SWALLOW THE SUN

Even for a band as fundamentally melancholy as SWALLOW THE SUN, the last decade has been a particularly daunting challenge. The tragic death of guitarist and founder Juha Raivio's partner, Aleah Starbridge, in 2016 took the Finns' music into even more bleak and lightless territory than had been explored on the not particularly cheerful likes of exquisitely morose debut "The Morning Never Came" (2003) or the genuinely terrifying third disc from 2015's "Songs From The North". Assailed by grief, Juha Raivio lost none of his melodic brilliance, nor his ability to make gently progressive changes to his band's sound. But from the soul-eviscerating horrors of stand-alone single "Lumina Aurea" in 2018 to the frequently jaw-dropping despondency of "Moonflowers", released three years ago, SWALLOW THE SUN were slowly consumed by darkness. Admittedly, everything they did was still of a dizzyingly high quality and as essential for fans of melodic, gothic or progressive doom as ever. In many ways, SWALLOW THE SUN were fulfilling the doom metal band brief with rather more intensity than anyone else, but even the most crestfallen fan could be forgiven for craving the occasional glimmer of light to balance out all that myopic misery.

Whether "Shining" represents a banishing of the blues for anyone involved should probably remain a secret, but there is no denying that the Finnish legends' ninth album is their brightest, most upbeat and most musically adventurous album in a long time. That's upbeat in the sense of not currently suicidal, obviously, and no amount of white-heavy artwork can alter the fact that SWALLOW THE SUN are generally predisposed to breaking hearts and extinguishing hope. Nonetheless, "Shining" is clearly a step towards the light, rather than the crushing of another emotional lightbulb. While the band's intrinsic heaviness remains, these are some of the most nuanced and dynamic songs Raivio has ever written, and with the steadfast melodic foil, vocalist Mikko Kotamäki, on career best form, this is a warm, welcoming and colorful change of pace and focus, at least in comparison with the morbid torment of "Moonflowers".

Kotamäki's vocal contributions are all-important and give the most accurate indication that Raivio's creative world has brightened up a little. Since leaning more heavily into clean vocals on 2019's devastating "When a Shadow Is Forced into the Light", he has truly blossomed as a frontman, and it is his intelligent, sensitive readings of his bandmate's compositional thoughts that make these songs so emotionally incisive. Favoring shorter, more succinct songs than the meandering epics that his band are known for, Raivio has written an album of simple but scintillating statements of defiance in the face of endless sorrow.

The opening triumvirate of ghostly anthems have all been released as preview singles, and this album's secret — that SWALLOW THE SUN have cheered up, albeit only slightly — is a matter of public discourse at this point. But the real revelation is that this more direct approach is every bit as effective as the long-form, crucify-them-slowly approach. "MelancHoly" is a sub-four-minute marvel, and a curiously accessible study of what it means to be overwhelmed by sadness; "Tonight Pain Believes" is almost pop in structure, and augmented with some neat modern production touches, but it harbors existential disquiet and shivers with the rawness of fresh dismay; and "Kold" facilitates a gripping collision between doomy death metal and elegant, goth-tinged songcraft, with enough room for a woozy, progressive detour halfway through.

When SWALLOW THE SUN do decide to extend a song beyond the five-minute mark, it turns out to be one of the best things Juha Raivio has ever written. The title track is a mesmerizing, cinematic sprawl, haunted by Angelo Badalamenti and weighed down with blissfully bereft melodies, Kotoamäki's abyssal growls, and cascading guitar hooks that suggest a sustained glimmer of hope, sustaining the broken-hearted until the next time life kicks them in the teeth. "Shining" knows that it's the hope that kills you, but also that hope is all we have. Another sobering but superlative piece of work.