Ryan Murray | Co-Owner | Chief Editor | Contributor | Photographer
r.m.music84@gmail.com
Over two decades into their career, Swallow the Sun has never been afraid to sit within the darkness. Their sound has always teetered between the bleak and the beautiful, capturing the raw essence of Finnish melancholy like no other. But with their latest album, Shining, the band embarks on a bold journey, one that pushes their boundaries farther than ever before. It’s a sonic and emotional voyage through despair and hope, beauty and destruction, wrapped in the unmistakable aura of doom-laden darkness.
Produced by none other than Dan Lancaster (Bring Me The Horizon, Muse, Blink-182), Shining marks a departure for the quintet, yet it’s also an affirmation of everything they’ve built over the last 23 years. For longtime fans, there’s no mistaking the hallmarks of Swallow the Sun’s music—the grandeur, the brooding atmospheres, and the heavy existential weight that lingers like a thick fog—but Shining is something different, something more—a new chapter where the band has deliberately embraced both light and dark, venturing into unexplored territories. It’s as if they’ve taken their signature melancholy and infused it with a sense of rebirth, without losing any of the raw, emotive power that’s defined them.
Shining isn’t just another Swallow the Sun record. It’s a statement of evolution—a brave leap into the unknown that showcases a brighter, more expansive side of the band without sacrificing their core dark, introspective soundscapes.
From the opening track, “Innocence Was Long Forgotten,” the album immediately sets a foreboding tone, pulling listeners into a world where hope feels distant, yet flickers on the edges. The song unfurls slowly, with Juha Raivio’s lead guitar weaving haunting melodies that feel both nostalgic and cutting. Mikko Kotamäki’s vocals, as always, straddle the line between harsh growls and somber cleans, embodying the duality that runs through the entire album. It’s a perfect prelude to the introspective journey Swallow the Sun is about to take us on.
Following this, “What I Have Become” plunges into the weighty themes of disillusionment, as the band reflects on the erosion of identity over time. Juuso Raatikainen’s drumming and Matti Honkonen’s brooding bass lines propel the song with a relentless force, while Juha Raivio’s lead guitar melodies intertwine with a sense of desperation and resignation. The sense of decay is palpable, not just in the lyrics but in the entire arrangement, which feels like a slow crumble into nothingness, but with a beauty that only Swallow the Sun could hope to pull off.
Then take “MelancHoly,” a song that captures Swallow the Sun’s unparalleled ability to turn sorrow into beauty. With its title fusing melancholy and holiness, the track pays reverence to the transformative power of suffering. The accompanying music video mirrors this, with stark, evocative imagery that complements Raivio’s delicate yet devastating guitar work. As the song reaches its conclusion, the weight of its message lingers—sorrow is both a burden and a blessing.
“Under the Moon & Sun” breaks from this introspection, opening up a more cinematic sound that feels larger than life. At over six minutes, it’s one of the longer tracks on the album, and it uses that time to craft an ebbing, flowing narrative of light and shadow. The celestial imagery in the title is matched by the music’s atmosphere, which builds and recedes like an ocean tide, shifting between quiet reflection and overwhelming force.
By contrast, “Kold” feels like an icy exhale—a momentary pause amidst the emotional storm. It strips down Swallow the Sun’s usual grandeur, opting instead for a minimalistic, atmospheric approach that reflects a deep inner coldness. Yet this simplicity doesn’t diminish the track’s power, letting listeners sit in their own isolation before the album pushes forward once again.
As we reach the middle of the record, “November Dust” and “Velvet Chains” offer two very different emotional experiences. The former is somber, almost funereal in its pacing, delivering a sense of inevitable loss and decay. It builds slowly, each note steeped in grief, as the track finally erupts into an emotional crescendo. “Velvet Chains,” on the other hand, is shorter and more direct, offering a grittier, more defiant sound. There’s an underlying aggression here, suggesting that even in the face of overwhelming sorrow, there’s still a sense of resistance—a willingness to fight against the tide.
“Tonight Pain Believes” and “Charcoal Sky” pull listeners back into the depths of melancholy. The former feels like an emotional slow burn, its title reflecting the vulnerability of allowing pain to guide us through the darkest of times. The latter, with its heavy, stormy atmosphere, evokes the feeling of being trapped beneath a sky thick with impending doom. Both tracks remind us that Swallow the Sun thrives in moments of emotional devastation, where the music becomes a mirror for the listener’s own struggles.
Finally, the album’s title and closing track, “Shining,” delivers the most cathartic moment. It encapsulates all the themes explored throughout the album—despair, resilience, melancholy, and hope—and weaves them into one final, triumphant statement. The crescendos are soaring, the emotional intensity is palpable, and the musicianship is flawless. This is not just the culmination of the album but of Swallow the Sun’s entire career up to this point. It’s a testament to their growth, and it marks a new chapter in their already storied legacy.
In the end, Shining is more than just another death-doom record. It’s a bold reimagining of what Swallow the Sun can be, a leap into the unknown that both honors their past and sets the stage for their future. The collaboration with Dan Lancaster has breathed new life into their sound, bringing both clarity and complexity to the mix. As Swallow the Sun steps into this new era, they do so with confidence, guiding their listeners into the light—even if that light is still tinged with shadows. Shining is a masterpiece that potentially stands as the band’s strongest achievement, a work that will captivate long-time fans and newcomers alike.
Prepare to be mesmerized.
Verdict: 4.9/5
Ethereal Metal 
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