Swarm of Eyes Chats New Album, Wrestling on Neckbreaker Podcast
Last night, four-out-of-five of the Swarm of Eyes guys sat down with Brian Thompson, host of the Neckbreaker podcast. (Cut Jeff some slack! The man was out with his family, celebrating his 40th birthday, damnit!)
Following a sumptuous chicken dinner (courtesy of Brian and his wife, Sarah Jane), Neckbreaker kicked into high gear with witty banter and wicked riffs.
The 90-minute show was packed with metal, laughs, and a little bit of time devoted to the Sport of Kings, professional wrestling. During the live Facebook broadcast, the band chatted with their gracious hosts about:
- The formation of the band: who played with whom prior to Swarm of Eyes
- The new EP and why the band waited so long to release new material
- Why drummers are such a hot commodity in New England
- The “sixth member” of Swarm of Eyes
- What up-and-coming bands need to do to get ahead on their local scenes
- Old school wrestling vs. the current landscape (or “product,” in the words of good ol’ Jim Ross)
- Which guys were playing with their phones during the interview
- And much more!
Don’t feel like seeing the Swarm of Eyes boys in all their handsome glory on the Facebook live stream and using up all of your phone’s monthly data in the process? Well, hang onto yer butts and subscribe to the Neckbreaker podcast on iTunes and Soundcloud to listen on January 9th!
Thanks again to Brian for having us on! (Special thanks also to Sarah Jane for her heapin’ helpin’ of hospitality and the delicious food!)
Swarm of Eyes Reveals Album Art & Release Date for New Album
Not since Chinese Democracy have metal fans been so eagerly anticipating a release! And while it may or may not be as disappointing, by gum, Swarm of Eyes’ second album is coming soon! The band’s sophomore effort, We Go to War with the Weapons We Have, is scheduled for a January 6th, 2017 release date with cover art and visuals designed by the one and only Mike D’Antonio of Killswitch Engage, via his art production house DarkicoN Design.
Fans will hear an evolution of the band’s sound that retain elements from their 2012 debut, Designing the Dystopia, and combines Big 4-style riffs with modern metal production. The end result is an addictive strain of thrash-y doom metal that leaves a distinctive imprint of destruction in its wake.
Produced by Dave “Weirdbeard” McCafferty and Swarm of Eyes guitarist George O’Connor, the album features four brand new tracks, two cover songs, and a re-recorded “Humanemic” from the band’s debut disc. Whereas the original “Humanemic” was recorded before bassist Jeff Grossman and drummer Tommy Burke joined the band, this new version features all five members of Swarm of Eyes bringing their talents to the track.
Check out our shameless shill at the end of this news bulletin the track listing and pre-order your copy today. (Shipping 01/06/2017).
Swarm of Eyes Release Dark Christmas Carol, ‘Santa Claus is Coming’
“Santa Claus is Coming,” so you better beware. Don’t put out the cheap cookies and hang your stockings with care.
In what’s becoming a holiday tradition, Swarm of Eyes has released a dark, minor chord-laden cover of the classic Christmas carol, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” — the perfect, ominous accompaniment to power-elbowing your way through crowds this Black Friday. (Go ahead. You deserve that $20 toaster oven!)
The song, available on Bandcamp is a taste of things to come on the band’s upcoming EP, We Go to War with the Weapons We Have, which is scheduled for an early 2017 release. The band also put together a video for the single, featuring the work of 18 different artists — spanning the gamut from seasoned veterans to up-and-comers, each serving up a creepy Kris Kringle of their own demented imaginings.
Recording the song came together quickly. “A massive amount of credit goes to Derrik [Albertelli] for making a one-off comment I said into a reality,” said George O’Connor of his fellow Swarm of Eyes guitarist. “I floated the idea of doing a dark, minor-key version of ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ to him. He took the idea and came back with the chord structures and progressions. We got together and started messing around with the parts and arranging them together.”
The concept for the video matches the ominous tone of Swarm of Eyes’ rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Strapped for time and rather than throwing together a humdrum “video” with just the band’s logo and lyrics, the band enlisted the aid of 18 talented artists to offer their own renderings of sinister Santas. A mix of working professional comic and industrial artists alongside talented up-and-comers, the diverse range of contributors complement Swarm of Eyes’ creepy Christmas card to the metal world.
“After years of creating comics and going to conventions, I now know several talented artists. So, I threw it out to them and my other friends to draw their version of what a creepy Santa would look like,” said O’Connor, the author of several indie comic titles himself. “There were no rules, so they were all free to put their spin on the idea. What we got back was incredible. When someone watches the video, they’ll be able to see some fantastic art that fits the vibe of the song. And I’m thrilled to introduce these artists to everyone.”