CoC : Swallow the Sun - The Morning Never Came : Review

Swallow the Sun - _The Morning Never Came_
(Firebox, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8.5 out of 10)

Finland's Firebox Records continue to release consistently good albums at a surprising rate for such a young label, and this latest one, Swallow the Sun's debut _The Morning Never Came_, is possibly the best so far. Swallow the Sun can be summed up thus: Finnish melodic doom/death with vast growls and occasional clean vocals, well placed keyboard enhancements, and enough variety and dynamics to ward off any form of boredom. Their melodies can just as easily evoke My Dying Bride or Amorphis circa _Tales From the Thousand Lakes_ as they can bring Rapture to mind, which helps ensure that the music flows nicely throughout. _The Morning Never Came_ is an uncomplicated album -- not in the sense that it is simplistic or dull, but rather because it remains unpretentious and accomplished throughout. The songwriting is good; the riffs range from doomy to energetic with apparent ease; the melodies mostly vary between good and excellent; the playing is tight and the production top notch. _The Morning Never Came_ does owe some ideas to the aforementioned bands, but even in terms of originality, the end result is acceptable. Not every single passage in the album is remarkable, and some bits could have been trimmed, but Swallow the Sun manage to remain sufficiently consistent throughout the record to come out with a very impressive debut. Rarely is a doom-tinged album as downright enjoyable as _The Morning Never Came_ whilst keeping so much of its atmospheric quality, and the fact that this is only Swallow the Sun's first effort makes the future seem even brighter for them.

Contact: http://www.firebox.fi

(article published 13/12/2003)

ALBUMS
24/2/2007	N Shahpazov	8	Swallow the Sun - Hope
2/9/2005	P Azevedo	8.5	Swallow the Sun - Ghosts of Loss