Swarm of Eyes: The Birthday Bash in Beverly
Yes, we are well aware that “The Birthday Bash in Beverly” sounds like a bad, late ’90s Skinemax movie but (much like the cast of a Skinemax movie), a great time was had by all! Swarm of Eyes, with special guests KATET and 138, headlined a rollicking good time at the Spotlight Tavern in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Gathered together to celebrate Swarm of Eyes frontman Randy’s slow march toward decrepitude birthday, the three bands were the ones to give New England metal fans the gift of face-melting metal that keeps on giving until you are a pummeled pile of gelatinous goo, ready to be scraped off the floor and reconstituted to bang your head into oblivion all over again. (more…)
Swarm of Eyes Slays Capacity Crowds with Overcast and The Empire Shall Fall
Photo courtesy of Hillarie Jason
Swarm of Eyes is livin’ the dream in 2015! Sharing the bill on two of four shows that saw metal legends Overcast make their triumphant return to the Boston area for the first time in nearly 20 years, Swarm of Eyes trotted out a list of (not so) old favorites and new material to a rabidly receptive crowd.
Swarm of Eyes were honored to share the stage with American metal pioneers Overcast and progressive metal maestros The Empire Shall Fall.
On Friday night, January 30th, 2015, Swarm of Eyes played to a near-capacity crowd at the massive Ruins at the Colosseum in Providence, Rhode Island. The following night, those darlings of doom metal took the stage at the landmark Ralph’s Rock Diner in Worcester, Massachusetts in front of a sold-out crowd.
On both nights, the handsome lads of Swarm of Eyes’ played a face-melting eight-song set jam-packed with material from their debut, Designing the Dystopia, including fan-favorites “Ruins of My Last Salvation,” “Endless Ashes,” and “Warzone.” In addition to old favorites, the band dusted off its blistering cover of The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” and pulled off the Herculean feat of getting both the Providence and Worcester crowds to sing along with their version of the Billy Idol classic, “Rebel Yell.”
The Providence show featured the live debut of Swarm of Eyes’ new song, “Tell Your God to Ready For Blood.” The new track was driven forward by a dirge-like bass groove, thunderous drums and heavy riffing that borrowed a vaguely Middle Eastern flavor. The band brought the new song and their particular brand of murky macabre merriment to Worcester, giving the loveable Massholes of Worcester a taste of Swarm-y things to come.
In a show filled with memorable metal moments, the Swarm of Eyes guys had a chance to enjoy the view from the crowd, bearing witness to Jesse Leach (of Killswitch Engage) taking a break from his role as frontman of The Empire Shall Fall and singing along with the sold-out Worcester crowd and joining in an epic mosh pit during Overcast’s set.
If you didn’t see it live, you missed a hell of a show. Keep an eye out for when The Empire Shall Fall and Overcast hit a venue near you. And stay tuned for the next batch of Swarm of Eyes shows, hitting a club near you. In the meantime, check out live footage of the band in-action at Ralph’s Rock Diner from January 31st:
Swarm of Eyes to Play Cancer Benefit with the Reunited Austen’s Dead
On Saturday November 30th, Swarm of Eyes will take part in a live benefit show at Presidents Rock Club in Quincy, MA. All proceeds from the show will go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a leader in adult and pediatric cancer research and treatment. The band joins a reunited “Legend of the Swedish Nanny’s Torso”-era lineup Austen’s Dead and local favorites Salacious Crumb and Mock the Earthquake — united in metal and united in the fight against cancer.
Swarm of Eyes vocalist Randy Carter stated that the band “is proud to have been added to such an amazing show, and all for a great cause. A very good friend of all the bands playing has been battling breast cancer for the past few years, so it is something that hits home with everyone on the bill, and why we asked to be added to the lineup. For those who aren’t familiar with Austen’s Dead, it’s only a cause like this that could get them to rise from the ashes and resurrect for their first show in 18 years. This will be a once in a lifetime spectacle, you can count on it.”
These four bands on the bill have more in common that a love of cool t-shirts and rubber squeaky toys. No siree, Bob! These guys have a history that feels like the New England punk/metal/hardcore version of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Austen’s Dead bassist, Roach, was once in a band with several current members of Mock the Earthquake. Swarm of Eyes guys Randy and Derrik used to be in a little band called Motokops 2000 (Maybe you’ve heard of them? *crickets*) that covered the Austen’s Dead classic, “Legs Like Wings.” And Salacious Crumb — dubbed “The Least Hardest Working Band In All of Show Business” opened for several of these bands and hung around and drank a lot.
Yes. There is a history here, my friends.
That historic legacy continues on November 30th as these four bands come together for a night of memorable metal in the name of a great cause. Swarm of Eyes also plans to join Austen’s Dead on-stage for a live performance of “Legs Like Wings,” too. (And pending Randy eating delicious, cheesy-beefy burritos less than two hours before showtime, there’s a good chance his dinner will make an appearance on-stage, too!)
All kidding aside, this promises to be a great show for a great cause. Tickets can be purchased for $8 at the door the night of the 21+ event. Showtime begins at 8pm. Get there early to catch all the action and help in the fight to stomp out cancer.