Signs of the Swarm – Amongst the Low & Empty
Release Date: 28th July 2023
Label: Century Media Records
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Genre: Deathcore
FFO: Lorna Shore, AngelMaker, Mental Cruelty.
Review By: Trina Julian Edwards
Pittsburgh-based Signs of the Swarm is one of the most talked about bands in the new wave of deathcore, and with good reason. These guys are absolutely brutal, and they just do not stop. Constantly touring, consistently dropping new music…they’re putting in the work and it shows. On July 28, they release their fifth album overall and the first with Century Media. Amongst the Low & Empty is of the most exciting, and dare I say risk-taking, efforts from the band to date.
The album features drummer Bobby Crow, who is the longest-standing member and primary songwriter, vocalist and lyricist David Simonich, Michael Cassese on bass, and new guitarist, Carl Schulz (formerly of Great American Ghost), who also ably assists on backing vocals. The Production is top-notch, courtesy of producer Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, King 810, Tallah, Varials), with Joshua Travis (Emmure) and Cameron Losch (Born of Osiris) adding to the mix.
The title track, Amongst the Low & Empty, literally threw down the gauntlet. Not only is this thing a monster, it’s got groove, and I’ll be darned if it’s not catchy, too. That hammering rhythm is relentless and the intensity is almost nerve-wracking. You can feel the struggle in the music, echoing the lyrical themes…
“Dwelling upon the serpents
Drowning with other servants
Swallowed by moving currents…”
The juxtaposition of the synthesized keyboard lead-in was a gorgeous respite from the ferocity, and it caught me completely off-guard. The hooks in the vocal lines and guitar, especially in the chorus, are melodic and memorable — they grab on and don’t let go. Simonich shrieks and growls like a wild thing caught in a trap, and that breakdown at the end steamrolls everything in its path. It’s absolutely ridiculous. Every trick in the book is in this thing, and if you get the chance to see them play this live, don’t miss it.
It’s hard to follow a track like that, but the band knew what they were doing by releasing this single next. Tower of Torsos is another beast, and I swear I get goosebumps when Simonich rasps, “All I need to become God is for all of you to die…” Like the title track, the rhythm will punch you in the face, but there’s also some groove here, which frankly has been missing from a lot of modern deathcore. The guitars screeching and squealing like the brakes on a train punctuate Simonich’s lyrics, and the ambient electronic measures take this dystopian hellscape to the next level. When the tempo drops down to nothing, you find yourself holding your breath for the trainwreck.
In Pray for Death, the band takes a slightly different path, with a churning maelstrom of sound rushing toward you right out of the gate. It’s a well-constructed piece, right down to the dramatic rests and the creepy, glitchy industrial elements in the vocals. It’s dynamic, in both the vocal lines and the music, but there’s an underlying rhythm that drives this track like the hounds of hell are after it.
Even though Borrowed Time is a bit of a departure, there’s no slowing down here. It definitely leans more industrial, but you’ll hear no complaints from me. It’s a coldly precise track with a stabbing, punctuated, almost djent-y rhythm, yet it doesn’t lack melody. The chorus is catchy and memorable, and Schulz’s cleans alongside Simonich’s gritty harsh vocals provide another interesting layer of texture.
Fire and Stone has a harrowing intro, with spooky, dissonant chords and distorted growling vocals. This is another dynamic track with a number of interesting rhythmic transitions and dramatic pauses. There’s a tech death feel to the guitar lines during the verses, they’re very agile and noodle-y, but it also comes off a bit blackened as well. It’s slightly more stripped down at first, but I like how this highlights Simonich’s vocal lines, and this sets the stage for some exciting rhythmic changes starting around 2:38.
I feel like this next song may be one that flies under the radar, but Shackles Like Talons was a favorite for me. It’s not your typical deathcore offering. It has a surprisingly eerie, atmospheric intro that gradually builds and flows into a frenetic rhythm. The chorus has a nice groove with plenty of melody, and it’s one of the best on the album. There’s a nod back to the ambient intro, and then it’s right back to the slamming savagery. There are plenty of deathcore elements here courtesy of the brutal chugging and the guttural growls, even the groove put me in mind of the groovy flow Whitechapel does so well, but those melody lines and leads don’t hit like core.
DREAMKILLER is another highlight, mixing atmospheric, metalcore sensibilities with deathcore power. It has a grungy kind of intro that drops right into a djenty, chugging rhythm that’s just inexorable. Those melodic guitar leads are channeling old-school arena rock energy, and Schulz’s gorgeous cleans in the chorus are once again the perfect foil for Simonich’s harsh vocals. That fantastic guitar solo alone is worth the price of admission. They’re definitely pushing the boundaries here, but without a doubt, it’s paying off.
The Witch Beckons is a wild ride from start to finish. It immediately sets this frantic, impossible pace, but screeches to a halt for the insidiously slow tempo of the verse. It has a very sly, snaky lilt that fits the theme perfectly. The tempo goes tearing away again directly after, carrying us all with it, before slowing down to focus on the eldritch screams of the incomparable Matt Heafy of Trivium. It’s got a beautifully sinister undertone that’s just a little bit unearthly, as any song about a witch should be.
From one supernatural fright-fest to the next, Echelon could easily be on the soundtrack for a Clive Barker film. The rapid-fire rhythm is clinical in its precision, and the industrial elements were just flat-out menacing when combined with the distorted vocals and the ambient, spectral voices in the background. The guitar lines are quick and techy throughout, think old school Decapitated, but that gave it some liveliness and animation that was unexpected in this chilly atmosphere.
Faces Without Names is insanely speedy and djenty with some Meshuggah-like vibes not just in the music, but also in the vocals. Simonich is well-known for his terrifying, demonic growls, but the range of styles he moves through here shows he’s no one-trick pony. The clean guitar tones skipping along on top of that ferocious rhythm is an unexpected focal point, just as the cleans underlying the harsh vocals on the chorus give this fiery track some structure. The industrial elements here are more Oomph! and less Skinny Puppy this time around, but it’s the perfect segue into the blistering final track.
The most recent single, Malady, is riffy and groovy, but it also has an intensity in both the music and the lyrical themes. Simonich’s vocals are fierce and devastating on this track, as if he’s being dragged through this nightmare, wailing like a banshee one minute and howling like a mad dog the next. That high-pitched guitar squall punctuates the sound of his pain in a profound way, and I was not at all surprised to discover this track spoke to his battles with depression. It’s heartbreaking but also somehow cathartic.
“Condemned
Cursed to this pain
Torment
I still long for my grave…
Mouthful of pills, no remedy
End me…”
The track descends into a distressing, distorted cacophony that abruptly drops off and fades into nothing. Excellent, dramatic ending.
I’m a deathcore fan, so you may want to take this with a grain of salt, but overall, I was pleased with the diverse offerings on this album. On first listen it seemed like it was a bit unstructured, and perhaps some listeners may still feel it’s not as focused as it could be, but after a couple of spins, it clicked for me. I like the more experimental avenues they took me down, and while the djenty and industrial elements were unexpected, they weren’t unwelcome. (To be fair, I also like djent and industrial, so again, take that under advisement.) Regardless, it’s exciting to see deathcore staples like Signs of the Swarm starting to branch out. Make no mistake, they haven’t gone soft in the least. Amongst the Low & Empty is still heavy as hell, but I feel like it’s heavy on their terms. So set aside your expectations and just enjoy this savage new era on July 28.
(4 / 5)
