Time Signature Doom, lead the way...

Genre: doom metal

I know I have said it before, and I do not mind saying it again (and again (and again (and again))), but doom metal is one of the most interesting heavy metal subgenres. Just because the focus is on playing slow music, it does not mean that all doom metal is boring.

Far from it.

Just take the Finnish doom masters Swallow The Sun's latest effort Emerald Forest and the Blackbird, which was released in the beginning of this year. As is traditional in doom metal, the album is characterized by an emphasis on the melancholic, and the tempos are generally heavy without the music every becoming too slow. While some doom bands opt for a minimalistic approach, Swallow The Sun have gone for lush textures and a general multi-facettedness on this album. Thus, the traditional doom metal riffs are accompanied by atmospheric keyboards, female vocals, clean guitars, strings, symphonic effects and whatnot, and I do not think it would be incorrect to describe the music on this album as a different type of epic doom metal.

The heavy and doom-laden sections are considerably melodic and harmonic – and very compelling. Understanding the dynamics of mellow and heay, Swallow The Sun's composition juxtapose these heavy doom metal sections with soft, but dark, melodic, and often melodic, passages. Moreover, the Finnish doom act import elements from other metal genres, such as brutal death metal growls, metalcore screams (and this actually works surprisingly well) and, as heard in, 'Hate, Lead the Way', melodic black metal. There is also an overall gothic feel to the album, which at times makes me think of The Gathering's Mandylion and at other times of post-Draconian Times Paradise Lost.

More on the melodic side of things, Swallow The Sun's Emerald Forest and the Blackbird might not appeal to those who like their doom metal totally bleak, but it definitely captures the melancholy of doom metal spot on, and if you like darkly lush and sorrowfully epic doom metal with a progressive touch, then this is an album you must not miss out on.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

arcane-beautiful Doom!!!

Yes, doom is a many diverse genre. From rock and roll styles of Candlemass & Cathedral to the doom and gloom of My Dying Bride & Paradise Lost, the genre can have a lot of faces.

Now these guys have been on my radar for a while now, mainly because my brother was a bit of a fan of them. I won’t lie, as much as I like these guys, nothing of theirs has ever really stood out and grabbed my attention. I won’t lie, their sound is amazing, the lead vocalist growls like a demon from hell and overall they sound amazing, but sometimes they can be quite generic and repetitive. This is the album they needed to make.

This album really surprised me. I thought that listening to this would be a chore, but it really was. Ok, at times it was a bit boring and repetitive, but the rest really surprised me. The band really experimented with different styles and tones on this album than previous releases.

The album is definitely a lot more gothic than there previous releases. At times the band reminded me of another doom band Draconian and at times more gothic influences reminded me of HIM and Charon (2 fellow Finn bands). Also, black metal elements, the norm melo death and even some proggy moments.

Musically the band is as good as they always have been. A lot more clean vocals can be heard on this album, giving the album a more melancholic and gothic tone. Lyrically, the bands lyrics are the same as always, and remind me of very beautiful poems, with their type of metal being the perfect soundtrack. And the death growls are as evil as ever.

1. Emerald Forest & The Blackbird – An epic start to the album. With the slow icy narrations and the nice melodic moments, the song then explodes to one dark evil dank song. Amazing start to the album. 9/10

2. This Cut Is The Deepest – An almost ballady sounding song. Some nice melodies and vocals, but pretty standard nonetheless. 7/10 3. Hate, Lead The Way! - Wow, I wasn't expecting this song. With Mikko sounding very much like Alexi from Children Of Bodom, and some pretty cool black metal sounding shrieks, this is definitly one of the better shorter songs on the album. 10/10

4. Cathedral Walls – A nice slow paced ballad, with some good vocals from Anette Olson (from Nightwish). The song then explodes into one dark and dank, and quite evily sounding vocals. 9/10

5. Hearts Wide Shut – Another slow paced song. As usual it is pretty standard. This song does remind me of the gothic metal band Charon though. 8/10

6. Silent Towers – Some nice passed vocals. I love how the song is almost like a poem with musical accompaniment. 8/10

7. Labyrinth Of London – The best song on the album. A very melodic death paced song with some amazing vocals from Miiko. A very diverse song with some really epic and surprising moments. Great haunting chorus too. 10/10

8. Of Death & Corruption – One of the most kick ass songs on the album. Pretty killer riffs and a cool chorus. 8/10

9. April 14th – One of the darkest songs on the album. The into to this song is eerie as hell, and when the song really kicks off, it is one very evil moment. One of the most black metal influenced songs on the album. 10/10

10. Night Will Forgive Us – A great ending to the album. Full of twists and turns and reflective moments. Great way to see the album fade away. 8/10

CONCLUSION: I didn't think I was going to like this, and I was very surprised. This is definitly there most diverse album and I can't wait to see what these guys are gonna do next.

8.1/10