. Each instrumental song will have an animated video, which were created by Dronicon Films, released every week, leading up to the first single release of the main album.

“I know well that I should not say this, but I deeply hate this album. I hate where it takes me, how it makes me feel and what it stands for me personally. I wish it wouldn’t. But for all its honesty I got no option than also love it. That is all that matters to me with the music anyway and it doesn’t matter how it makes me feel, as long as it does. For me this album is like a mirror of a deep self-disappointment. Even I still want to believe that there is and could be more than this in me. But I don’t need or want to talk more about it. After all music means so different things to each one of us by how we have walked our own paths, and that is a beautiful thing about music. There is no right or wrong,” states SWALLOW THE SUN guitarist Juha Raivio.

“After I had finished writing all the music for this record in the fall of 2020 I started to write these small instrumental versions of the album songs for the violin, viola, cello and piano. Mostly because I was wondering how it would feel like to hear all these songs first as these intimate versions instead of a full band album. It was really beautiful to see and hear these songs come alive in this way and form, recorded live in this big church in Finland. To be able to hear the echoes of this music reflecting from the church walls and feel the very soul of these old wooden instruments played by real people in this sacred place. Something about hearing the strings breathe this fragile beauty into these songs that carry so much pain otherwise. Now looking back, maybe I wrote these versions just for myself to be able to hear and feel at least some kind of a beauty and solace in these songs, maybe…

I wanted to create the cover art of this album myself this time, so it would stand as brutally honest for me as the music is. So I painted the moon on the ‘Moonflowers‘ cover with my own blood and I decorated it with the flowers I picked up and dried on the spring of 2016. Maybe it isn’t the most outstanding looking piece of art ever made in this world, but for me it is everything. I wasn’t going to write any new music before I would have moved towards the right direction in my life, but finally all this music just forced itself out of me during the long nights of this hope crushing and neverending lockdown prison. Something grew out from that void eventually and writing these songs made me think a lot about moonflowers that bloom at the darkest hour of the night, so that name felt right to call the album also.”

Moonflowers tracklist:
1. Moonflowers Bloom In Misery
2. Enemy
3. Woven Into Sorrow
4. Keep Your Heart Safe From Me
5. All Hallows’ Grieve (Featuring Cammie Gilbert)
6. The Void
7. The Fight Of Your Life
8. This House Has No Home

Raivio further states, “In other news, unfortunately our busy brother Jaani will step aside from the band at least for this new album cycle, but we are happy to tell that you can hear Jaani’s backing vocals on the new album anyway.”

Jaani Peuhu adds, “Sadly, COVID-19 messed up everything including the release schedules of my bands. Both the Mercury Circle and Swallow The Sun albums are being released at the same time, making it impossible for me to tour with both bands. For this reason, I decided that it’d be better for me to solely focus on MC for this release cycle. That being said, the upcoming Swallow The Sun album will be amazing, and I am so happy we could still do it together. I wish the best of luck to StS on their tour with it!”

Band painting by Doppelganger-Art

SWALLOW THE SUN is Mikko Kotamaki (vocals), Matti Honkonen (bass), Juuso Raatikainen (drums), Jaani Peuhu (keys and vocals), Juho Raiha (guitars), and Juha Raivio (guitars).

http://www.swallowthesun.net
https://www.facebook.com/swallowthesun
http://www.centurymedia.com/
https://www.facebook.com/centurymedia

Swallow the Sun via Trio NOX, “Moonflowers Bloom in Misery” official video

I was very, very, very much looking forward to seeing Finland’s Swallow the Sun come through Dingbatz in April 2020 on an anniversary tour that, of course, was canceled. And of all the shows missed out on over the last year-plus, that was continues to sting as very few do. What a special night that would’ve been. A band with a sound so huge in a space small enough that the floor would’ve vibrated under your feet. For those who showed up, it would’ve been a gig to remember for decades. Swallow the Sun are undervalued anyway. Too extreme for the rock crowd, to melodic for the extreme metallers. I’ve seen them before, but still. What a night. What could’ve been.

They did manage to get a few anniversary shows in before lockdown hit though, and it’s from those that the upcoming live album, 20 Years of Gloom, Beauty and Despair – Live in Helsinki, is made. Set to release July 30 through Century Media, maybe it’ll give me some idea of what I missed out on, because it seems like too damn much to hope that that show might ever get scheduled again.

