Maybe it’s the time of year – the increasingly desolate landscapes of barren trees, grey skies, and a generally bleak atmosphere – or maybe it’s just the polished, trademark production style of Dan Swano’s that seems to make everything he touches turn to gold; it’s probably a combination of factors, including a late introduction to the man and his body of work. What the reason, that Swano sound has got me hungry for more, and seemingly everything I hear coming from the man’s studio sounds ridiculously refreshing. Now, Dan’s work with Edge of Sanity cements him nicely with the progressive-death crowd, and his solo work (hear Moontower) should easily make him a pillar in the prog-metal community. Attempting to find a vessel for his dabbling within the gothic rock/metal genre finds Swano under the guise of Nightingale, at the time of this album’s release, a solo Swano show. The disc is polished to such a sheen that it isn’t too much, though can be sonically over-powering. What really stands out about the disc is the consistency of the material on it; Dan’s attention to detail is ever-present on the album, throwing it elements of the genres he’s already had his hand in, creating something rather unique. Don’t let the gothic label chase you off from this; you’ll find only clean vocals from Swano, which admittedly suit the goth sound quite well, but never lean the record too much in that direction.
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