10/06/2022
Dan Swanö – Moontower. 1998.
This man should need no introduction, but for those that aren't in the know, I'll give a short one anyway. Introducing: Dan Swanö. Swedish multi-instrumentalist, founder of the legendary Edge of Sanity, very likely producer of some of your favorite albums, vocalist of Nightingale, ... He's been involved with bands like Katatonia and Opeth. His resume is, well....more than impressive. Dan Swanö is one of the most pivotal figures in progressive death metal and progressive metal as a whole.
..And all of this comes together on this solo-album. It's 1998, two years after Edge of Sanity's Crimson, five years after Cynic's Focus: the genre's progression is in full swing. But progressive death metal was mostly death metal with some progressive elements sprinkled in. And this album turns that around and makes you rethink everything you know about death metal. It's basically 50% prog rock, 50% extreme metal. What that sounds like? Both brutal and light. Harsh vocals over 70's inspired key playing, dark drumming behind groovy prog rock riffs. A combination you never thought possible. Rush meets Entombed, ELP meets Death. Yes, it also sounds like an evolution of Edge of Sanity, but then when you look up the credits to this album, you find just one name: Dan Swanö. What he did on this album? It's easy, everything: vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, producer, engineering, mixing.
In my opinion, this album is a legendary piece of art and can't be overlooked in the evolution of progressive metal. Let me know what you think! If it's your first time hearing it, what's your impression of it?