Alas:

SWALLOW THE SUN ANNOUNCES LIVE ALBUM – 20 YEARS OF GLOOM, BEAUTY AND DESPAIR – LIVE IN HELSINKI

PRE-ORDERS START TODAY

Finnish doom stars SWALLOW THE SUN announce their first ever live album 20 Years Of Gloom, Beauty And Despair – Live in Helsinki! The live album is set for release on July 30th via Century Media Records.

“Finally some good news after a year of cancellations and shitshow! We managed to play only 10 of these special 20th anniversary gigs before the whole world shut down in March 2020 and the rest of the tour got cancelled. Luckily we filmed and recorded one of the gigs, which we now release as our very first live album as we wait to be able to get back on stages again,”, states Swallow The Sun vocalist Mikko Kotamäki.

About the production Kotamäk adds, “We played the whole ‘Songs from the North II’ with a string quartet—comprised of very professional musicians, two of whom played on our previous album and appeared with us on the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise in 2018. For the first time, we also asked our fans on social media to vote for their favorite songs from each album. We then played the most-voted songs from every album.”

20 Years Of Gloom, Beauty And Despair – Live in Helsinki will be available as Ltd. 2CD+DVD Digipak, Gatefold 3LP+DVD and as digital album. All physical formats are available for pre-order HERE: https://swallowthesun.lnk.to/20YearsOfGloomBeautyAndDespair-LiveInHelsinki

The vinyl version will be available in the following colors:
– Black vinyl, unlimited
– Golden vinyl, limited to 200 copies worldwide, only available at Levykauppa Äx
– Dark green vinyl, limited to 200 copies worldwide, available at CMDistro
– Deep blood red vinyl, limited to 200 copies worldwide, only available at EMP
– Mint colored vinyl, limited to 200 copies worldwide, only available Nuclear Blast
– Glow in the dark vinyl, limited to 200 copies worldwide, only available at the official band store

Swallow The Sun is Mikko Kotamaki (vocals), Matti Honkonen (bass), Juuso Raatkainen (drums), Jaani Peuhu (keys and vocals), Juho Raiha (guitar), and Juha Raivio (guitars).

http://www.swallowthesun.net
https://www.facebook.com/swallowthesun
http://www.centurymedia.com/
https://www.facebook.com/centurymedia

Swallow the Sun, “Lost and Catatonic” Live t 70,000 Tons of Metal 2018

In some ways, the hardest thing to believe about this is that Swallow the Sun have never headlined a US tour before. And yet, even in light of it being their 20th anniversary next year — pretty astounding, as I remember when their debut came out; but then, I am o-l-d — this tour feels like a risk. Consider they’ll already be more than a year out from this January’s all-kinds-of-killer When a Shadow is Forced into the Light (review here), they’re bringing a full three-band package over with Moldovan nü-metallers Infected Rain and Finnish/UK proggers Wheel, and they’re booked for more than a month of dates.

My eyes went immediately to the fact that they’re playing Dingbatz in New Jersey. It’s been a while since I’ve been there, and there are plenty of other rooms on this list that I recognize like Metro Gallery, Kingsland, Hawthorne Theatre, Brick by Brick, etc., but last time I saw Swallow the Sun was at B.B. King’s in Manhattan — 2007, you say? with Amorphis? that might’ve been it — and Clifton, NJ, might be relatively close geographically, but it’s miles away from that kind of experience.

Bottom line? They’ve in for some really good nights, and some nights of adventure. So I guess basically it’ll be a tour.

See you boys in Clifton.

From the PR wire:

Swallow The Sun Announce North American Headline Tour

Finnish melancholy death-doom metal masters Swallow The Sun have just announced their North American headline tour today. The band will be on tour this Spring with special guests Infected Rain and Wheel. Catch the band on tour starting April 20th in Tampa and ending on May 24th in Dallas. Tickets are available for purchase HERE.

“We have been touring many times in North America since 2007 but never headlined before this,” states Swallow The Sun’s Mikko Kotamäki about the upcoming headline tour. “So it’s about time to play you a decent length shows, not just 30-45min like before. Better get your tickets now and spread the word. No excuses, you asked for it, you got it! See you soon!”

