Having had the joy of reviewing the previous release Vital Deprivation by Signs of the Swarm in 2019, I jumped at the opportunity of giving this album a spin.
Now onto their fifth release the band state that “Heavy is an understatement” and claim that this release puts to shame what they claimed was heavy from previous releases and now they are using other influences to bring the weight. Involving things such as Death Metal, Metalcore, Industrial and Djent to the party – the result was something that promised everything.
So, has it held up on the promises?
When you press play be prepared for the first of many “oh fuck” moments as the band have literally left nothing to spare – pulling out all the stops to bring what they have promised. I challenge you to find faster blast beats as when that trigger is pulled, your head is going to explode.
The promises of other sounds also rings to true, there are some aspect of the likes of Fear Factory in the Industrial influence and again it works so well. Throw in some blistering vocals and what you have is modern masterpiece that is simply heavy as fuck.
Yes, the band are still Deathcore, but that doesn’t mean that they should close themselves off to anything else and Signs of the Swarm have landed Matthew K Heafy from Trivium to help out on ‘The Witch Beckons’ whilst also calling on Joshua Travis (Emmure, Glass Cloud) and Cameron Losch (Born of Osiris) to bring extra layers – including Travis recording a chainsaw in his backyard for the release.
It’s fair to say that advisory labels were designed for albums like this, not for the language, but because this will fuck you up if you are not of a firm standing and destroy the foundations of your very being.
As the 11 tracks progress, be prepared to be exposed to the heaviest of heavy as promised by the band. Your brain is going crave a rest, but you won’t be able to resist the urge to reach for that play button again. Whether it’s to try and see if Among the Low & Empty was really that destructive or to celebrate enjoying such an album by pressing play – one thing is for sure -this slaps hard and the sting remains.
Among the Low & Empty will be released Friday July 28th 2023 via Century Media Records.
Ed Ford
Track Listing:
1. Amongst the Low & Empty
2. Tower of Torsos
3. Pray for Death
4. Borrowed Time
5. Between Fire and Stone
6. Shackles Like Talons
7. DREAMKILLER
8. The Witch Beckons (Ft. Matthew K. Heafy)
9. Echelon
10. Faces Without Names
11. Malady
Band Members:
Vocals – David Simonich
Bass – Michael Cassese
Drums – Bobby Crow
Tour Dates:
26.08 – Underworld, London (Support from Beyond Extinction)
27.08 – Devil’s Dog, Birmingham
28.08 – Corporation, Sheffield
29.08 – The Key Club, Leeds
30.08 – Audio, Glasgow
31.08 – Rebellion, Manchester
01.09 – The Exchange, Bristol
02.09 – The Joiners, Southampton
Online
https://www.facebook.com/signsoftheswarm/
https://twitter.com/signsoftheswarm