UMUR
"New Moon" is the 4th full-length studio album by Finnish doom/ goth metal act Swallow the Sun. The album was released in November 2009 by Spinefarm Records.
The music on the album is a mix of doom, goth and death/ black metal. The vocals by lead vocalist Mikko Kotamaki vary between deep death growls, clean vocals and the occasional higher pitched raspy black metal vocal. There are also some female vocals on the "Lights on the Lake (Horror pt. III)" track. I´d say Amorphis and Paradise Lost are the biggest sources of inspiration for Swallow the Sun, but these guys do well at coming up with original ideas and they have a sound of their own IMO. Not all tracks on the album are equally intricate, but all songs are of high quality. Personally I like the more structurally complex and most extreme tracks like "These Woods Breathe Evil" and "Weight of the Dead" the most, and I could have lived without the more "goth" tinged songs/ elements on the album, but even those songs/ moments are very well performed and suit the general mood and atmosphere of the album well.
The production is very well sounding and professional.
"New Moon" is a very good album by Swallow the Sun and while it´s not exactly my personal cup of tea, I never deny quality and a 3.5 - 4 star rating is deserved.