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
Silent Towers
Swallow the Sun Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
let it lie in the deepest shades of guilt and blame.
Cover it under these chords so shallow,
hide it between lines so narrow.
But the words are just too strong to speak,
they will only destroy us.
Like two towers we stand,
Until we crash down with only one word.
Where is the end of these emerald woods,
the first light of the new morning?
Have we walked too far in this gloom
to sense the pure heart of doom?
We left our souls in the cutting room
and play the roles of silent killers.
Here we stand at the edge of truth
and still let the cold paint our skin.
And blinded we step straight back into hell.
But the words are just too strong to speak,
they will only destroy us.
Like two towers we stand,
stand strong, but hurt.
Until we crash down with only one word.
In "Silent Towers," Swallow the Sun describes the struggle of repressing and hiding pain, specifically in the context of a relationship. The opening lines suggest that we have a tendency to ignore and deny painful emotions, burying them deep inside us. The reference to "chords so shallow" and "lines so narrow" suggests that we attempt to cover up our pain with easy, simplistic solutions, such as pretending that everything is okay or distracting ourselves with something else. However, the following lines suggest that this approach ultimately fails, with the emotions becoming too powerful to ignore.
The comparison of the two people in the relationship to towers is an interesting image. They stand strong and tall, but they are also vulnerable and hurt. They are tense and on the brink of collapsing, as if at any moment a single word could cause everything to fall apart. The reference to "silent killers" suggests that the emotions held back by the two people in the relationship are slowly destroying them, even if they are not actively talking about it.
The second half of the song introduces a sense of desolation and despair. The metaphor of the "emerald woods" and the "pure heart of doom" suggests that the singers are lost in a dark, impenetrable forest, unable to find hope or a way out. The reference to the "cutting room" suggests that they have already made sacrifices or compromises and have lost a part of themselves in the process. Even when they have a chance to confront the truth ("the edge of truth"), they still cannot face it, instead retreating back into their own pain.
Overall, "Silent Towers" is a dark, evocative song that captures the sense of anguish and fear that comes with hiding one's pain. The images of towers and the forest lend the lyrics a sense of physicality and immediacy, making the emotional turmoil of the relationship feel visceral and real.
Line by Line Meaning
We turn away and erase the pain,
We choose to ignore and forget the pain we feel, pretending it doesn't exist.
let it lie in the deepest shades of guilt and blame.
Instead of confronting our pain, we let it fester and become buried in feelings of guilt and shame.
Cover it under these chords so shallow,
We try to hide our pain under superficial things, like music or material possessions.
hide it between lines so narrow.
We conceal our pain by refusing to talk about it, trapping it within ourselves.
But the words are just too strong to speak,
The emotions we feel are so intense that we cannot express them in words.
they will only destroy us.
If we were to try and speak about our pain, it would overpower us and completely unravel us.
Like two towers we stand,
Just like two towering buildings, we appear stable and strong on the outside.
stand strong, but hurt.
But beneath the surface, we are deeply wounded and in pain.
Until we crash down with only one word.
All it takes is one moment of vulnerability or weakness for us to completely fall apart.
Where is the end of these emerald woods,
We struggle to see the light at the end of the tunnel, unsure if our pain will ever truly go away.
the first light of the new morning?
We long for a new beginning, hoping for a fresh start and relief from our struggles.
Have we walked too far in this gloom
We question whether we have gone too far down a path of pain and darkness to ever find our way out.
to sense the pure heart of doom?
Our pain and suffering have become so overwhelming that we cannot even fathom feeling anything other than despair.
We left our souls in the cutting room
We have lost touch with our true selves and have become numb to our pain.
and play the roles of silent killers.
We portray ourselves as strong, capable people on the surface, but inside we are slowly killing ourselves with the weight of our pain.
Here we stand at the edge of truth
We are on the brink of facing the harsh reality of our pain and suffering.
and still let the cold paint our skin.
Despite this, we are still frozen in place, unable to take action against our pain.
And blinded we step straight back into hell.
We are blinded by our pain and continue to fall victim to it, spiraling downwards into a place of misery and hopelessness.
Contributed by Leo G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.