Signs of the Swarm

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Signs of the Swarm is an American deathcore band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania formed in 2014.^[1] The band consists of drummer Bobby Crow, vocalist David Simonich and guitarist Jeff Russo. They released their debut album Senseless Order on April 29, 2016, and their second album The Disfigurement of Existence on November 3, 2017. Their third album Vital Deprivation was released on October 11, 2019, and their fourth album Absolvere was released on September 24, 2021.

History[]

Formation, Senseless Order, and The Disfigurement of Existence (2014–2018)[]

Signs of the Swarm was founded in 2014 with the initial lineup of vocalist CJ McCreery, guitarists Rodney Fabiann and Jacob Toy, bassist Collin Barker, and drummer Bobby Crow. Fabiann would leave the band the next year and was replaced by Cory Smarsh. Their debut full-length album, entitled Senseless Order, was released on April 29, 2016. The album drew influence from brutal death metal and slam rather than the self-described “slamming deathcore” they aimed for. Senseless Order received mixed reviews, with many complaining about the guitar mix. Later that same year, they signed with Unique Leader Records.^[2]

Following the album's release, Barker departed the band. A lineup change followed which saw Crow take his place as bassist, while new member Jimmy Pino replaced Crow as drummer. With this lineup, Signs of the Swarm released their second album, The Disfigurement of Existence, on November 3, 2017, their first release on Unique Leader.^[3] It was received positively by fans, with many considering it to be their best album to date. It introduced the influences of black metal and hardcore, which would shape their sound going forward. The album's release was preceded by the single “Final Phase”, featuring guest vocals by Dickie Allen of Infant Annihilator.^[4]

Departure of CJ McCreery and Vital Deprivation (2018–2020)[]

In 2018, vocalist CJ McCreery departed Signs of the Swarm to join New Jersey-based deathcore act Lorna Shore, after their original vocalist Tom Barber departed to join Chelsea Grin. The band issued a statement addressing McCreery's departure, saying the decision was mutual and stating "we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."^[5] They were briefly supported by vocalists David Simonich and Matthew Krawchuk while on tour with bands such as Traitors, Aborted, and Lorna Shore.^[6] Simonich would be announced as their permanent vocalist later that year.

Signs of the Swarm's third album, entitled Vital Deprivation, was released on October 11, 2019,^[7] serving as Simonich's debut with them as well as drummer Jimmy Pino's last album with them. It continued the sound they had previously explored on The Disfigurement of Existence. Some reviews were mixed, stating that the vocals drowned out the music in the mix. Pino departed the band early the next year, causing another change which saw Jacob Toy switch to playing bass, and Bobby Crow return to his original position as drummer.^[8]

Non-album singles, Absolvere and allegations against band members (2020–present)[]

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Signs of the Swarm released 2 non-album singles. The first, “Pernicious”, was released on October 20, 2020.^[9][10] The second, titled “The Collection”, was released on February 5, 2021, and featured guest vocals from Matt Honeycutt and Nick Arthur, of Kublai Khan and Molotov Solution, respectively.^[11] It would also be the first to feature new guitarist Jeff Russo, who joined the band full-time in early 2021 after initially being contacted to tour with them in 2020. Russo would also be involved in writing and recording their upcoming fourth album, according to a statement published later in the year.

On June 29, 2021, they announced their fourth studio album, Absolvere, which released on September 24, 2021, and premiered its first single and music video, “Totem”.^[12][13] About a month later on July 27, they released a second single, “Hollow Prison”, featuring Alex Erian of Despised Icon as a guest vocalist.^[14]

On August 5, 2021, allegations of physical abuse against guitarist Cory Smarsh began to surface after a long post by an ex-girlfriend on Facebook, which included photos of bruises as well as damage to their home, which he caused. After her post, another woman came forward alleging that Smarsh, as an adult, had manipulated her into having sexual relations with him while she was underage. The following day, the band released a statement stating that Smarsh was “asked to step down from his role in Signs of the Swarm” in order to deal with “deeply personal matters.” They also declared that despite the situation, all scheduled band activity, including their tour in support of Absolvere, would continue as planned.^[15] Rumors also began to circulate that bassist and longtime member Jacob Toy was quietly fired from the band, after he himself faced an allegation of sexual assault. While not addressing him directly, the band made a post the following day declaring that they would be moving forward with the lineup of David Simonich, Bobby Crow, and Jeff Russo, seemingly confirming Toy's firing. In the same post, they also announced ahead of time that another music video would be released which features Smarsh and Toy, claiming “it is a necessary step towards moving on.”^{[citation needed]} The video in question was for the album's third and final single before its release, titled "Death Whistle."

The band will embark on a release tour for Absolvere in September with opening acts Worm Shepherd and Ov Sulfur, and will also support Born of Osiris in the fall alongside Shadow of Intent, as well as Fit For an Autopsy in early 2022, alongside Ingested, Enterprise Earth, and Great American Ghost.

Members[]

Timeline

Discography[]

Albums[]

See also[]

• Deathcore
• Lorna Shore

References[]

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