CENTURY MEDIA
Pittsburgh deathcore heavies pile on the barbells
With the aid of Lorna Shore and Tallah producer Josh Schroeder, Signs Of The Swarm’s fifth album sees the Pittsburgh quartet at their heaviest yet. David Simonich’s guttural vocals on Pray For Death and Borrowed Time have the power to contort your expression like you’ve been hit with a dose of gamma rays. By the time The Witch Beckons rolls around with a Matt Heafy guest spot, the whiplash from the constant headbanging is starting to set in, and yet the fast tempo proves utterly infectious. Each breakdown is bestial in its own right, yet falls naturally in the album’s flow. Shackles Like Talons does lose some of the album’s momentum, but Amongst The Low & Empty commands attention throughout its onslaught of brutality. ■■■■■■■■■■