Swallow the Sun - The Morning Never Came (2003)^{Release ID: 4399}

I've only really had a passing relationship with Swallow the Sun, I'm afraid. I quite enjoyed 2007's Hope and '09's New Moon even more so, but I never really "got into" the band like I did many other death doom outfits. Maybe, at the time, I considered them a little too melodic in a genre I love best at it's filthiest-sounding. Anyway here I am revisiting them and listening with fresh ears, hopefully.
The Morning Never Came was the Finn's debut album, released in November of 2003 and is indeed an album with a melodic take on the death doom formula. It is reasonably accessible with it's hauntingly charming synths and it's mournful riffs and may well appeal to metal fans looking for a gateway into extreme doom. The vocals aren't the usual cavernous, languid death growls, but are more forceful and urgent, ofttimes with a hint of a blackened shriek about them. I feel the album is at it's best when they manage to pull off the trick of sounding both melodic and apocalyptic at the same time, such as during the superb Swallow. The dichotomy this creates is extremely successful at portraying both beauty and it's destruction and the dynamic of life that means ultimately all must pass.
This is a great release by a band I will certainly be taking a lot more of an interest in now that I've finally got round to giving them the attention they rightly deserve.