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FatherAlabaster

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FatherAlabaster Grand Master

FatherAlabaster

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This band isn't metal, but they've had a huge impact since their debut, "Filth", in 1982. A few of us talk about them and recommend them to others, typically in connection with doom, grind, goth, or industrial metal. Let's have a thread about Swans. I enjoy and listen to almost all of their recordings. I'm lucky to own several of their originals, even the rare/OOP stuff, which came at a high cost. For those into nasty doomy post-punk, I'd recommend Filth, Cop, Young God - the albums that inspired later works like Godflesh's "Streetcleaner". Their work with tape loops in this era had some impact on the growing industrial scene. Some songs on Filth directly inspired early grind like Napalm Death.

Children Of God is the classic album bridging their early and mid-period recordings. Alternating tracks of atmospheric goth and crushing doom, with male and female vocals, drowned in reverb, with some uniquely depressive lyrics. From 1985. This doesn't sound like anything else you've ever heard. A lot of their mid-period stuff is more gothy. For those looking to get started, I would recommend Various Failures, a double CD collecting songs off of a few albums and odd singles. It's got most of the best tracks from this period and at least one different version that's hands-down better than the original.

Another good one to check out is The Great Annihilator - apart from some of the obvious "singles", this album really shines. It features drums from Bill Rieflin of Ministry. You can give "The Burning World" a miss. Some of their later material is on best display in the double live CD, "Swans Are Dead" - a live recording that really does these songs justice. Worth it if only for the live version of "I see them all lined up". The last disc they did before their breakup, "Soundtracks for the Blind", was a largely ambient double CD featuring a lot of found recordings and odd versions of songs. This is one of the more depressing things I've ever heard, on par with Joy Division's "Closer" for emotional weight. Listen to this with headphones in a dark room, and no expectations. They hung it up in 1997. They got back together a few years ago and put on some of the heaviest live shows I've seen. I'm glad they're touring, though I have to admit that the new material doesn't move me like the old stuff did. Live, they re-envision most songs, a really nice twist for those of us who are used to the album versions. Any other Swans fans out there... I know they're not metal, but they inspired a lot of metal, and I'd love to hear your opinions.

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BlutAusNerd Newbie

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Re: Swans I only have the Children of God/World of Skin reissue, but I love it. Definitely a huge inspiration on bands like Godflesh, Neurosis, and Tool. I need to get more of their stuff, but much of it is quite hard to find these days, even the reissues tend to be pricey. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

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ReturntoCarthage Newbie

ReturntoCarthage

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I only have the Children of God/World of Skin reissue, but I love it. Definitely a huge inspiration on bands like Godflesh, Neurosis, and Tool. I need to get more of their stuff, but much of it is quite hard to find these days, even the reissues tend to be pricey. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2
Amazon has most of them all around 10 bucks or slightly higher. I love Children of god some of the songs on there are really dark
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FatherAlabaster Grand Master

FatherAlabaster

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Gira's main project during Swans' very long hiatus was Angels Of Light, which some people saw as a major break from his previous sound, but sounded to me like a slightly more folk-acoustic reworking of the same themes; I feel like Angels Of Light picked up where Swans left off. A rotating cast of skilled backing musicians gave this music the treatment it deserved. My favorite lineup was the touring lineup from 2001, and this is my favorite track from the live cd. This show was crushing, and is still one of my favorite shows I've been to.

 

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FatherAlabaster Grand Master

FatherAlabaster

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For those of you who haven't heard, here's an article from Pitchfork about the upcoming Swans album: Swans Announce New Album To Be Kind Featuring St. Vincent, Michael Gira Announces Solo Tour | News | Pitchfork I'm still finding it a bit difficult to get into "The Seer", but I'm looking forward to hearing this regardless.

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