Dark Suns Swanlike

Before I go into specifics about Dark Suns and their competent debut, "Swanlike," I would first like to touch on the fact that this band is a whole slew of bands all entwined to form Dark Suns. No, this is not a super-group or anything like that, simply the sounds of many bands can be heard in the overall sound of "Swanlike." This album seems to be a valid attempt at crafting something that works on so many levels, but is just too blatantly reminiscent of other bands' sounds. If you can grasp where I am going with this - good. Otherwise, I don’t know what to say. You can hear traces of Evoken and Rapture throughout this record, but the primary influences are clearly that of Opeth and November’s Doom. Mikael Akerfedt’s clean singing as well as the overall aura of "Swanlike" has a very "Blackwater Park" sound. November’s Doom comes into mind when you get pummeled by Niko Knappe’s deeply harsh growls from time to time. Even some of the slower passages from "Swanlike" can be easily compared to numbers on "To Welcome the Fade" (latest November’s Doom). The main problem with Dark Suns and "Swanlike" is that the listener has a hard time believing that this is truly genuine. These guys have a shitload of talent and I totally expect them to produce an Album of the Year about 2-3 albums down the line. "Swanlike" is a classic example of a band that’s too talented for their own good. They haven’t found their niche and it’s as clear as day to the listener. If Opeth and November’s Doom never existed, you could pass off "Swanlike" as a landmark album. Quite simply, it just lacks in originality. There really isn’t a difference on a song by song basis throughout the record. All of the tracks are fairly mellow and laid-back. Although they do get heavy at points, you still aren’t getting heavier than November's Doom. The vocal changes aren’t as drastic as on any Opeth record but I certainly don’t think that was the goal. In fact, I am not sure what the goal of this record was; to create a copycat record of members of Dark Suns favorite bands This is my only guess. I firmly believe their intentions were good, but ultimately, it’s somewhat of a letdown. Bottom Line: Although I enjoy what Dark Suns has created with their debut, I suspect that this was a bit rushed and not enough serious time was put into it to craft an original work. Many people are going to disagree, but this is exactly what is going on here. Like it or not, this could’ve been something amazing, but it’s just another band that hasn’t found their sound, yet found a willing label that was in search of something similar to Opeth (arguably the biggest hype band in the metal underground right now). Don't get me wrong, this record will not be leaving my sight for a while yet. I am a huge Opeth and November’s Doom fan, so I just look at it as a collaboration project between both bands. This tricks my mind into thinking that "Swanlike" is good. It’s still a very listenable record, there’s just nothing new under the sun.