SWAN CHRISTY — Black Is the White Color (review)

SWAN CHRISTY — Black Is the White Color album cover

Album · 2001 · Gothic Metal

3/5 · 2021-12-02
lukretion

In the second half of the 1990s, Greek combo Swan Christy released two excellent albums that contained a special blend of prog metal, classical music, opera and gothic metal. Despite inhabiting similar sonic territories, the band’s first two albums already showed clear signs of progression and an ambition not to rest for too long on the same sound and style. Black Is the White Color makes this point even clearer, with a dramatic turn into new and surprising musical influences that range from electro-goth to alternative metal, while at the same time retaining a foot in prog metal territory.

It is a strange combination that, in truth, left me quite perplexed the first time I listened to the album. With repeated listens, however, the new songs started to grow on me, not least because some of them are bloody good! Thus, my judgment of this album grew from a mere “meh” score to a “good” rating, just a tad below the band's first two records. The main reason why I am holding back with my rating is that the diverse influences that Swan Christy incorporate in their music on this album, are often not well amalgamated into a neat, fluid style. Instead, they mostly emerge separately across different songs of the album. The end result is a record that feels a little too fragmented. Most songs, taken on their own, are good and exciting, but as a whole the album does not flow well and feels somewhat disjointed and confused about the direction the band was trying to take their music.

There are essentially three types of songs on this album. First, we have a bunch of tracks that revisit the prog metal style the band had already used on their first two records. “Cast in Tears” and “8?” are textbook prog metal, hinting at bands like Savatage, Rough Silk, Dream Theater and Rage (the latter influence emerges especially clear on the classically arranged “8?”, which is also one of the best tracks here). Then we have a couple of songs that seem to take inspiration from the electro-goth turn of bands like Paradise Lost in the late 1990s. “Seven Is Enough” and “Love It or Hate Me” play with subtle electronic loops, suffused piano arpeggios, and crooning vocals that bring to mind Depeche Mode and the whole metal bandwagon that the English band influenced in the 1990s. The rest of the album is played in a rough alternative metal that brings to mind Metallica. The guitar riffs are aggressive, the drums hit hard, and Kostas Makris’ vocals are gruffy and even shouted at times. Some of the tracks played in this style are quite good (“Because a Motherfucker Said So”, “Fuck Them”), but others feel too monotonous and dull (“Enough of White”, “Salt Penetration”). Meanwhile, “I Am in Hate with an Alien” and “Wish You Were Dead” attempt to find a difficult balance between the alternative metal style, electronica, and trip-hop, resulting in two of the most interesting tracks of the album.

The contrast between the different styles is at times jarring and not all the tracks are equally convincing. Nevertheless, the playing is high-quality throughout, with some excellent guitar riffs/solos, good piano/keyboard arrangements, and catchy vocal melodies. The production is also quite good, a big step forward compared to the tentative and low-fi sound of the band’s previous two records.

Overall, Black Is the White Color is a fascinating album, showing a band that is clearly trying to push boundaries and conjure up a new, original sound. This has been a constant leitmotif throughout Swan Christy’s career (they will soon turn experimental/jazz and abandon completely the rock/metal scene). Perhaps this record tries a bit too hard and as a result it feels a tad overreaching and scattershot. It nevertheless has some great moments and there are at least 5 or 6 tracks here that capture one’s imagination and leave a mark on the listener. Approach with caution, but do not overlook!