Finnish death/doom metal group Swallow the Sun have set Moonflowers as the title of their new album and have released a classical string version of the opening track, "Moonflowers Bloom in Misery." Fans will also be able to hear the entire album as instrumental string recordings before the first proper single arrives in advance of the Nov. 19 release date.

The version of "Moonflowers Bloom in Misery" heard toward the bottom of the page was recorded using a violin, viola and cello, as performed by Trio NOX and recorded at Sipoo Church in Finland. Fans can get an overview of some of the moods and melodies of the Moonflowers opener, which also features a grand piano, and their imaginations can run wild and fill in the gaps until Swallow the Sun's studio version is out.

An animated video for a Trio NOX version of a Moonflowers song will be released each week, so keep your eyes out for more over the next two months.

Guitarist Ruha Raivio commented, "After I had finished writing all the music for this record in the fall of 2020 I started to write these small instrumental versions of the album songs for the violin, viola, cello and piano, mostly because I was wondering how it would feel like to hear all these songs first as these intimate versions instead of a full band album."

He continued, "It was really beautiful to see and hear these songs come alive in this way and form, recorded live in this big church in Finland. To be able to hear the echoes of this music reflecting from the church walls and feel the very soul of these old wooden instruments played by real people in this sacred place. Something about hearing the strings breathe this fragile beauty into these songs that carry so much pain otherwise. Now looking back, maybe I wrote these versions just for myself to be able to hear and feel at least some kind of a beauty and solace in these songs, maybe…"

Ravio also reflected on the album art (seen below), and added, "I wanted to create the cover art of this album myself this time, so it would stand as brutally honest for me as the music is. So I painted the moon on the Moonflowers cover with my own blood and I decorated it with the flowers I picked up and dried on the spring of 2016."

"Maybe it isn’t the most outstanding looking piece of art ever made in this world," he went on, "but for me it is everything. I wasn’t going to write any new music before I would have moved towards the right direction in my life, but finally all this music just forced itself out of me during the long nights of this hope crushing and never ending lockdown prison. Something grew out from that void eventually and writing these songs made me think a lot about moonflowers that bloom at the darkest hour of the night, so that name felt right to call the album also."

The news of Moonflowers does come with a bit of sorrow, however, as keyboardist and backing vocalist Jaani Peuhu has made the decision to step down from the band, at least for this album cycle.

Peuho explained, "Sadly, coronavirus messed up everything including the release schedules of my bands. Both the Mercury Circle and Swallow the Sun albums are being released at the same time, making it impossible for me to tour with both bands. For this reason, I decided that it’d be better for me to solely focus on MC for this release cycle. That being said, the upcoming Swallow the Sun album will be amazing, and I am so happy we could still do it together. I wish the best of luck to StS on their tour with it! See you in the audience!"

He did, however, contribute to Moonflowers.

The eight-song record, out on Century Media, will be the eighth full length from Swallow the Sun and first since issuing When A Shadow Is Forced Into the Light in 2019.

Swallow the Sun, "Moonflowers Bloom in Misery"

Swallow the Sun, Moonflowers Album Art + Track Listing

Swallow the Sun, 'Moonflowers'
Century Media
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01. "Moonflowers Bloom In Misery"
02. "Enemy"
03. "Woven Into Sorrow"
04. "Keep Your Heart Safe From Me"
05. "All Hallows' Grieve" (Featuring Cammie Gilbert)
06. "The Void"
07. "The Fight Of Your Life"
08. "This House Has No Home"

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