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: