Swarm of the Lotus When White Becomes Black
At A Loss Recordings 009B 2004
By Nathan Pearce
Talk about starting 2004 off with a bang! Swarm of the Lotus is indeed an appropriate name for this band. When I first received this promo, I popped it in the CD player not expecting much. WOW! I was so wrong. SOTL absolutely devoured me for at least three non-stop listens to the CD.
Now . . . what do they sound like. Swarm of the Lotus takes a similar path to bands like Mastodon, Lamb of God, and Converge. Like the three mentioned bands Swarm of the Lotus is also distinct in their own way. At times I felt like calling them hardcore, only to be confused by the next thrashing riff. I eventually decided classification of Swarm of the Lotus is pointless.
The amazing thing about When White Becomes Black is that it is a debut. Again, Swarm of the Lotus is much like the above mentioned bands in that they each had amazing debuts. Swarm of the Lotus expertly crafts songs around fierce and pummeling riffs and rhythms. The entire album is a swarming barrage of anger and darkness. The vocals are monstrous, and they relentlessly grate at the listener. The production on this CD couldnt be better. I love how the drums are recorded. Its almost like I can actually see the snare, toms, and bass drums being thoroughly beaten with each and every beat. The sounds coming form this CD are that vivid. Its not just the drums either. Guitars, bass, and vocals also seem to be as in-your-face as Ive ever heard.
DO NOT let biases toward hardcore or metalcore steer you away from Swarm of the Lotus. I have very high hopes for this band, and Im sure they will surprise many people in 2004.
9/10
[url]www.swarmofthelotus.com[/url]
[url]www.atalossrecordings.com[/url]
At A Loss Recordings 009B 2004
By Nathan Pearce
Talk about starting 2004 off with a bang! Swarm of the Lotus is indeed an appropriate name for this band. When I first received this promo, I popped it in the CD player not expecting much. WOW! I was so wrong. SOTL absolutely devoured me for at least three non-stop listens to the CD.
Now . . . what do they sound like. Swarm of the Lotus takes a similar path to bands like Mastodon, Lamb of God, and Converge. Like the three mentioned bands Swarm of the Lotus is also distinct in their own way. At times I felt like calling them hardcore, only to be confused by the next thrashing riff. I eventually decided classification of Swarm of the Lotus is pointless.
The amazing thing about When White Becomes Black is that it is a debut. Again, Swarm of the Lotus is much like the above mentioned bands in that they each had amazing debuts. Swarm of the Lotus expertly crafts songs around fierce and pummeling riffs and rhythms. The entire album is a swarming barrage of anger and darkness. The vocals are monstrous, and they relentlessly grate at the listener. The production on this CD couldnt be better. I love how the drums are recorded. Its almost like I can actually see the snare, toms, and bass drums being thoroughly beaten with each and every beat. The sounds coming form this CD are that vivid. Its not just the drums either. Guitars, bass, and vocals also seem to be as in-your-face as Ive ever heard.
DO NOT let biases toward hardcore or metalcore steer you away from Swarm of the Lotus. I have very high hopes for this band, and Im sure they will surprise many people in 2004.
9/10
[url]www.swarmofthelotus.com[/url]
[url]www.atalossrecordings.com[/url]
