More than two decades of despair, beauty, and heartache have not only shaped but fueled Finnish melancholy torchbearers, the chart-topping and two-time Finnish Grammy nominated Swallow The Sun. 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 also embarking 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, but because this time the band searched for something new, something bright, something that will take them 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 The Sun has never experienced before. The leap into the unknown created an album that will blow you away!

Shining the latest album from Swallow the Sun, encapsulates the profound duality of the human experience and the band's enduring brilliance. The album explores the intrinsic challenges of being human, contrasting the beauty and purity within individuals with the transformation that occurs when we come together, chasing us away from innocence like rats from Eden. It highlights the struggle and disillusionment in human interactions, dealing with a deep carved fear of life, and how melancholy can slowly turn into your God.

Marking 23 years of their musical progression, Shining also symbolizes the band's pride and resilience, showcasing their brightest and strongest work to date. This album is a testament to Swallow the Sun's artistic legacy, intertwining existential reflections with their characteristic majestic sound. Shining – or the “Black Album” of Death Doom, as the bassist Matti Honkonen calls 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 vocals recorded by Dan Lancaster. The artwork is by Rami Mursula.

Mӕre - a malicious folk entity that creeps up on sleeping people's chests during the night and instills breathlessness and anxiety. It is this state of diffused terror and paralysis that has 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 of day.

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 of shattering 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 and anger.

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 intoxicated world of HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY to guest on the album; Alcest's frontman Neige brings a haunting flair to 'Sing For The Damage We’ve Done', the anonymous voice of Gaerea joins in on 'Silver Needle // Golden Dawn', and, as session drummer, the duo one again commit to none other than Kerim “Krimh“ Lechner (Septicflesh, live-Behemoth). However, an act of HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY’s stature no longer needs to rely on name dropping to be noticed.

“Mӕre“ was recorded during the spring quarantine of 2020, which may well have been the cause of the feeling of abandonment that permeates the ten songs. Self-loathing with numbing restlessness 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 the help of Daniel Fellner, this fifth oeuvre is another milestone in the history of the duo who will celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2021.