The band will be touring in support of their most recent full-length album When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light. Swallow The Sun’s seventh studio album was produced by the band’s very own Jaani Peuhu and Juha Raivio and is their most personal, cleanest work to date. Purchase and stream When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light HERE.

Swallow The Sun is Mikko Kotamaki (vocals), Matti Honkonen (bass), Juuso Raatkainen (drums), Jaani Peuhu (keys and vocals), Juho Raiha (guitar), and Juha Raivio (guitar and keys).

SWALLOW THE SUN TOUR DATES:
April 20 – Tampa, FL – Crowbar
April 21 – West Palm Beach, FL – Respectables
April 22 – Winter Park, FL – The Haven
April 23 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
April 24 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery
April 25 – Philadelphia, PA – Voltage Lounge
April 26 – Clifton, NJ – Dingbatz
April 27 – Brooklyn, NY – Kingsland
April 28 – Brooklyn, NY – Kingsland
April 30 – Quebec City, Canada – L’Anti
May 1 – Ottawa, Canada – Mavericks
May 2 – Toronto, Canada – Velvet Underground
May 3 – Buffalo, NY – Mohawk Place
May 4 – Westland, MI – Token Lounge
May 5 – Joliet, IL – The Forge
May 6 – Madison, WI – Crucible
May 7 – St. Paul, MN – Amsterdam
May 9 – Denver, CO – Hermans Hideaway
May 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Liquid Joe
May 12 – Vancouver, Canada – Rickshaw Theatre
May 13 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater
May 14 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
May 15 – Bend, OR – Third Street Pub
May 16 – Sacramento, CA – Holy Diver
May 17 – West Hollywood, CA – Whiskey A Go Go
May 18 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick
May 19 – Santa Ana, CA – Malones
May 20 – Tempe, AZ – Club Red
May 22 – Austin, TX – Come and Take it Live**
May 23 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar**
May 24 – Dallas, TX – Trees**
**no Wheel

http://www.swallowthesun.net
https://www.facebook.com/swallowthesun
http://www.centurymedia.com/
https://www.facebook.com/centurymedia

Swallow the Sun, “When a Shadow is Forced into the Light”

Good show. I had fun, anyway. I cut the voice breaks for this one while The Patient Mrs. and her mom took The Pecan out to the grocery store, but the breaks nonetheless worked out to be maybe a minute longer than usual and that gave me a little rant time. Right before I played Goatsnake, which was the “new classic” choice cut for this episode, I went off about doing my dishes as rock and roll. As usual with words coming out of my mouth, the idea was kind of half-represented, but what I was talking about was the notion that your love of music should be a part of your life, not something separate from the rest of it. If you love music, it shouldn’t be something you segregate from the rest of who you are — something you sneak off to a dive bar to partake of — it should be a part of your everyday. I cut radio voice breaks while running the dishwasher. It’s a part of who I am.

How fortunate I have this post to explain the half-formed notions I don’t have the wherewithal to properly express vocally. Huzzah.

Anyway, if you got to listen, I tried to set this one up with a good flow from front to back plus a couple stark contrasts in the second hour. The break is between Graven and SubRosa, contrary to what the playlist says, but I liked that transition anyhow, and I think you can see early on that the focus is on some boogie with a sense of atmosphere. I talk up the Green Lung record again, because, well, it’s worth talking up, and dig into a few other things that I think are killer, including that Mount Saturn EP, which is likewise right on. And then I dip back from new music to play SubRosa’s “The Mirror” from their SubDued: Live at Roadburn 2017 release, because it’s a song I sing to The Pecan when I put him down for naps and have just about every day since he was born some 15 months ago. Fun stuff.

If you missed the show, it airs again tomorrow at 9AM Eastern at http://gimmeradio.com

And if you dig this and want to hear more of The Obelisk Show, Gimme of course has their archive set up that you can sign on for at a reasonable price and dig into a bunch of various kinds of metallurgy.

Okay, here’s the playlist. Thanks to reading and/or listening:

The Obelisk Show Ep. 09 – 02.03.19

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Radio airs every other Sunday night at 7PM Eastern, with replays the following Tuesday at 9AM. Next show is Feb. 17. Thanks for listening if you do.

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