Review Summary: You wouldn't think it from the singles, but this is actually a step forward.
If you cast your judgment of
To Rid Myself of Truth based on the first three singles released ahead of the record, just as I did, then you would not be remiss to believe that
...Truth was business as usual for Signs. Tracks like "HELLMUSTFEARME" and "Scars Upon Scars", in isolation, pale in comparison to standalone singles "IWONTLETYOUDIE" or "Pernicious". There appears to be no articulation of their sonic development. When there is, as presented on "Clouded Retinas", it sounds like the featured artist wrote the back half of the track. Or, at best, Signs catered to the guest vocalist's main project.
With that being said, I was underwhelmed and fairly dismissive when the LP dropped in its entirety. I was prepared to bear witness to a band with a promising and interesting sound wither away and cave to creating
Pt. II of the works that made them earworthy.
If I had maintained faith in one of my favorite bands in the early 2020s deathcore scene, I would have recognized the direction of this project from the fourth and final single before release - the self-titled and opening track on the record. As
To Rid Myself of Truth begins, I hear the grooves that enthralled me initially with Signs on
Absolvere. This opening track and "Natural Selection" bring menacing nu-metal inspired riffs which add an accent to the established elements that are welcomed back into the sonic fold.
To Rid Myself of Truth is the perfect combination of the pounding but fun rhythm of
Amongst the Low and Empty and the atmospheric and oppressive tone of
Absolvere.
To Rid Myself of Truth is a notable example of "songs-in-context-of-the-album" being better than in isolation. "HELL..." and "Scars..." represent the giddy pummeling of
Amongst The Low and Empty, or the ominous, cavernous pleading of
Absolvere, respectively. In that sense, in a vacuum, these songs seem uninspired. In the context of
...Truth, "Chariot", "Sarkazein", and those aforementioned tracks skew towards "business-as-usual" as opposed to "highly experimental" or "boundary-pushing"; but these tracks also skew towards "fun", "bouncy", and "groovy" rather than "tedious" or "taxing".
There are noticeable inspirations, some new and some old, in the instrumentation on
...Truth. The guitars are searing, full-bodied, and provide ample head-nod-inducing riffs over Bobby Crow's exceptional drumming performance. There are elements of nu-metal, black metal, death metal, and slam across this record, including prominent occurrences of the vocal tape rewind effects that will sound familiar to longtime listeners.
David Simonich continues to make very noticeable incremental improvements on
To Rid Myself of Truth. "Forcing to Forget" demands your attention with an exceptionally emotive vocal performance from Simonich. With a dynamic sonic texture and introspective lyrics alluding to a tortuous prison of an existence to boot, this is the most experimental attempt on the record and really shows Signs wading into untested waters, with highly positive results.
In contrast, "Fear & Judgment", ...is hard to describe, as it is experimental in the other direction. Is it a posse track? Is it a critique of the underpinnings of societal in/out group thinking and the rejection thereof ("Keep your seal of approval / keep your Judas kiss")? Is it the most nu-metal groove inspired assbeater on the album? It's all of these things, but in a Gestalt way, insofar as its value when the elements are combined.
Signs of the Swarm capitalized again on an energetic release just as summer comes to a close. This is to say nothing of the lyrical content (mostly dealing with the hellscape that is damnation or just average human life on Earth). Pointing out the energetic summer release, however, is to say something of the energy and passion that this record exudes. It is to say something about the lack of pretense and the abundance of focus that Signs of the Swarm put into making fun, catchy songs. In my review for
Amongst the Low and Empty, I made a passing criticism that Signs did just enough to capture and maintain my attention. They very nearly lost it based on the singles leading up to the release, but after several listens of the whole LP,
To Rid Myself of Truth improves upon the previous output and proves itself to be a cohesive, engaging, and praiseworthy piece of art.
