Band:	Swallow The Sun
Album:	Ghosts Of Loss
Style:	Melodic death metal, Melodic doom metal
Release date:	October 03, 2005
A review by:	Jeff

Disc I [CD]
01. The Giant
02. Descending Winters
03. Psychopath's Lair
04. Forgive Her...
05. Fragile
06. Ghost Of Laura Palmer
07. Gloom, Beauty And Despair
08. The Ship

Disc II [Digipak bonus] [DVD]
Live At Judgment Night
01. Swallow (Horror Pt.1)
02. Deadly Nightshade
Live At Deathroil
03. Through Her Silvery Body
04. Psychopaths Lair
+ Descending Winters [video]

October 2005 "Ghosts Of Loss", or the return of one of the most impressive Doom Metal newcomers of the last ten years. Swallow The Sun, the Finnish Metal act, is back to prove that their first amazing release "The Morning Never Came" was not an accident but just an amazing start and "Ghost Of Loss" is a perfect successor.

I remember, back in 2003, when I was listening to the first album of Swallow The Sun for the first time, I took a big slap in my face. This album with its magical cold and dark ambiances was really impressive for a first release and the question was to know if this new album could give again shivers in reason of this excellent ambiances. No problems actually, Like on "The Morning Never Came" every single songs of this album are potential hits and I'm ready to bet, when I will have some discussions about it with some others Doom Metal lovers, that they won't not only like a specific song. Always melodic with some really long and slow songs, "Ghosts Of Loss" follows the way of the first album. Don't expect any big turnover, Swallow The Sun chose to do the same music (with some more maturity in addition), and well that's good news for me. The sad and doomy single "Forgive Her" with its touching growling in opposition of its beautiful and slow melody is a masterpiece. "The Giant" with its clean vocals or "Ghost Of Laura Palmer", (do you remember the general ambiance of Twin Peaks? I feel the same one when I listen to this song) are two other great tracks of the album. This is a pure melodic Doom/Death Metal and really if you like the first album, you'll love this second one. The band is improving again in my opinion, and "Ghosts Of Loss" will be without any doubt one of the best Doom release of the year.

Also this time, even the production is better. The sound is perfect and the pure and clean recording . And do I have to talk about the beautiful cover of Tommi Kiviniemi that fits perfectly with the spirit of the music? No really it's hard to find something wrong on this "Ghosts Of Loss" and when I talk about it, the words deception, bad, horrible, are just banned of my spirit.

More than a second release, "Ghosts Of Loss" is the confirmation that we will have to place this great and talented band at the top of the best Doom/Death Metal bands. And we won't care about the few Doom Metal purists that will say one more time that Swallow The Sun uses to play an easy Doom Metal. This is maybe a Doom Metal easy of access for the Metalhead lambda but do we really care of it? Is it not the mark of the great bands to do music that a lot of people enjoy? Yes it is? And anyway the result is here? "Ghosts Of Loss" is a great, beautiful and magical album, a must?