More than two decades of despair, beauty, and heartache have not only shaped but fueled Finnishmelancholy torchbearers, the chart-topping and two-time Finnish Grammy nominated Swallow TheSun. Formed in Jyväskylä in 2000, the quintet has enjoyed numerous fan-lauded music videos(10+ million YouTube views) and streaming dominance (50+ million Spotify plays), while alsoembarking on a four-continent, 900-show run throughout their 23-year career. The new album,Shining, however, is the group’s first step on the new path to the unknown.Shining is an exceptional album, not only because of the beauty and sheer power of the songs, butbecause this time the band searched for something new, something bright, something that will takethem to new spheres.Dan Lancaster, two-time Grammy nominee producer (Bring Me The Horizon, Muse, Don Broco,Blink 182, Enter Shikari, etc.), had the privilege to dive into the new Swallow The Sun material.This unexpected combination, and him producing the album, created something that Swallow TheSun has never experienced before. The leap into the unknown created an album that will blow youaway!Shining the latest album from Swallow the Sun, encapsulates the profound duality of the humanexperience and the band's enduring brilliance. The album explores the intrinsic challenges of beinghuman, contrasting the beauty and purity within individuals with the transformation that occurswhen we come together, chasing us away from innocence like rats from Eden. It highlights thestruggle and disillusionment in human interactions, dealing with a deep carved fear of life, and howmelancholy can slowly turn into your God.Marking 23 years of their musical progression, Shining also symbolizes the band's pride andresilience, showcasing their brightest and strongest work to date. This album is a testament toSwallow the Sun's artistic legacy, intertwining existential reflections with their characteristicmajestic sound. Shining – or the “Black Album” of Death Doom, as the bassist Matti Honkonencalls this album – was produced and mixed by Dan Lancaster, mastered by Tony Lindgren(Fascination Street Studios), and recorded by Juho Räihä at SoundSpiral Audio, except vocalsrecorded by Dan Lancaster. The artwork is by Rami Mursula.

Mӕre – a malicious folk entity that creeps up on sleeping people’s chests during thenight and instils breathlessness and anxiety. It is this state of diffused terror and paralysis thathas been enshrined in HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY’s music ever since their 2012 debut album.January 2021 will see more tales from their feverish dreams ready to break out into the light ofday.With M.S.‘s captivating guitar melodies and J.J.‘s lyrics, ridden with trauma, delirium and loss,their unique mixture of black metal and post rock creates an inescapable maelstrom ofshattering screams and sudden acoustic guitar interludes.As pioneers of the “post“ movement, the Austrians have, ever since their conception in 2011,drawn fans and critics deeper and deeper into the depths of their melancholy, self-hate andanger.Their previous release “Arson” reached #29 in the German and #62 in the Austrian charts.”Mӕre” will be graced with several friends of the band who have entered into the intoxicatedworld of HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY to guest on the album; Alcest’s frontman Neige brings ahaunting flair to ‘Sing For The Damage We’ve Done’, the anonymous voice of Gaerea joins inon ‘Silver Needle // Golden Dawn’, and, as session drummer, the duo one again commit to noneother than Kerim “Krimh“ Lechner (Septicflesh, live-Behemoth). However, an act of HARAKIRIFOR THE SKY’s stature no longer needs to rely on namedropping to be noticed.“Mӕre“ was recorded during the spring quarantine of 2020, which may well have been thecause of the feeling of abandonment that permeates the ten songs. Self-loathing with numbingrestlessness will still echo through your bones long after the last note of the Placebo cover‘Song To Say Goodbye‘ has resonated. Recorded and produced by M.S. and mixed with thehelp of Daniel Fellner, this fifth oeuvre is another milestone in the history of the duo who willcelebrate their 10th anniversary in 2021.

Death beats.