Dan Swanö
Moontower

THE REVIEW

In 1998, the epic journey of Edge Of Sanity had come to an end, leaving behind undisputed and unrivaled masterpieces of death metal such as "Purgatory Afterglow" and "Crimson", but a legend like Dan Swano certainly couldn't stay idle for too long; it would have been an unforgivable crime. And here he is, after the first two albums with Nightingale, releasing his first and, alas, for now, only solo work.

He who does it alone does it for three. This is surely what the imaginative former EOS leader thought when he embarked on creating "Moontower": everything, from the guitars, keyboards, drums, vocals, to the lyrics, was conceived and executed by him alone, which already speaks volumes about the caliber of the person we're talking about. Finally free from all sorts of constraints, Dan can at last bring forth his purely progressive streak that he couldn't fully showcase with EOS. In the 8 tracks of the album, one can appreciate his love for the 70s prog-rock sounds, all accompanied by his unmistakable growl.

The opening track, "Sun Of The Night", immediately immerses us in a visionary and ethereal world with its twisted, psychedelic keyboards and driving, yet never misplaced, guitars. The following two, "Patchworks" and "Uncreation", do nothing but intensify this with complex and almost elusive melodies, capable of moving even a granite statue. It continues with "Add Reality", where good Dan displays his entire vocal repertoire, ranging from a furious growl to a clean vocal that exudes sweetness, which, speaking of a Swedish guy two meters tall and weighing ninety kilos, might sound rather bizarre, but that's exactly how it is. We've reached the halfway point of the work, but the peak is still yet to come. "Creating Illusions" and "The Big Sleep" remain at good levels, though inferior to the previous songs; however, the refinement and variety of the melodies make any deficiencies forgettable. And here we are at "Encounterparts", which makes us realize that until now Dan had only been joking: a six-minute instrumental track that, in terms of mental insanity, would deserve an essay by Sigmund Freud, clearly a tribute to three Canadians who, in terms of madness, certainly have nothing to learn from anyone... In my opinion, the album should have stopped here; I personally find the last piece, "In Empty Phrases", a bit forced, but still consider it a worthy closure.

An undoubtedly beautiful and original album, the product of an eclectic mind open to new experiments. Listening to what someone like Dan Swano can offer, I’d be tempted to preserve him in crimson liquid for the benefit of future generations (if you don't understand what I'm talking about, read the lyrics of "Crimson").

P.S. this is my first review, any observations and criticism are welcome, as long as they are constructive.