A Swarm Of The Sun • Zenith [2xLP]

Zenith by A Swarm Of The Sun on double 180g coloured vinyl and in gatefold cover with new artwork featuring both debossing on front and back.

Disc 1 is Dark Pink.
Disc 2 is Light Grey.

Limited to copies 300 copies world wide.

Released August 30th, 2020.

Info

Long before their already-legendary performance at dunk!2019, Sweden’s A Swarm of the Sun was making an impact with early recordings like 2010’s Zenith. In celebration of its 10^th anniversary, we’re bringing you an exciting limited re-issue, which includes a brand new mix and master by Karl Daniel Linden (Katatonia, Crippled Black Phoenix), presented in a double vinyl gatefold with new artwork and both a previously unreleased track as well as demos from the original recording. While longtime fans will no doubt rejoice over this news, those who first came to the band through their captivating festival performance or their critically-acclaimed 2019 LP The Woods will enjoy the added exhilaration of having such a pristine format with which to trace the evolution of A Swarm of the Sun back to their early days. 

Without losing the focus, patience, and tension of the long-form tracks on their recent record, the band can be seen applying their slow-burning intensity to more compact compositions. Collecting a series of impassioned vignettes that ultimately come together to form a crushing, colossal whole, Zenith both flows and drifts effortlessly even as each song carves its own unique place on the record, maintaining a dedication to a tonal concept at the same time as it exhibits what feels like a detached melancholy. That’s the trick of the record, and indeed of A Swarm of the Sun’s entire output: they have the distinct ability to capture the essence of sadness, regret, anguish, and depression, while retaining the razor-sharp edge of a band with an unbroken confidence in their mission. 

While tracks like “The Stand” and “Lifeproof Houses” serve to wring out as much mood as possible, lulling listeners into a state of disassociation from their surroundings, others like “The Worms Are Out” and “Refuge” pulse with life and burning passion. The album is centered around the title track and “Repeater,” which blend the aforementioned ideas into a spectacular sixteen minute stretch that ties together everything that comes before and after, demonstrating the ability to tear you apart emotionally even in its most restrained moments. A Swarm of the Sun is the rare band that excels equally with concepts of contemplation and catharsis, often merging both into single compositions that crawl methodically through the starkest corners of droning darkness before seizing upon the hearts of listeners with stunning outpourings of dramatic release. Zenith is a must-have piece of the monolithic body of work they’ve spent the past decade-plus meticulously building.

– David Zeidler

Listen

Links

• Facebook
• Bandcamp