Swallow the Sun is a band who keeps improving with each release. The Finnish death/doom group continues to impress with their latest, New Moon. Those who are unfamiliar with Swallow the Sun's sound can use Katatonia, classic Anathema, and maybe even Opeth as reference points. Swallow the Sun manages to recall each of these bands without quite sounding like any of them. Upon first listening to the new album it seems relatively simple and catchy, but each subsequent spin reveals something new.

Visually, New Moon is presented like a book filled with various tales of murder, loss, and despair.  This is achieved through both the artwork and the lyrics. The packaging looks like an antique book. The cover is a gorgeous woodcut style picture of snakes swimming through the clouds towards a new moon. Perhaps they are even intent on swallowing the sun and leaving the world in total darkness? It is a striking image that complements the songs inside. In the booklet, each song has its own page dedicated to its lyrics and an accompanying illustration. This helps make each song feel like a short story from some depressing anthology.

Musically, New Moon opens strongly with its first chapter, "These Woods Breathe Evil."  The song begins with a lone clean guitar that soon gives way to the whole band entering at an energetic driving pace. The bridge of the song showcases one of Swallow the Sun's strongest suits: dynamics.  Everything becomes quieter and more relaxed as the guitars play feedback-sustained, single note lines in harmony like something out of Anathema's old playbook. When the chorus returns, it feels even more powerful than before.   

"Falling World" slows the pace to a doomy crawl and features clean guitars atop a contrasting bed of heavily-distorted low guitar rhythms, a device that Swallow the Sun utilizes throughout most of the album. The clean Katatonia-style vocal melody is what stands out the most about this track. Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity/Bloodbath/producer-extraordinaire) contributes guest backing vocals.

Swallow the Sun again uses contrast to make an impact on "Sleepless Swans."  The guitars change between clean and heavily-distorted tones. The vocals begin as quiet mumbled singing before changing to a Mikael Akerfeldt-style growl and then to black metal screams.

"...And the Heavens Cried Blood" continues the album in a similar style and features one of the albums best choruses. It is a relatively straightforward song that sets the stage for what is one of the album's best and most involved tracks.

"Lights on the Lake (Horror Pt III)" continues with the theme of ghosts that was used in the two previous "Horror" songs found on earlier albums. It is not a continuation of a story from a previous album, but rather another song in a series about ghosts and loss. In this song a guest female vocalist plays the part of girl who has apparently been drowned in a lake by her own father. Swallow the Sun vocalist Mikko Kotamaki handles the male roles in the story. The female voice sounds as if it is coming from the depths far beneath the surface of a lake. The music sways back and forth like a boat drifting across the waves. As cheesy as all of this might sound in print, it works surprisingly well. The combination of the lyrics, music, and the vocalists conjure great mental images making this song quite haunting and an album highlight.

The title track, another album highlight, follows. It is a slightly more up-tempo track that would not be out of place on a late 1990's/early 2000's Katatonia album. It feels like a desperate plea for a new beginning...one that will likely never come. Few bands are able to make the listener feel this type of indefinable sadness like Katatonia and older Anathema can. Yet, Swallow the Sun manages it here and throughout the rest of the album.

"Servant of Sorrow" is a mid-tempo chugger that reminds the listener that "Whoever is sentenced to love will bow down as a servant of sorrow." It is a good song, but far from the best on the album.

"Weight of the Dead" closes the album like a trudging suicide note, ending both the song and the album with the lines, "Forgive me all, no more hope." The tempo of the song is reminiscent of Type O Negative's excruciatingly slow moments. At times the listener keeps waiting for what seems like an eternity between each beat of the snare. The lyrics manage to include a reference to the title of each previous Swallow the Sun release. It feels like the band is viewing the album as their own new moon, or a new starting point in their career. After spending some time with the album, I have to say that I agree wholeheartedly. New Moon is a nearly flawless package that eclipses their other amazing work. Old and new fans alike will surely enjoy the best Swallow the Sun album yet. Sometimes wallowing in misery can feel so good.

Metal Psalter