Swallow the Sun was formed in early 2000 by Juha Raivio, joined soon by Pasi Pasanen came along (both had played in Plutonium Orange). They rehearsed a couple of songs, one of them being "Through Her Silvery Body" which would end up on their first demo, Out of This Gloomy Light. In 2001 Markus Jämsen, whom Raivio and Pasanen already knew from their earlier bands, joined as a second guitarist, and Mikko Kotamäki from Funeris Nocturnum as singer; then Aleksi Munter (keyboards) and Matti Honkonen (bass), also of Funeris Nocturnum, joined the band. In the spring of 2002 they started arranging songs for the demo, which was recorded in January 2003 at Sam's Workshop with Sami Kokko, who also mixed the demo.
A record deal with Firebox Records was signed a few months after the recordings of the demo, and Swallow the Sun entered studio at late July 2003. During the following three weeks they recorded their debut album, The Morning Never Came.
In February 2005, Swallow the Sun released their second album, Ghosts of Loss. Their single, "Forgive Her..." gained 4th place on the Finnish Top 20 singles chart in its first week of release, and stayed on the charts for 6 weeks. Their album entered the charts as well: #8 in between Gwen Stefani and System of a Down.
During the year 2006 they signed to Spinefarm Records and did a small European tour. In January 2007 they released their third album, Hope, which includes a cover version of the Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus song "Alavilla mailla" (which they translated into "These Low Lands") as a bonus track on the digipack edition, sung by Tomi Joutsen, the frontman of fellow Finnish metal band, Amorphis. There is also a guest appearance by Jonas Renkse of Katatonia on the song "The Justice of Suffering". They went on a US tour with Katatonia, Scar Symmetry and Insomnium in late 2007.
In September 2008, they released an EP called Plague of Butterflies. In October, they announced a December tour of the UK of ten live shows supporting Apocalyptica.
On May 18, 2009 Swallow the Sun announced that Kai Hahto of Wintersun will be joining to fill the void left by former drummer Pasi Pasanen. Swallow the Sun confirmed on 12 June that their next album would be entitled New Moon and is being produced by Jens Bogren, they also stated that Kai Hahto would be doing the drums on this album.
Emerald Forest and the Blackbird is their fifth studio album. The album was released February 1, 2012, by Spinefarm Records. It was also released on limited LP on both green and white vinyl by Svart Records.
Official site: http://www.swallowthesun.net
Labyrinth of London
Swallow the Sun Lyrics
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Make me stronger to get one step closer to you again.
Horror spreads through these alleys
Like a plague through the harlots.
By the blood of all these dirty cunts
My delicate art is being written, in blood!
For I am the sire, the noble one.
To get her back, piece by piece.
The night she left me from this world
To the shades of everlasting.
I will bring you back my love,
Even just for a one life long second.
She was the one, now cold and gone.
Ten silver bells mourning her death,
Echoes on the walls in this Labyrinth of London.
Charlotte Street 3 am, washed by blood.
She′s not worth dying for, but to die in shame.
Heart of a scarlet whore, black like her native shore.
One I cut out on Lavender Lane,
I will replace her chest, and we will dance.
She was the one, now cold and gone.
Ten silver bells mourning her death,
Echoes on the walls in this Labyrinth of London.
She was the one, now cold and gone.
Ten silver bells marking your death,
You will be lost in this Labyrinth of London.
In this Labyrinth of London.
"I wander thro' each charter′d street,
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow,
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.
In every cry of every Man,
In every Infant's cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forg′d manacles I hear.
How the Chimney-sweeper′s cry
Every black'ning Church appalls;
And the hapless Soldier′s sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls.
But most thro' midnight streets I hear
How the youthful Harlot′s curse
Blasts the new born Infant's tear,
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse."
4 am Palmer Street.
In a circle of flames we will dance, once again.
Fire walk with me through these old streets of London,
Make me stronger to get one step closer to you again.
Horror spreads through these alleys
Like a plague through the harlots.
By the blood of all these dirty cunts
My delicate art is being written, in blood!
She was the one, now cold and gone.
Ten silver bells mourning her death,
Echoes on the walls in this Labyrinth of London.
She was the one, now cold and gone.
Ten silver bells marking your death,
You will be lost in this Labyrinth of London.
