Swallow the Sun

Swallow the Sun is a Finnish extreme metal band whose sound melds classic funereal doom with elements of melodic death and gothic metal, Scandinavian folk melodies, and beautifully dark atmospherics. As evidenced by their debut long-player, 2003's The Morning Never Came, their sound balances often lithe, crystalline piano interludes alongside crushing guitar and bass riffs, nearly tribal low-tuned drums, wafting keyboards, and the unearthly vocals of frontman Mikko Kotamäki. Swallow the Sun's central theme is graphically depicting the complexity of human emotions. The band also revealed their love of classic prog on 2015's epic, triple-length album Songs from the North, I, II & III. 2019's When a Shadow Is Forced into the Light addressed the passing of guitarist Juha Raivio's partner, Aleah Stanbridge. STS returned in 2021 with Moonflowers. The deluxe version included a bonus disc of instrumental versions recorded by a classical chamber group in a church.