By: Dan C.
Album
Type: Full Length (Triple)
Date
Released: 13/11/2015
Label: Century
Media Records
There’s a mix of styles throughout this first epic piece as it will
blend in some acoustic folk on up to more or less funeral doom arrangements. The second album is much more refined and
clean which leans strongly towards a folk approach. The third album comes back to more doom laden
tracks. This 3rd piece is even heavier than the first. I think of
the band Kongh when Swallow the Sun hit some pivotal doom moments here. Songs from the North is some serious shit.
Now go turn this stellar masterpiece all the way up and break out the whiskey
and hash.
“Songs
From the North I, II, III CD//DD//LP track listing:
Disc 1
1. With You Came the Whole of the
World's Tears
2. 10 Silver Bullets
3. Rooms and Shadows
4. Heartstrings Shattering
5. Silhouettes 6. The Memory of Light
7. Lost & Catatonic
8. From Happiness to Dust
Disc 2
1. The Womb of Winter
2. The Heart of a Cold White Land
3. Away
4. Pray for the Winds to Come
5. Songs from the North
6. 66,50´N,28,40´E
7. Autumn Fire
8. Before the Summer Dies
Disc 3
1. The Gathering of Black Moths
2. 7 Hours Late
3. Empires of Loneliness
4. Abandoned by the Light
5. The Clouds Prepare for Battle
Swallow
the Sun is:
Juha Raivio | guitar
Markus Jämsen | guitar
Mikko Kotamäki | vocals
Matti Honkonen | bass
Aleksi Munter | keys
Juuso Raatikainen | drums
The
Review:
Finish
group, Swallow the Sun, take a big leap of faith
with their latest release, “Songs from
the North I, II & III,” which takes the word “fucking epic” to a new
level. This is a TRIPLE album in case you didn’t follow the number sequence
there within the album title. Swallow the Sun blend
so many different variations of sound within this entire series of albums that
it’s hard to pin down on what style of music to call it. There’s cathedral/organ
sounding keys at times mixed with regular piano sounds, guitars that go from
distorted to ambient delayed harmonies, vocal ranges that go from dark guttural
Neanderthal grunts to clean and polished and finally the drums that are pretty slow
and fluid throughout.
The
first album leans towards darker elements and with swooping guitars that doom out
with lots of echo on the vocals. There’s a mix of styles throughout this first
epic piece as it will blend in some acoustic folk on up to more or less funeral
doom arrangements.
The
second album is much more refined and clean which leans strongly towards a folk
approach. You will not hear any distorted guitars on this 2nd piece
so either broaden your mind or skip on to the third album. There are ambient textures
within the flow of keys and acoustic guitars along with harmonies that embellish
strange mystical moody stuff that will make you sleepy if you smoke too much
herb. It’s pretty ballsy of these guys to break out into such delicate tunes
sandwiched in between two heavy doom albums.
The
third album comes back to more doom laden tracks. This 3rd piece is
even heavier than the first. I think of the band Kongh
when Swallow the Sun hit some pivotal doom moments
here. The keys are still strong in this third album but the guitars are more
dominant than anything else. Lots of guttural vocals closing out the album with
a black metal vocal approach.
This
is an album I see myself drinking to while chaos ensues around the city, with my
power cut off, so I’m catering to candles everywhere, I lost my dog, my
girlfriend and my heroin and there’s no chance I’ll be able to catch the next
episode of Hell’s Kitchen on the telly. So there you go. Songs from the North
is some serious shit. Now go turn this stellar masterpiece all the way up and
break out the whiskey and hash.
FFO: Novembers Doom, Katatonia, Ghost Brigade, My Dying
Bride
Band info: official
