Swans - The Great Annihilator
Young God Records



One of the few bands to survive the No Wave movement. The band was formed in 1982 by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. Besides Gira, the only other semi-constant members were keyboardist/vocalist Jarboe, and, to an extent, guitarist Norman Westberg. They disbanded in 1997. After dissolving Swans, Gira formed Angels of Light, continued his work with Young God Records and Jarboe continued her solo work.

The album opens with the haunting percussive loop that is "In", which perfectly sets up the album and lead into the powerful "I Am The Sun", which alternates between blasts of throbbing drumming and the eerier echo-drenched vocal sections. Gira's deadpan, almost spoken-word delivery of his sharp and if you think about them, terrifying lyrics is more than apt, these are accentuated by Jarboe's equally intense backing vocals, which are probably best shown in "Mother/Father". A sparse, echo drenched sound prevails throughout this album (typified by "Blood Promise") however a strong sense of dynamism exists as the steady build up of "She Lives!" and the groove-laden rhythms and powerful vocals on "Mind/Body/Light/Sound" display.

This album is generally considered their most accesible and with good reason, with it's strong sense of minimalism and bombast it is sure to please fans of post-rock, while it's haunting synths and vocals will certainly delight Joy Division fans and it's tribal rhythms will attract fans of Killing Joke, but at the end of the day there is still nothing out there like this. The album is near flawless, the only aspect that I personally don't like about it is it's length. Clocking in at over an hour it does start to lose it's appeal by the end, especially when the second half is weaker than the first..



1. In
2. I Am The Sun
3. She Lives!
4. Celebrity Lifestyle
5. Mother/Father
6. Blood Promise
7. Mind/Body/Light/Sound
8. My Buried Child
9. Warm
10. Alcohol The Seed
11. Killing For Company
12. Mother's Milk
13. Where Does A Body End?
14. Telepathy
15. The Great Annihilator
16. Out

For Fans Of: The Legendary Pink Dots, Killing Joke, Joy Division



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#4 - Alien Sex Fiend, Bauhaus, Switchblade Symphony
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#10 - Siouxsie Sioux, Android Lust and Diamanda Galas
#11 - Ausgang and Killing Joke