Album Rating: 3.5

Revisiting this one with context is a weird errand. It’s only lesser because of its surrounding albums. I can’t help but lump this one in with the burning world and angels of light. It’s beautiful but it’s not peak swans. The hanging man persists in being a fantastic tune live though. Interesting they chose it as the torchbearer single for this album as opposed to sunfucker

Stylistically it’s very different from the usual Swans effort. Personally it didn’t click for me as much as I wish it would, it feels more like a M. Gira side project, which i think it would’ve fitted better as, the neck and co add too much of a jazzy drone edge to it which isn’t as present in T͟o͟ ͟b͟e͟ ͟k͟i͟n͟d͟ , it still got highlights but yeah it’s a mixed bag.