Signs of The Swarm
Cold Hearts, Dragged Out,
Deceiving The Masses
Signs of The Swarm returns to Spokane after more than 5 years to wreck havoc on a live crowd on Easter 4:20 Sunday for a special one-off occasion featuring Inland Northwest talented friends Cold Hearts, Dragged Out and Deceiving The Masses!
SIGNS OF THE SWARM
https://signsoftheswarm.fanlink.tv/bio
https://www.instagram.com/signsoftheswarm/
https://www.facebook.com/signsoftheswarm/
https://www.youtube.com/@signsoftheswarmband
COLD HEARTS
https://linktr.ee/ColdheartsPNW
https://www.instagram.com/coldheartspnw/
https://www.facebook.com/ColdHeartsOR
https://www.youtube.com/c/ColdHeartsPNW
DRAGGED OUT (Montana)
https://draggedoutmt.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/draggedoutmt
https://www.facebook.com/draggedoutmt
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeuAE6OhxSoYMGlqGJBV9BA
DECEIVING THE MASSES
https://linktr.ee/deceivingthemasses
https://www.instagram.com/deceivingthemasses
https://www.youtube.com/@DeceivingTheMasses
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.
It was mere days after a brutal breakdown broke their manager down to hysterics, laughing out
loud at how ridiculously heavy it was. In short, Signs of the Swarm are in the business of
breaking stuff—and Amongst the Low & Empty might be the final blow to expectations, a g
ceiling, or simply the listener’s eardrums and mind.
“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 w
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 firs
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 incisivel
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 wri
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
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 Simoni
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 throughou
“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 a
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 mi
“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 a
Ingested.
A forthcoming European run will find them blaring to massive festivals such as Summer Breez
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 Gra
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.
