On The Turntable: Swans' Great Annihilator May 19 2017
In 1995, Swans concluded a chapter to their storied career with The Great Annihilator. Throughout the '90s, Swans brought a baroque density to their constant crescendos of noise, riff and drone through a series of albums that culminated in this particular album. Two years after the release of this album, the band ceased activities for close to fifteen years.
The signature, militant goose step rhythms remain as punishing as ever, subjected to an all-encompassing swarm of buzz-saw guitar, bass and keyboard drones. The interlocking vocals of Michael Gira and Jarboe adeptly counter the jagged fury of the multiple guitar arsenals. For the 2017 reissue, The Great Annihilator has been entirely remastered from recently discovered unmastered session mixes.
Gira describes the discovery as "a revelation of great sonic effect."
