Saturday Morning Soundtrack -- "Cathedral Walls" by Swallow the Sun

I know, you're expecting 1957--but mad scientist and music blogger Dan Joyce has (generously) taken control of The Soundtrack back-to-back weeks, bringing with him a taste of his recent two-week trip to Finland, Scandinavia, Iceland, and the Metaltown music festival!

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Saturday Morning Soundtrack @ Youtube

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"Cathedral Walls" -- Swallow the Sun (2012)

Standing in a field, somewhere outside of Gothenburg, the sounds of screaming guitars and thundering bass mixed with mooing cows and shrieking crows. The sun began its slow march toward twilight as the wind kicked up, blowing dust, cigarette smoke, and grilled food smells in the air. The evening chilled to the symphony of metal blasting through the countryside. I love festivals.

                                                                                                                --Dan Joyce, "Will Travel for Music," Green Chamber Studio

From the heights of an infinite summer to the depths of darkest winter, Finland is a land of contrasting sights, textures, and emotions. Finnish doom metallers, Swallow the Sun, seem to draw heavily from their inspiring homeland, especially on tracks like “Cathedral Walls.” Doom is arguably the most palpably emotional of the many rock/metal subgenres, characterized not by wild virtuosity or bombast, but by dramatic tension slowly enveloped in thick walls of sound. Swallow the Sun exploits the lows and highs with a sound that is simultaneously polished and raw.

With clean melody and deliberate percussion, singer Mikko Kotamaki greets the listener in a gentle embrace, sharing a loneliness of loss that we all may have at one time felt. “The convoy is still, still and weeping, yet I don’t feel anything, but these walls around.” On this track, the band is also joined by the voice of an angel surrounded by a chorus of strings. Annette Olzon (lead singer of the symphonic metal band Nightwish) makes a special appearance, and her graceful style floats over the ebb and flow, providing a contrast in character voice. But nothing can fully restrain the dark despair that lies beneath this song; Olzon's voice is constantly tempered by heavy chords and downbeat-accented percussion.

Inevitably, as happens in many great tales, our hero descends into madness, the sonic fury bends sharply to chaos. The guttural, nearly inaudible cries reach out, leaping through the speakers, pounding against your chest. “I will follow you, earth to earth. I will follow you, ashes to ashes. I will follow you, dust to dust. I will follow you!” The fury eventually subsides as quickly as it rose, and we are again greeted by the angel.

Contrasting sounds and textures add complexity to this song. Its a technique, when executed with intent and meaning, that deepens the emotional experience with the music. In this song, the listener is trapped by the pace set by the drummer. Even when the song attempts to discard its restraint, it remains somehow still contained. Grief cannot be shed so easily. So, for now at least, we are left with our angel. Whether she will continue carrying us, or whether the pain will break free again, is anyone's guess.

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If you would like to write a Guest Entry for the "Saturday Morning Soundtrack" series where you creatively respond to one of your favorite rock songs, don't hesitate to contact me with queries.