Signs of the Swarm
The relaxation was shortlived when Signs of the Swarm kicked back to listen to their then-recently-completed 5th LP. It wasn’t just because they were compelled to headbang along to their latest opus; instead it was producer Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, King 810, Tallah, Varials) bashing his head against the wall when the destructively deafening deathcore was so heavy it blew his subwoofer.
“We’ve always been a deathcore band,” states Bobby Crow, the quartet’s longest-standing member, who serves as drummer and main songwriter. “But this record is a lot MORE—it’s got death metal, metalcore, djent, some industrial stuff…we wanted to make something that was just heavy.”
Heavy is an understatement. Songs like the title track, “Pray for Death” and “Malady” put to shame the slamming “br00tality” of sophomore LP The Disfigurement of Existence (their first of three LPs on Unique Leader Records), with vocalist David Simonich’s animalistic growls and screeches outdoing any swarm, pack or otherwise found in the wild.
And yet like any collective in the animal kingdom, there’s a structure permeating throughout. Despite the savage brutality, the leader of this herd IS the structure that is simultaneously more rigid yet more explorative, complete with a catchy groove—the likes of which hasn’t been heard from Signs of the Swarm—underneath. It’s the bedrock that allows “Tower of Torsos,”“DREAMKILLER” and “Pray For Death” to be as catchy as they are. Songs like “Shackles Like Talons” and “Fire and Stone” split the difference incisively.
Crow attributes the razor-sharp focus to the writing process, which was as strenuous and stressful as it was prolific and productive. Amongst the Low & Empty was their first time writing and recording with an outside producer. Sure, they’d had engineers and mixers—how else would they capture the progressive punishment of Vital Deprivation or fearless ferocity of Absolvere—but even the experimental singles in between (“Pernicious” and “The Collection”) came from the minds within.
Those minds had a mere four complete tracks when they entered Random Awesome Studios. Frigid though the Michigan winterscape was outside, the creative fires were burning bright as they revamped and recorded those songs—plus wrote and recorded more. Schroeder and musical mastermind Crow would often hunker down together and write riffs, while Simonich would plumb the depths of his mind for lyrical lighting, which here strikes much more than twice. Bassist Michael Cassese floated between, perfecting tones, tunes and terms throughout.
“Everything came together so fast we didn’t have time to second guess it,” states Crow. “If we had a part where we weren’t sure what to add, we’d just let Josh do his thing—and thirty minutes later, he’d have a handful of fresh ideas for us to try out.”
Speaking of fresh ideas, the band came back to the studio after the holiday season with two new tracks to close the record: “Faces Without Names” and “Malady.” (In the interim, Trivium mastermind Matthew K. Heafy sent over his guest shout on “The Witch Beckons.”) The reunion with Schroeder allowed them and new guitarist Carl Schulz (formerly of Great American Ghost, Degrader and more) to add to and expand on the already solid album. Schulz’s vocal prowess expands the sounds on those new songs and others such as “Borrowed Time,” while shooting “DREAMKILLER” into the stratosphere with an epic solo to match the singing.
On the more cacophonous side, industrial flirtations were added both in-studio by band and producer, and beyond, with Joshua Travis (Emmure, Glass Cloud, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza) and Cameron Losch (Born of Osiris) throwing riffs and ruckus into the mix.
“At one point he was recording a chainsaw in his backyard,” reveals Crow of Travis. “His neighbors probably hate him for that.”
If that’s the case, Signs of the Swarm have been making enemies for years, as they steadily add territories that have been decimated by their music—that makes a chainsaw sound melodic. The quartet recently made their maiden voyage to Mexico right on the back of a US tour supporting Whitechapel alongside Archspire and Entheos. Previous runs include Chaos & Carnage alongside Suicide Silence, Carnifex, Lorna Shore and more; an Asian+Australia jaunt with Within Destruction; direct support on Decapitated’s UK leg; and other tours with the likes of Born of Osiris, Shadow of Intent, Fit for An Autopsy, Aborted, Brand of Sacrifice and Ingested.
A forthcoming European run will find them blaring to massive festivals such as Summer Breeze, Dynamo Metalfest, Brutal Assault and more, plus co-headline shows with Humanity’s Last Breath, before capping it off with their maiden headliner of the UK (supported by To the Grave and Harbinger).
Massive, unapologetic and unrelenting in its assault, Amongst the Low & Empty keeps listeners on the edge of their seat. They’ll leave breathless and light-headed, yet acutely aware that the only thing low here is the tuning—and it’s far from empty.