Finland’s melodic doom/death metal outfit Swallow the Sun continue to delve into the depths of human emotion, reflecting on personal struggles, transformation, and the enduring pain that shapes our evolution. Their latest album, Shining, while lighter than 2021’s Moonflowers, still carries a hauntingly somber tone while offering a different introspective experience. Known for innovative approaches to their music, including inviting Avant-Garde Ballet Finland on the road with them, which also includes their performance at 2025’s 70000tons of Metal. Metal Insider recently caught up with Juha Raivio to discuss the new album, released in October via Century Media Records.
Can you discuss the creative process for the new album, Shining?
I let the music play in the back of my mind for months and I don’t write it down until I feel actual force that makes me pick up the guitar and then I open my studio program and the album writes itself out in about a month always. It’s been working like this for the last 15 years writing new music. I hardly remember anything of the writing process after.
When the album announcement first arrived, Juha Raivio admitted that writing another Moonflowers album would “kill” him. How did the overwhelming feeling end up shaping the direction for Shining?
After writing the music for the Moonflowers album that was the Covid-19 lockdown time, I was so depressed about the world being shut down, destroying my own personal life and the healing process that it made the music come out so depressing and dark that it started to be a really dangerous place for me. After the album release and touring it I hoped that if there would be any new music anymore then it would feel at least a bit different, a bit less dark. That led me to write the Shining album, which is not a very happy album, but after Moonflowers it really feels more uplifting.
What inspired tracks such as the recent singles for “What I Have Become,” and “MelancHoly?”
This new album is a very self mirroring album for me and I’m trying to understand myself and the world surrounding me. What I Have Become is about seeing how you turned out everything else than what you hoped for in this life, but still trying to forgive yourself also as no one is perfect in this world. MelancHoly tells how dangerous it is to fall so deep into melancholia that it almost becomes your god that you feed all your days and nights.
How do you compare the new album to your previous efforts?
This one is much more compact and melody driven than many of our older albums. We have always been a very melodic band, but this time the melodies turned out so strong that the whole album feels like a sunrise in the night sky, very powerful, dark and bright at the same time.
Can you talk more about the songs “Innocence Was Long Forgotten” and “Kold?”
Innocence song talks about how we lose that childlike spark of innocence from our eyes as we grow older and get cynical and sad with the world because of how the life treats us. Kold tells how us humans can turn from fully loving someone to totally cold and hateful in a matter of seconds.
You have quite the unique set planned for 70000tons of Metal with a set including the avant-garde ballet Finland. How did this come together and what should 70k cruisers expect, including, I believe it says you’re performing four sets instead of two sets?
We are a band that never shy away from doing exactly what feels right music wise and with other things too about Swallow the Sun, so playing with ballet is no exception. We did 3 sold out shows in Helsinki with the Ballet Finland playing the Plague of Butterflies and it was such amazing thing that we really want to do more of those shows. We are so happy that 70000 tons of Metal have such big balls that they wanted us to bring the whole ballet with us and do this again. It really is something special and those gigs will be a big celebration of music, dance and art. Funny to think we will bring the Finnish forest and winter in the middle of Caribbean stars. It will be amazing.
What songs from the new album are you looking forward to playing live the most?
I think they all are amazing songs to play live, and we haven’t chosen yet what songs we play live so can’t tell much about it as we haven’t rehearsed them together. You never know what songs will actually work live, sometimes a song you think will be amazing to play live doesn’t work at all, and some song you thought will never work out live will work out the best. It’s very strange thing.
What challenges did you face during the entire process from writing to recording?
We worked in 3 different studios and two different countries doing this album so that was the only thing that was a bit challenging to move from studio to studio, but it’s nothing we wouldn’t have done before. So it wasn’t that big of a deal.
Is there anything else you want to say or add about the new album?
Thank you for the amazing support from the fans about the new music, and also thank you for those who hate the album as it means that people care about this band. It’s all about honesty of the music and honesty sometimes hurts also. Thank you so much and take care all, see you on the North American tour and European tour in the first half of 2025. Cheers.
Feature Image Photo Credit: Jussi Ratilainen
