Swallow The Sun
Hope
Candlelight USA
9 out of 10
Band Website

Finnish doombringers Swallow the Sun's new album Hope shines just that in the sometimes boring realm of gloomy-doomy metal. Swallow the Sun's music is dramatic and moody while altogether fantastic and frightening. The singer has amazing range, going from soft, soothing vocals to deep growls several octaves lower than Dr. Claw.

Hope starts off with the title track, a song that leads us by the hand through a forest of barbed wire and bleeding sky. It is at first gentle, but the further the song takes us the more brutal it grows until the song reaches its climax. "These Hours of Despair" follows up like the gates of Hades blasting open with roaring beats and frightening vocals. "The Justice of Suffering" has very catchy guitar licks that suddenly pulverize over the vocalist's extremely low growls. Katatonia's Jonas Renkse makes a guest appearance on the track. "Don't Fall Asleep (Horror, Part 2)" has a very quiet chorus that blasts apart with a wicked guitar solo and scratching howls. The last 3/4ths of the song suddenly change direction with a slower tempo and louder vocals. "Too Cold for Tears" is long and plodding, but powerful none-the-less. "The Empty Skies" is one of the heavier tracks on the album with the vocalist rasping over the slashing sound. "No Light, No Hope" is short, hard and memorable. The album ends with "Doomed to Walk the Earth", a stirring work of art. The song flurries with drums and bass, caresses with female backing vocals and ends with a tragic guitar riff.

Hope is very much a metal masterpiece. Though most of what the singer growls is indecipherable, the lyrics are generally about blackened souls and bleeding hearts. Sad! Despite the album being about death and misery, every one of the eight tracks is an intricately and wonderfully structured musical success. Fans of hard, doom or death metal would definitely want Swallow the Sun amidst their collection of tunes, pirated or not!

~TJ Geise

Suburban Horror