Blooming in Darkness and Ice - A review of Swallow the Sun's Moonflowers

It might sound harsh but Juha Raivo's musical creativity had been pushed to astonishing limits after the tragic death of his partner Aleah Stanbridge, resulting in masterpieces such as Swallow the Sun's experimental single Lumina Aurea and the conceptual record When a Shadow Is Forced into the Light. Five years have passed since that tragic event and Swallow the Sun has now released a new output with Moonflowers. While the record has all the trademarks of its predecessors, it's however missing that desperate creative spark that made the preceding releases so authentic, experimental and unique.

The opening quasi title track ''Moonflowers Bloom in Misery'' is by far the greatest song on this output, meandering from atmospheric traditional doom metal to unchained funeral doom metal with energetic harsh vocals that send shivers down the spine. This is a song that should also appeal to any black and gothic metal enthusiasts and anyone looking for an authentic soundtrack for desolate autumn nights and cold winter days. This intensity is only achieved again in the closing ''This House Has No Home'' that has an even more disturbing atmosphere because the transitions between the different parts are more sudden and less fluid.

In between these two songs, the band often slows things down and flirts with depressive rock soundscapes reminding of the middle years of Paradise Lost or current outputs by Katatonia. ''The Void'' for instance has a hypnotizing, numbing and sorrowful atmosphere that might take a few spins to grow but has the greatest replay value on this output. Guest singer Cammie Gilbert of American progressive metal band Oceans of Slumber who has recently been performing on Ayreon's superb conceptual masterpiece Transitus, appears on soulful ballad ''All Hallow's Grieve'' that would have been all the rage twenty years ago when bands like Evanescence, HIM and Nightwish had their most commercially successful moments.

The main issue with this release is that some of the eight songs fail to stand out and are lacking a creative spark. They fail to leave a mark even after multiple spins. This is a flaw that weighs an album with only eight tunes down here and there.

Moonflowers' highs are however remarkable and while it can't compete with its immediate predecessors and their consistent atmospheres, Swallow the Sun is still one of the most creative doom metal bands out there. Patient listeners will be rewarded since several tunes have the potential to grow as time goes by. At the end of the day, Swallow the Sun's Moonflowers is a very good album but a slight step down in the band's impressive career.

Final rating: 78%