(written by Islander)

At the end of this week Time To Kill Records will release a new album by the powerhouse Italian death metal band Across the Swarm. Entitled Invisible Threads, it follows up the band’s 2020 record Projections, and we’re bring all of it to you today.

Thematically, the album is about as dark as you could imagine. In the band’s words, it “explores human degradation, unspoken fears, and wars that ravage not only bodies but also minds” — depredations and agonies reflected in the album’s cover art. The music is intended to be a raw and unflinching musical exploration of those terrible themes.

But it must be said right away that the music is the opposite of gloomy and grief-stricken. Instead, it’s absolutely exhilarating – though equally cold-blooded. The album delivers pulverizing, pavement-fracturing thuggery and technically impressive high-speed ferocity, all of it accompanied by monster-show vocals that add to the music’s many spine-tingling (and bone-smashing) effects. It’s a top-shelf example of explosive and rampaging musical malice that’s exceedingly well-constructed, expertly executed, and very addictive. Continue reading »