“It feels just like I’m dying.”
In modern deathcore, few bands have seen the type of success that Signs of the Swarm has attained. Right from their humble beginnings in 2014, Signs of the Swarm has been a major force to be reckoned with. Whether is its the punishing slams of their first two albums Senseless Order and The Disfigurement of Existence, or the more djenty thall tinged riffs of Absolvere and Amongst The Low & Empty, Signs of the Swarm has consistently wrote engagingly punishing releases that have kept modern deathcore listening audiences in glee in ways many other groups in the contemporary heavy music space could only dream of. Now, the band has returned once again with their latest album, To Rid Myself of Truth, to see if they can continue their climb up the modern ranks.
To Rid Myself of Truth sees Signs of the Swarm pulling back on many of the intricate riffs and overall thallic atmosphere that was present on their previous record, and instead adds a fair bit of industrial portions to practically every song, in an attempt to give the record a more primal-sounding raw edge.
After the titular track starts the album off on a rather satisfyingly straightforward note, we are immediately thrust into the lead single for the album, “HELLMUSTFEARME,” where the issues with the industrial elements already begin to show. Structurally, the track, as mentioned above, is solid enough with an engaging, albeit safe, groove that will undoubtedly be a hit at live shows. However, on the studio version, industrial beats are placed over the top in a way that distracts from the overall flow of the song. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case of such aspects deterring potential enjoyment, as the remaining songs on the album all suffer from this issue to some degree or another. No track displays this better than “Natural Selection”. As it begins, we are immediately propelled into rather overwhelmingly loud sections of industrial-tinged riffs that make it hard to keep focus on not just this section, but the album as a whole.
Not all the industrial stretches present throughout the album completely detract from the sonic weight, however, as when they are used primarily on verses instead of in totality, they can be rather effective in building up the energy of the song. There is no better example of this than “Iron Sacrament”, which also features Phil Bozeman of Whitechapel. On “Iron Sacrament“, the band takes a more traditional deathcore approach by keeping the industrialization on the verses towards the middle of the track and the breakdown. This gives off a rather engaging primal feel. Had it been present on more of the album, the band’s gamble with such an overwhelming helping of components would have been much more effective, rather than lessening the record’s quality.
While the overall glaring issue with the album remains with the insistence on using industrial influence, the songwriting is equally average. Overall, this is often simplified to the point that even if industrial bits were either minimal or nonexistent, it leaves a sense that there should be a lot more diversity. Even though the album itself isn’t bad, Amongst The Low & Empty, in comparison, was a much more concise and effectively written composition.
To Rid Myself of Truth could have been a rather refreshing experience for the modern deathcore listener. However, due to an over-reliance on distracting industrial set pieces, this venture is instead reduced to a rather generic shell of what could have been truly something great.
6/10
To Rid Myself of Truth releases Friday, August 22 via Century Media Records, and you can pre-order it here.