Swallow the Sun

Swallow the Sun is a Finnish metal band founded in 2000 by Juha Raivio.[2] Their death-doom style emphasizes melody and atmosphere, and occasionally steps into gothic and black metal territory. They have released six full-length albums, one triple album, one EP, one demo, and five singles.

This article is about a Finnish metal band. For the 2009 Korean drama series, see Swallow the Sun (TV series).
Swallow the Sun
Swallow The Sun, at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in 2016.
Background information
OriginJyväskylä, Finland
GenresDeath-doom,[1] melodic death metal,[1] gothic metal, progressive metal
Years active2000–present
LabelsFirebox, Spinefarm, Century Media
WebsiteSwallowthesun.net
MembersJuha Raivio
Mikko Kotamäki
Matti Honkonen
Juuso Raatikainen
Juho Räihä
Jaani Peuhu
Past membersPasi Pasanen
Kai Hahto
Aleksi Munter
Markus Jämsen

History

The Morning Never Came (2003)

Swallow the Sun was formed in early 2000 by Juha Raivio, soon joined by Pasi Pasanen (both had played together in Plutonium Orange). They rehearsed a couple of songs, one of them being "Through Her Silvery Body" which would end up on their first demo, Out of This Gloomy Light. In 2001 Markus Jämsen, whom Raivio and Pasanen already knew from their earlier bands, joined as a second guitarist, and Mikko Kotamäki from Funeris Nocturnum as singer; then Aleksi Munter (keyboards) and Matti Honkonen (bass), also of Funeris Nocturnum, joined the band. In the spring of 2002 they started arranging songs for the demo Out of This Gloomy Light which was recorded in January 2003 at Sam's Workshop with Sami Kokko, who also mixed the demo.

A record deal with Firebox Records was signed a few months after the recordings of the demo, and Swallow the Sun entered studio at late July 2003. During the following three weeks they recorded their debut album, The Morning Never Came.

Ghosts of Loss (2005)

In February 2005, Swallow the Sun released their second album, Ghosts of Loss. Their single, "Forgive Her...," gained fourth place on the Finnish Top 20 singles chart in its first week of release, and stayed on the charts for six weeks. Their album entered the charts as well: No. 8 in between Gwen Stefani and System of a Down. Some of the album's songs have connections to the TV show Twin Peaks.

Hope (2007)

During the year 2006 they signed to Spinefarm Records and did a small European tour. In January 2007 they released their third album, Hope, which includes a cover version of the Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus song "Alavilla mailla" (which they translated into "These Low Lands") as a bonus track on the digipack edition, sung by Tomi Joutsen, the frontman of fellow Finnish metal band, Amorphis. There is also a guest appearance by Jonas Renkse of Katatonia on the song "The Justice of Suffering." They went on a US tour with Katatonia, Scar Symmetry and Insomnium in late 2007.

Plague of Butterflies (2008)

In September 2008, they released an EP called Plague of Butterflies, followed by a December tour of the UK of ten live shows supporting Apocalyptica.

New Moon (2009)

On May 18, 2009 Kai Hahto of Wintersun joined Swallow the Sun to fill the void left by former drummer Pasi Pasanen. Kai Hahto did the drums on their next album, entitled New Moon, Produced by Jens Bogren, the album was released on November 10, 2009.

Emerald Forest and the Blackbird (2012)

The fifth studio album Emerald Forest and the Blackbird was released February 1, 2012, via Spinefarm Records. The lead single for the album, "Cathedral Walls", featured vocals by former Nightwish singer Anette Olzon. The song "Labyrinth of London" features guest vocals by Raivio's partner Aleah Stanbridge.[2]

Songs from the North I, II & III (2015)

Swallow the Sun released the triple album Songs from the North I, II & III on November 13, 2015. Each of the three album discs embodies a different facet of the band's style: Gloom, Beauty, and Despair. Juuso Raatikainen replaced Kai Hahto as full-time drummer on this album, as Hahto was working on Nightwish's 2015 album Endless Forms Most Beautiful (album) and subsequent tour in place of Jukka Nevalainen. However, Hahto has not been kicked out or resigned.[3]

Lumina Aurea (2018)

Swallow the Sun's only non-album single was released on December 21, 2018, titled "Lumina Aurea", featuring Wardruna's Einar Selvik and The Foreshadowing's Marco I. Benevento. The track embodies Raivio's bereavement and other emotions he experienced after the death of his partner Aleah Stanbridge in 2016.[2] It contains the title track and additionally an instrumental version of the track.

When a Shadow Is Forced into the Light (2019)

In November 2018, the band announced their seventh album, When a Shadow Is Forced into the Light, and its track list on their official Facebook page, to be released on January 25, 2019 through Century Media Records. The album focuses on the death of Raivio's partner Aleah Stanbridge, Raivio's mourning, and his life since Stanbridge's death. The title of the album is a quote by Stanbridge, which was also a lyric in the song "Broken Mirrors" by her and Raivio's band Trees of Eternity.[4]

Timeline

Members

Discography

Studio albums
Title Details Peak chart positions
FIN
[5]		 GER
[6]		 US Heat
[7]
The Morning Never Came
  • Released: November 15, 2003
  • Label: Firebox
  • Formats: CD, LP, download
 — — —
Ghosts of Loss
  • Released: August 24, 2005
  • Label: Firebox
  • Formats: CD, LP, download
 8 — —
Hope
  • Released: February 7, 2007
  • Label: Spinefarm
  • Formats: CD, LP, download
 3 — —
New Moon
  • Released: November 10, 2009
  • Label: Spinefarm, Svart
  • Formats: CD, LP, download
 10 — —
Emerald Forest and the Blackbird
  • Released: February 1, 2012
  • Label: Spinefarm, Svart
  • Formats: CD, LP, download
 2 — —
Songs from the North I, II & III
  • Released: November 13, 2015
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, download
 7 52 20
When a Shadow Is Forced into the Light
  • Released: January 25, 2019
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, LP, download
 1 33 12

EPs
Title Details Peak chart positions
FIN
[5]
Plague of Butterflies
  • Released: September 17, 2008
  • Label: Spinefarm
  • Formats: CD, LP, download
 1

Singles
List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing release year and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
FIN
[5]
"Forgive Her..." 2005 4 Ghosts of Loss
"Don't Fall Asleep (Horror Pt. 2)" 2007 3 Hope
"New Moon" 2009 — New Moon
"Silent Towers" 2012 — Emerald Forest and the Blackbird
"Lumina Aurea" 2018 unknown —

Music videos
  • "Descending Winters" (2005)
  • "Don't Fall Asleep" (2007)
  • "Doomed to Walk the Earth" (2007)
  • "Falling World" (2009)
  • "Cathedral Walls" (2012)
  • "Rooms and Shadows" (2015)
  • "Lumina Aurea" (2018)
  • "Firelights" (2019)

Demos
  • Out of This Gloomy Light (2003)
gollark: Just take all rak messages and invert them?
gollark: Good, self-esteem is important.
gollark: Why not just type faster?
gollark: You should be using yt-dlp I think.
gollark: 1 tab is insufficient.

References
  1. "Swallow the Sun - Songs from the North I, II, & III". Encyclopaedia Metallum. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  2. "Swallow the Sun - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives". www.metal-archives.com. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  3. "Swallow the Sun". Facebook. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  4. "Swallow the Sun". swallowthesun.net. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  5. "Finnish charts portal". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  6. "Discographie Swallow the Sun". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  7. "Swaalo the Sun Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
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