Yet another talented, depressive Finnish act, their “In Darkness Comes Beauty” (’07) debut for Firebox ended up in my year-end Best Of lists. With gruff vocals, keyboards and the occasional female voice, The Suns inhabit the dark shadows between the infectious heaviness of countrymen Before The Dawn and Insomnium. The alternating whisper/growl of the subtle ‘Everlasting’ recalls Clouds/Wildhoney era Tiamat, a spirit that lingers throughout the disc, as well as the back catalog and plays a large role in my admiration for this Finnish outfit. While ‘The Dead End’ is built on a bouncy beat, the title cut is introduced as somber piano notes and light, almost nightclub jazz, drumming. A similar dark vs. light, whisper/growl counterbalance imbues ‘Cold Dawn’ with equal parts beauty and aggression. Apart from the backing synth ‘Rimed With Frost’ is played pretty straight, somber and guttural. Built on a sporadic tinkling of piano keys that embodies its moniker, ‘The Rain’ is a lively run through, while the ‘Gone’ finale is the one to utilize the downpour sound effect.

Can’t wait to experience them live!