Review: Swans- The Gate

Okay, so this won't exactly be a review in the traditional sense, since this is in fact a demo/ live package really intended to give glimpses into the upcoming Swans album, but I thought I might just share my thoughts on some of the material. As for some of the live material, some of the unrecorded stuff has been floating around for a little while, but it sounds intense. Tracks like 'Frankie M' are getting me very excited for the new project. The rises and falls of this track are epic, and the way Swans can build anticipation in a longer piece like this is unrivaled. The radical reworking of some of their To Be Kind material is also pretty great. 'Just a Little Boy' was one of my favorite tracks from the last album, and now with this version, I can like it in a different way. This version is much noisier and chaotic than the creepy, slinking one on To Be Kind. It's getting me excited about the live DVD that's coming with the as yet unnamed album.

And now for the demos. At the end of the second CD, there were a few short acoustic demos, as there have been on all of these Swans crowdfunding projects. The one that really stood out to me was 'When Will I Return?'. This song is super creepy in this stripped down state, and I really hope Michael Gira keeps this one this way, as the isolated atmosphere lends a lot to this track. The rhythm demos were hopeful as well, as I can see these turning in heavy, stomping behemoths of songs once electrified and fleshed out.

As it stands, this project did exactly what it intended to do; hold Swans die hards over, and to get them anticipating the punishment they'll receive with the next album.


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