Swallow the Sun – Emerald Forest and the Blackbird

Releasedate: 06-02-2012; Label: Spinefarm Records
By: Martine Goffard

After a break of one year, the Finnish band of Jyväskylä is back with a long awaited album, “Emerald Forest and the Blackbird”. The virtuosi of doom metal, if we have to classify them somewhere, had left us speechless with their latest one, New Moon, out in 2009. It seemed impossible that the ones who have sublimated sadness could ever deceive us.

Even the intro has this unique sound that makes the band’s own style. It starts with the noises of rolling cart, through a cold winter wind in the woods. You can hear the sound of a flute. Then the guitars and the keyboard fall, like a theater curtain, to tell you the stories of this Emerald Forest. The lyrics are first spoken by Mikko Kotamäki with his clear and gloomy voice. A light feminine murmur accompanies him in the background. Then the tone changes for grunts and the violence is palpable.
This time, the Finns have decided to reduce the grunts on the songs. These clear passages give a little Anathema touch on the album and show that the band is always capable of an evolution. It suits perfectly with the particular rhythm of a Swallow the Sun song. Like the waves on the sea, it oscillates between the calm ocean swell and the breaking wave, always unpredictable, cold and devastating. The compositions have been polished to the extreme. Now the artistic talent of Juha Raivio is not only in his music but in his lyrics as well. You have to read his magical poetry to understand the whole. Through these words, you will enter the dark cold woods of Scandinavia, feel a light shiver of horror as you realize you are evolving in the madness of a Lynch’s story or a Kittelsen’s painting. It’s all about love, pain, treason and most of all, melancholy. How can we survive the death of the loved one when the world seems to collapse around us? Your heart is crying in Cathedral Walls as you hear the soft voice of Anette Olzon. Labyrinth Of London, that revisits a well known story, is the original touch. We can smell the humidity and the corruption of the tortuous streets of London, hear the gloomy bell in the mist. Only the heavenly voice of Aleah saves you from this hell. Night Will Forgive Us, with his guitar solos, gives the only glimpse of hope, the light of dawn. Did we survive the night? It’s the sunshine in the morning that makes the full moon night complete, even to warm a bleeding heart.

The exceptional originality and the depth of the atmosphere rank this album at the highest level of dark metal. Swallow the Sun stays matchless.

Line-up :
Juha Raivio ‒ Guitars
Matti Honkonen ‒ Bass
Markus Jämsen ‒ Guitars
Aleksi Munter ‒ Keyboard
Mikko Kotamäki ‒ Vocals
Kai Hahto ‒ Drums

Tracklist: 01. Emerald Forest and the Blackbird 02. This Cut Is the Deepest 03. Hate, Lead the Way 04. Cathedral Walls (feat. Anette Olzon) 05. Hearts Wide Shut 06. Silent Towers 07. Labyrinth of London (Horror Pt. IV) 08. Of Death and Corruption 09. April 14th 10. Night Will Forgive Us

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