Moonflowers Bloom in Orange County: Swallow the Sun and Company Bring an Unforgettable December Performance
December 18th, 2021
A desire to finish the year 2021 strongly and in epic fashion, Finland’s Doom/Death Metal veterans Swallow the Sun, just capped off the year releasing their outstanding live record, 20 Years of Gloom, Beauty and Despair – Live in Helsinki, and just a month prior, their latest studio record, Moonflowers. And, to end their stellar year on a high note, Swallow the Sun embarked on a North Amerrica tour, bringing along Abigail Williams and Wilderun, as well as various openers throughout the run. Hopefully our future of live events will be better sooner than later, and this stellar performance taking place at Stages in Santa Ana, California, would captivate the brisk and chilly weather we’ve been fortunate to experience, as of late.
Formerly Malone’s, Stages seemed to have a slight remodel during the pandemic. The bar table extended further; patio wasn’t open tonight but the door to it looked renovated. Without knowing the full details for the name change/remodel, it was a bright spot to see Stages fairly packed before the first band started. More than ever, the strength of these special events, is essential and necessary.
“We’re Hell is Other People, and we’re not a Metal band!” Some of the first words spoken from vocalist Matthew Blair. And he was correct, Hell is Other People certainly isn’t a Metal band, which was a strange decision to open up a show with mainly Death and Black Metal elements. Nevertheless, there were a group of fans that were right up front to see their performance. From my first time ever hearing Hell is Other People, I heard Punk Rock energy, rolled into a Rock/Groove sound, perfect for a Punk Rock festival, a local Hard Rock show, etc. The music, personally for me, didn’t do too much after the 2nd song or so. The dynamics varied quite little, with riffs changing just one note or octave up/down, repeated. Music doesn’t have to be exclusively Metal, for me to enjoy it, but this style of Rock with Punk energy, just doesn’t intrigue me. However, Matthew Blair’s vocal performance was the aspect I enjoyed the most. From powerful screams, energetic on stage, various styles of singing, and enjoying every minute on stage, Matthew’s stage presence, ability and vitality deserves praise and acknowledgment. While overall not my forte, Hell is Other People went well for a number of the fans in attendance, and at the least, opened this Metal evening with a unique perspective.
The last opener on tonight’s event, and certainly not least, Orange County’s Voices of Ruin has been a staple for some of the most spectacular Metal events the last several years. Catchy, Melodic Death Metal, with driven melodic solos that you can sing in a matter of minutes. I can’t remember seeing a band that truly feeds off a crowd as they do. The amount of moshing and headbanging in the front, they just bring it out effortlessly. Steven Michael and Tom Barrett’s opening guitar anthem in “Suffering Silence”, riffs and cheerful melodies, turn right into vicious shredding from the latter. Their style of play is meant to remember, cheer and rock out to. “Death’s Design”, some of their earliest material, soothes the listener with a clean, harmonious intro, not even 20 seconds in, the tempo greatly increases as Tom Barrett’s smooth high tremolo picking, lots of powerful Gain but each note crystal, had the crowd at the palm of their hands. Vocalist Dave Barrett (They are brothers, yes), never letting up headbanging in sync with his bandmates, grinning from ear to ear watching the crowd go insane. No matter the event, I couldn’t recall a time seeing Voices of Ruin, not be into their set. Their glowing energy on stage, creating memorable melodies while high-fiving any person in sight, Voices of Ruin bring it each and every time. With their latest record, Path to Immortality, released last year during the pandemic, I look forward, to continue to witness the evolution and progressions, Voices of Ruin continue to make, creating more fans with each show played.
One band I was positively surprised to see on the bill, perhaps because I wasn’t made aware of their appearance on the tour until later, Wilderun. Their 2019 release, Veil of Imagination, I found in different websites, forums, and communities, talking about the album and especially the colourful, grand looking album artwork, created by Adrian Cox. Hearing Wilderun during Covid, the Progressive Death Metal elements, alongside a folky approach to the keyboards/pianos, I was hooked. The band received a warm welcome and applause as they took to the stage. Only a four piece onstage, the keyboards/piano parts were backtracks, allowing Wilderun to have this focused sound on the guitars primarily. Founder/rhythm guitarist/vocalist Evan Anderson Berry’s blend of dissonant, large sounding chords, alongside a haunting Progressive sound, Wilderun most certainly captured the imagination of the entire room. From delicate singing, to some fierce growling, Berry’s stage presence made a lasting impact. Now returning to lead guitars, Wayne Ingram’s beautiful tapping techniques and crisp solos were noticeably impressive, as the overall musicianship of Wilderun was a sight to behold.
The only true negative aspect of their set, and it was something I was thinking about prior to the show, only 3 songs. It felt criminally short, and by “Far from Where Dreams Unfurl”, the audience was heavily engaged in the set, and they were shocked it ended so swiftly. Drummer Johnathan Teachey made the faster tempo section of the last song, powerfully everlasting, with a rapid bass drum assault, and gorgeous cymbal work that I was able to cleanly hear every note of. Wilderun’s 30-minute set was a treat to witness, and with their newest record, Epigone, releasing on January 7th just in a few weeks, they’ll be much more to anticipate for more shows, hopefully longer sets especially.
