REVIEW: Signs of the Swarm – To Rid Myself of Truth [2025]

Artist: Signs of the Swarm
Album: To Rid Myself of Truth

Signs of the Swarm—a band whose success is well earned and certainly no mystery—find themselves in a tough position on To Rid Myself of Truth. I don’t mean tough as though the record is make-or-break—if anything, their position in the annals of heavy music is as cemented as it could possibly get, having rose through the trials and tribulations of the Chugcore era coupled with the global pandemic and more. Rather, To Rid Myself of Truth forces the band to answer a tricky question: how will they continue to grow and improve despite all their accomplishments, growth and improvement? The answer, summarized by songwriter and percussionist Bobby Crow is simple: be. More. Pissed. And on To Rid Myself of Truth, that’s just about how Signs of the Swarm sound. To Rid Myself of Truth finds the Pittsburgh heavyweights simultaneously doubling down on aggression while distancing themselves from the deathcore moniker, and the result is a refreshing, cohesive and engaging experience. Still built on a firmament of blast beats, breakdowns and bewildering vocal intensity, To Rid Myself of Truth is a vivacious, visceral and viciously groovy foray into heavy music that gives the listener the most well-rounded version of Signs to date.

It feels dishonest—or at least incomplete—to say that Signs of the Swarm have distanced themselves from deathcore on To Rid Myself of Truth. A more accurate way to describe it would be expanding beyond deathcore—becoming a deathcore+ band if I can adapt a little medical terminology into the mix. This is perhaps most evident on songs like “Fear & Judgement,” where metalcore undertones with a hint of industrial-pilled nu-metal accompany an unlikely—but immense—combination of guest vocalists in 156/Silence’s Jack Murray and Prison’s Johnny Crowder. Another example of the band adopting a heaping helping of groove metal a la A Life Once Lost and Meshuggah is on “Natural Selection,” alongside “Forcing to Forget.” Here, Crow’s drumming doesn’t slouch; he remains vigilant with fleet feet and faster hands—but bass from Michael Cassese and guitar from Carl Schulz oscillate from grotesque displays of unabashed aggression to more tempered, toe-tapping grooves and riffs, highlighting and amplifying a degree of diversity and dynamism hinted at on the record’s predecessor. These tracks exist complementary to the more straightforward and eviscerating cuts “HELLMUSTFEARME” and “Iron Sacrament,” both of which lean much more heavily into the bands roots as a pulverizing, slam-tinted deathcore act. Signs of the Swarm’s growth didn’t happen overnight—in fact, the seeds towards a more uncanny and unorthodox approach to deathcore were realistically planted in Vital Deprivation—but are best realized here. To Rid Myself of Truth is an instrumentally varied experience that lends context to some portions of Amongst the Low & Empty that felt a little out-of-place or forced, likening them to growing pains necessary to fully realize the twists and turns taken on songs like “Sarkazein” and “Fear & Judgement”—but if those aren’t for you, there is still plenty of solace to be found in the boundless brutality and bloodshed brought about by the opening run of songs that demonstrate how, above all else, Signs of the Swarm are still a deathcore act at heart.

With a varied and refined instrumental canvas, it should come as no surprise that frontman David Simonich also had to step his game up—but not necessarily in the ways one might think. Simonich’s vocal prowess is beyond question, as there really isn’t a vocal style, pitch or tone he doesn’t employ throughout To Rid Myself of Truth’s modest runtime. Where he sees the most development is with his approach to lyricism. Seemingly in spite of the record’s title, Simonich and his writing are at their most personal and revealing, discussing his struggle with Stargardt Disease (a hereditary maculopathy causing progressive vision loss) on “Clouded Retinas” alongside Lorna Shore’s Will Ramos, or his struggles with addiction on “Scars Upon Scars.” Even his more dramatic and visceral lyricism is rejuvenated on songs like “Natural Selection” and “Iron Sacrament.” Simonich complements his over-the-top vocal style—which might seem a touch overzealous and flashy in the context of the “less-is-more” deathcore renaissance ongoing currently—with a colossal step up in respect to lyricism and intensity, making everything hit with immense stopping power and impact with the intent of making listeners feel and think about it long after the syllables have come and went.

Signs of the Swarm are one of deathcore’s (and Deathcore-adjacent styles’) biggest rising stars for a reason—a combination of intense work ethic, time-proven dedication and immense talent—and To Rid Myself of Truth feels like the band truly acknowledging and drawing from all the styles that make them a unique entity within the genre. Are there some “vocal olympic” moments? Sure, but To Rid Myself of Truth is paced and written in a way that at least makes them feel intentional as opposed to masturbatory, which is more than most can say. At the end of the day, Signs of the Swarm handily demonstrate the broad spectrum of their influence and love for heavy music throughout To Rid Myself of Truth, making it an engaging, consistent and fun experience for fans of just about any form of aggressive music.

8.5/10
For Fans Of: Whitechapel, Meshuggah, Nexilva, Face Yourself, Ov Sulfur
Connor Welsh