The song "Labyrinth of London" by Swallow the Sun is a hauntingly macabre tale of a protagonist who is tormented by the loss of his love, and his obsession with bringing her back to life. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the dark and twisted world of the streets of London, which reflects the singer's shattered psyche. The opening lines communicate the singer's determination to walk through the fire of his grief to attain his lost love. The horror that pervades the alleys symbolizes his inner turmoil and despair. The subsequent lines, "By the blood of all these dirty cunts, my delicate art is being written, in blood!" suggest the singer's violent methods of achieving his objective. He is ready to sacrifice the lives of others to recreate his love. The lyrics "One I cut out on Lavender Lane, I will replace her chest, and we will dance," convey the singer's delusion and his mindless pursuit of his obsession.
The middle section of the song contains William Blake's poem "London" which adds a deeper layer of meaning to the song. With lines such as "And mark in every face I meet, marks of weakness, marks of woe," Swallow the Sun explores the idea of social decay and highlights the grim realities of the city. The final section of the song takes a turn towards fury as the singer sets the streets ablaze, reveling in the chaos and death. The closing line, "You will be lost in this Labyrinth of London" is ominous and implies that the singer is beyond redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
Fire walk with me through these old streets of London,
As I traverse the ancient streets of London, I plead with the elements of fire to flank me and make me stronger so that I may reunite with you.
Make me stronger to get one step closer to you again.
Empower me so that I can draw nearer to you and we can be reunited once more.
Horror spreads through these alleys
These alleys are ridden with fear and hysteria.
Like a plague through the harlots.
This fear travels through the women of the night like a serious ailment.
By the blood of all these dirty cunts
I am painting my masterpiece with the blood of all these impure women.
My delicate art is being written, in blood!
With the essence of these women, I am creating my art, which is delicate and must be handled with care.
For I am the sire, the noble one.
I am the master responsible for this gruesome art.
Deep I cut their sinful bodies,
I carve their bodies with precision and care.
To get her back, piece by piece.
I am committed to reassembling my lost love, bit by bit.
The night she left me from this world
The night my love departed from the world of the living.
To the shades of everlasting.
To the permanent afterlife.
I will bring you back my love,
I will bring you back from the dead, my love.
Even just for a one life long second.
Even if only for a moment, our love will be reborn.
She was the one, now cold and gone.
My love was the one, but is now lifeless and out of reach.
Ten silver bells mourning her death,
Ten bells toll in memoriam for my lost love.
Echoes on the walls in this Labyrinth of London.
The sounds of the bells reverberate throughout the labyrinth of London.
Charlotte Street 3 am, washed by blood.
In the early hours of Charlotte Street, the scene is bathed in blood.
She′s not worth dying for, but to die in shame.
I won't die for her, but I will die in shame.
Heart of a scarlet whore, black like her native shore.
Her heart is that of a harlot, colored as dark as her native land.
One I cut out on Lavender Lane,
I carved one on Lavender Lane.
I will replace her chest, and we will dance.
I will replace her heart, and we will dance once again.
Ten silver bells marking your death,
Ten bells tolling to signal your death.
You will be lost in this Labyrinth of London.
You will be forever lost in the maze that is London.
In this Labyrinth of London.
In this entangled lie that is London.
"I wander thro' each charter′d street,
I roam the mapped-out streets of London,
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow,
Close to the River Thames that runs through the city.
And mark in every face I meet
Observing every face I come across.
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.
Traces of fragility and sorrow.
In every cry of every Man,
Every man's wails.
In every Infant's cry of fear,
Every child's sounds of fear.
In every voice, in every ban,
In every sound and every law.
The mind-forg′d manacles I hear.
I hear the mental chains people place upon themselves.
How the Chimney-sweeper′s cry
The sound of the chimney sweepers' agony.
Every black'ning Church appalls;
The decaying churches are disturbing to behold.
And the hapless Soldier′s sigh
The pitiable moan of the soldiers.
Runs in blood down Palace walls.
Blood runs down the walls of the palace.
But most thro' midnight streets I hear
But most of all, I hear the sounds of the late-night.
How the youthful Harlot′s curse
The harsh curse of the young harlots.
Blasts the new born Infant's tear,
Destroying the newborn's tears.
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse."
And infects with disease the hearse of marriage.
4 am Palmer Street.
4AM on Palmer Street.
In a circle of flames we will dance, once again.
Once more, we will dance in a fiery circle of passion.
Writer(s): Munter Aleksi Jaakko Samuli, Hahto Kai Juhani, Honkonen Veli Matti, Jaemsen Markus Jarno Kristian, Kotamaeki Mikko Johannes, Raivio Juha Tapani
Contributed by Caden C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.