Imagine a grandiose castle lost in the depths of a forgotten forest. Night is falling on the Gothic arches and eerily colored shadows appear out of nowhere. You can barely see them, but you can hear them perfectly. They are singing.
They open the gates of the derelict building and they go inside, dragging their immateriality on the broken stones beneath what once were their feet. The door is shut violently behind the last guest, and, suddenly, a green light shines from all the windows of the castle.
Though youâ’re afraid, you cannot help getting closer to the sight of these otherworldly occurrences. Your cowardly steps take you to the huge window of the ballroom, where something is happening. The ghosts are giving a concert.
This music sounds like nothing youâ’ve ever heard. Though no instruments are in sight, the dancing shadows on the walls testify that the specters are indeed playing. These dead virtuosos are lamenting their pain on invisible sound-machines.
The scream of the dirge-lullaby theyâ’re interpreting pierces your soul and you are rendered helpless before the beauty of a music that has little to do with earth-bound emotions, and everything to do with Heaven & Hell.
Now this is what you feel when you listen to SWALLOW THE SUN, the Finnish melodic doom/death metal act that seems to enjoy living an honest and low-key life, despite their amazing music that deserves a bit more attention.
The band has released its latest album, „Emerald Forest and the Blackbird” in February and after a busy summer doing festivals and other gigs, theyâ’re ready to embark on a US tour, and later this fall on the „Into Darkness” voyage that will take them all over Europe, together with kindred-musical-spirits like Pain, Moonspell and Lake of Tears.
We tracked down the ever-so-melancholy Aleksi Munter (keyboards) who agreed to give us an interview, in which we discussed the abysmal nature of Swallow the Sun, the chromatic allusions from their latest album, and many other things. Have a safe descent!
MRM: Your new album, "Emerald Forest and the Blackbird", draws its inspiration from the melancholy Finnish song "Sininen Uni", by Tapio Rautavaara. What does your dark, heavy music have in common with this gentle lullaby?
Aleksi: Juha always had the feeling that the song is somehow about death. I personally find Tapio’s performance of the song and its arrangement very surreal. Combine these two with some dreamlike scenes then add some heaviness and I think you’re about there.
"Sininen Uni" means "Blue Dream" in English; however, the concept of the new album is based on the color green (emerald). What significance does this color have for you and why did you choose it as your symbol?
This question would be better addressed to Juha, because it was his vision, but I’ll try to give my own impression of it. When taking the story of the title track into consideration – a father telling a story to his dying child, trying to explain to the little boy where he’s going that night – it kind of gives the impression that the dad would like to take the kid on his final journey – all the colors are heightened, and instead of turning grey with nightfall, the forest gleams with emerald tones. Kind of like a last surreal glimpse of the world before going away, before the story ends.
This time around, the cover-art, designed by Rami Mursula, depicts a mysterious raven’s eye. Is this the mirror or the filter through which the heartbreaking story of the dying child will be seen?
Yeah, it can be seen that way, and I think this vision applies to all of the songs; you can interpret the other songs as contemplations of life seen through the death of someone close, or through sorrow in general – through the birdâ’s eye in this case, if you see the bird as a metaphor for death.
„We’re pretty sure we know what we’re doing and we need no outside opinion on the compositions or on the arrangements.”
Your brand of metal has an abysmal quality that makes you sink below the level of normal emotion. When writing, rehearsing and performing the songs, do you ever feel that maybe you’ve descended too far, or do you always surface safe & sound from your journey?
No, not really. We know where we’re going and what we’re doing, at least most of the time.
You’ve mostly worked with Finnish producers. Is this a conscious choice, based on the desire to hold on to your trademark style? I’m thinking about bands that have chosen American or British producers, and have, consequently, strayed away from their initial sound.
We have actually never had a producer, as in a person who has a say in the musical content. We’ve only had producers who do sound engineering. We’re pretty sure we know what we’re doing and we need no outside opinion on the compositions or on the arrangements. We do, however, appreciate some help when trying to decide the balance, the final mix and some performance issues on the albums.
On this new album, you’ve recorded and mixed with technicians ( Hiili Hiilesmaa, Mikko Karmila, Mika Jussila) known for their collaboration with more "mainstream" acts like Nightwish, Amorphis, Apocalyptica etc. How did this impact the album?
Obviously they’re all extremely professional. Mikko is one of the best sound engineers around, and I love working with Hiili because his manner and style of approaching the music he mixes are very original. I couldnâ’t wait to hear what he would do with our sound, what heâ’d bring to it, and he really delivered. I couldn’t be happier about the end result. And I think Mika’s mastering is really good, as it made the album really dynamic: the sound really breathes on the quiet bits and is right there in your face on the heavier ones.
„We’ve heard many times from our fans that our music has helped them through some of the most difficult trials of their lives. And that’s always something really special.”
Every one of your albums was based on a different story that influenced the way the music sounded. "Emerald Forest and the Blackbird" talks about a father trying to explain Death to his ill boy, a delicate topic. What effect did it have on the songs, on the way they are written, on the emotions?
Youâ’d have to ask Juha about that. For me, this album was the hardest one to write my keyboard parts for, because the songs are so long and complicated. Keeping the keyboard arrangements coherent so that they bring something more to the songs was really difficult this time.
What was it like working with Anette Olzon from Nightwish?
She actually recorded her parts in Sweden, so we were never in the same studio, and to be honest, I didn’t know what to expect, but when I heard the track I thought it was perfect on the first try. It’s good to work with professionals.
Your music has always been haunting and profound. Do you think intense genres of metal like death & doom can conjure up the personal ghosts of the listener? If so, in a good way or in a bad one?
Both. I think that, for people who are not accustomed to this type of music, it can be difficult to listen to it. However, we’ve heard many times from our fans that our music has helped them through some of the most difficult trials of their lives. And that’s always something really special.
Kiitos paljon, Aleksi!
(Alexandra Furnea)
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