1. The Tyranny of Imagination
2. Passenger
3. Far from Where Dreams Unfurl
The lights dimmed a bit more, and the cello made a dynamic appearance onstage, to the delight of countless individuals. Abigail Williams’s approach to a cryptic, desolate Black Metal sound, while creating wonderous undertones of chaos, misery, and wonder, I feel needs to be discussed and praised further. Ken Sorceron vocally, sounded as fantastic as ever, with the harsh screams, storytelling, and even some Black Metal yodels that Valfar himself would have loved (RIP Windir). From sinister chord passages, timid interludes, and a frostbitten bite from the album Walk Beyond the Dark, in which all but one song from the entire record was played tonight, this is Abigail Williams’s most quality record thus far. The music never felt out of place or dragged out, as the continuous darkened feel of the songs kept a strong live presence all throughout. Cello player Chris “Kakophonix” Brown dazzled the crowd with his melodies and compelling ability. The ending of “Black Waves” showcased Kakophonix’s abilities, and just from my vision, seemed to be the brightest spot from Abigail Williams for them. Despite being the most relentless band tonight in terms of speed and blasting, the energy from the crowd seemed tame, not what I would expect for Atmospheric Black Metal. 3rd time is the charm, as the Devastation on the Nation tour in Spring 2022 would have Abigail Williams accompany Borknagar and Rotting Christ, and I can only imagine the energy and eagerness for that tour. Black Metal done right, with a unique vision of desolate riffs, drumming wizardry from Gabe Seeber, and enriching darkened cello melodies, that tour will be one of legendary proportions.
1. I Will Depart
2. Sun and Moon
3. Ever So Bold
4. Black Waves
5. Into the Sleep
6. The Final Failure
Despite the show running a tad late, and 11:45 PM being the final starting set time, the presence of Swallow the Sun walking up to the stage, had the crowd resonate loudly, as they knew this band doesn’t tour as frequent as others, thus savoring every morsel. Doom/Death Metal can vary based off which genre the band desires to be their most important strength. Therefore, the tempos can be all over the place, and can sometimes cause the live portion to be a little out of sync. This was not the case tonight, with Swallow the Sun’s tight live sound, performances and abilities, echoed beautifully in the halls of the Stages venue. Much like their latest live album, the band sounds much like their studio work! The energy within the mesmerizing passages and delicate transitions moving constantly in waves, I felt completely in tune with the extreme message being translated musically.
The clean intro to “Cathedral Walls”, capsuled the emotional aspects of Swallow the Sun, from treacherous danger, to safety in a sealed tomb. It only took 4 notes from the main verse riff to remember vividly, how personal and intimate the Doom portion of Swallow the Sun entails. Guitarists Juha Raivio and Juho Raiha exchanged roles between heightened distortion to the extreme moments, warm, colourful clean passages, and sharp palm-muted chugging to the faster material. There was a calmness to their demeanor, yet such focus to the instruments.
Perhaps, the true signature calling card and uniqueness of Swallow the Sun: Mikko Kotamaki. The longest tenured member of the band, alongside Juha and bassist Matti Honkonen, Mikko’s vastly memorable and unbelievable vocal work, stands above mountains. Able to sing beautifully with such melancholy, as well as a stellar guttural, that had to be seen and heard live to believe, whether vocal performance took place, you stood still in awe and paid attention. The twists and turns at the end of “Woven into Sorrow”, encapsules the atmosphere into those last two minutes of Mikko’s piercing growling. 20 years in Swallow the Sun, and his vocals are not only still operating at max capacity, they’re even more refined now than years past. Mikko’s words and delivery in between certain songs were met with listening ears, and it was heartfelt hearing him change up the set by playing “Don’t Fall Asleep (Horror Pt.2)”, from a fan at the San Francisco show requesting it. Without moving all across the stage, I felt his stage presence from the subtlety and quality alone, feel as if he was everywhere in between.
Swallow the Sun’s monstrous 90-minute set closed with an encore of songs from their first demo Out of This Gloomy Light, and Ghosts of Loss, feeling the grittiness within the development and evolution of their sound up front. A band with this discography of quality and the general nature of their longer songs, this set was breathtaking, and this now December morning after dusk, was properly sealed.
Finland isn’t quite known for Melodic Doom/Death Metal, in the vein that Swallow the Sun incorporates. But 21 years since the band’s inception, and a lengthy track record of epic song structures, amazing growls mixed with somber singing, alongside catharsis in tomb placing lows and rainfall moments of realization, Swallow the Sun has especially outdone themselves the past several years. Bands like these don’t come around so very often, and here’s hoping that changes even a little for 2022.
1. Moonflowers Bloom in Misery
2. Enemy
3. Rooms and Shadows
4. Falling World
5. Cathedral Walls
6. Stone Wings
7. Don’t Fall Asleep (Horror Pt. 2)
8. The Void
9. New Moon
10. Firelights
11.Woven into Sorrow
12. This House Has No Home
13. Descending Winters
14. Swallow (Horror Pt. 1)