Swedish multi-instrumentalist/producer Dan Swanö (NIGHTINGALE, EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH) has issued the following update:
So what have I been up to lately? Apart from mixing and mastering for my beloved clients, I have taken up songwriting again!! Most of the ideas are tagged for the upcoming NIGHTINGALE album that I think will be called 'Bravado'. I also have some cool ideas for the cover artwork, and I think someone like Travis Smith (or someone equally talented) would be the man for the job (Travis Smith [did] the SECOND SKY cover artwork... nothing short of amazing!!). Musically, it's a smörgåsbord ranging from early NIGHTINGALE stuff ('Deep Inside Of Nowhere'/'Thoughts From A...' kind of stuff) through AOR vibey stuff a lá 'Glory Days' and 'Scarred For Life' to more hard-edged progressive stuff! I have also done some demos of the old 'non-album' UNICORN songs 'Yellow & Greg' and 'Mr K Just Left The Circus' with a NIGHTINGALE approach and they sound really, really good. The only problem I have is that the lyrics are just too damn awful when you take them out of the concept of UNICORN, and it will take a while to get used to singing something different to these tracks. On the other hand, the music is awesome and these songs really fit our concept.
"Dag [Swanö, Dan's brother] has put up with having new lyrics to all his songs that had other lyrics for like 20 years!!! So maybe it's time I deal with it, and let some good old unicorn songs rise out of obscurity!!
"The ODYSSEY EP has been remastered/restored and sounds almost re-recorded!! The additional cover songs have also been completed!!
* In The Heat Of The Night (SANDRA) feat. Marcus Vanhala on lead guitar
* Eyes Of The World (RAINBOW) feat. Tino Kallioniemi on lead guitar
* Shake The Disease (DEPECHE MODE)
* At The Gallows End (CANDLEMASS)
* Gypsy (URIAH HEEP) feat. Dag Swanö on lead guitar
* Lost Horizons (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) featuring lead guitars from Vanhala and Morgan Pettersson
"Most of these songs were up for 'covering' at some earlier point in my career. The SANDRA song was destined for the cancelled ROUTE NINE full-length album. 'Eyes Of The World' was demoed once before for a cancelled NIGHTINGALE EP where we all recorded one song each and played all instruments too. 'At the Gallows End' and 'Lost Horizons' were both candidates for the cover of choice for 'Until Eternity Ends' until I accidentally stumbled on 'Invisible Sun' and felt a 'black album' treatment of that would be a far more original choice ('Lost Horizons' was also covered by MEMENTO MORI at the same time..same label)
"There is also a new unnamed project in the works. I have begun to throw ideas around with Ragnar Widerberg (ex-SAINT DEAMON). The plan is that we will both take care of all instruments where it works the best. Musically, it's gonna be a mix of my writing for MOONTOWER/EDGE OF SANITY and BLOODBATH mixed with the insanity and 'ambience' of DIABOLICAL MASQUERADE and KARABOUDJAN/PAN THY MONIUM. It will be a concept album about the patients of a home for the criminally insane, located on Swanön!! I have a few ideas about incorporating multiple singers (both growl and clean) and try to keep the whole thing 'Crimson 1-ish' in terms of flow and variety. I might end up growling some myself too. I just have to plan my takes carefully and do like four lines a day, and then it should work.
"SECOND SKY will be completed on the 13th of December. I have already begun mixing and do some touch-ups. So far, so very fucking good!!"
