Finland’s own death/doom masters Swallow the Sun, were formed at the turn of the century when guitarist Juha Raivio decided to put together a band made up of close friends and likeminded musical personalities.
Their first recording, the until now rare demo "Out of this Gloomy Light" was recorded in January 2003 and secured Swallow the Sun’s first record deal with Firebox Records.
With their debut release "The Morning Never Came", Swallow the Sun was chosen as newcomer of the year in Inferno Magazine and received a full 5K's review in Kerrang! The album was quoted as "One of the doom metal’s finest moments to date". On the heels of their early success, their 2nd album "Ghosts of loss" climbed to #8 on the Finnish album charts. This rare occasion, together with heavy touring both in Finland and abroad laid the groundwork for Swallow the Sun's skyrocketing success.
In September 2006, Swallow the Sun recorded "Hope", which was released in January of 2007 and climbed to #3 on the Official Finnish Album Chart, a feat never before achieved anywhere in the world with a doom album, which undoubtedly won’t be repeated unless Swallow the Sun do it themselves.
Fast forward to 2008…Plague of Butterflies, the new EP release, is a story about an old hermit, deep woods, loneliness and of course the plague. It's a three part 35 minute song of crushing gloom, beauty and despair. Never before has the band shown such polarity, ranging from demented screams of desperation to moving, heart retching melodic passages.
This magnum opus was originally ordered for a big ballet project, but the project sadly went awry and got cancelled. Because of this the band is now intending to use the music in a different context, in a short movie, and currently they’re in search for suitable partners to make this happen.
The release also includes the rare "Out of This Gloomy Light" demo that got them signed back in 2003. Only three copies of the original demo were sent out, so until now it’s been really rare material and holds some of the darkest and coldest moments ever recorded by the Jyväskylä gloom masters.
"Plague of Butterflies" was released on September 17th in Europe by Spinefarm Records where it crashed into the Number 1 spot on the Finnish charts its first week. The EP was released in the US on the 23rd September, and will be followed with an extensive Finnish and American tour in early 2009.
