Album Review: Signs Of The Swarm - To Rid Myself Of Truth
Reviewed by Tim Finch
The masters of sheer brutality are back, US deathcore legends Signs of the Swarm are set to release their sixth studio album ‘To Rid Myself of Truth’ this week, their second on Century Media Records.
The band have carved out a reputation as one of the most punishing forces in modern deathcore. Since their formation in 2014, the band has consistently pushed the boundaries of extremity, blending seismic breakdowns, blistering technicality, and guttural vocals that seem to defy human limits. Over the years, they’ve evolved from a promising underground act into a global name, sharing stages with some of the heaviest bands in the genre. With each release, Signs of the Swarm refine their craft, balancing brutality with atmosphere, and their latest record aims to cement their place at the forefront of extreme music.
Opening with the album’s title track, there is a slight easing into the record from the band, the listener is greeted to David Simonich guttural howls looming over everything else before the song slowly ramps up the intensity. It is ‘Hellmustfearme’ that takes things to another level, the battering ram wall of Bobby Crows drums combined with those vocals and the technical assault of the guitars leaves you levelled.
Over the course of the album the band vary pace and intensity, push the envelope of the deathcore sound as they experiment with song writing, yet keeping everything feeling very much in the bands brutal sphere. ‘Natural Selection’ includes some face melting technical guitar sequences, whilst ‘Chariot’ starts with a moment of calm before the horror that unfolds bursts through.
There are a number of guest appearances on the album, Will Ramos of Lorna Shore adds a vocal element to ‘Clouded Retinas’ giving an opposing vocal sound to those Simonich growls. Whitechapel’s Phil Bozeman offers another vocal take on ‘Iron Sacrament' whilst Jack Murray (156/Silence) and Johnny Crowder (Prison, ex-Dark Sermon) join the band on ‘Fear & Justice’, a song that lyrically targets prejudice whilst melting the listeners face at the same time.
For those deathcore aficionados amongst you, ‘To Rid Myself of Truth’ offers something unique, a new take on the genre which sees boundaries widened whilst remaining as aggressively brutal and as musically technical as ever. This is deathcore 2.0, and it sees Signs of the Swarm take the genre to the next level.
