After more than a decade of pushing deathcore to its limits, Signs of the Swarm are entering a new era with To Rid Myself of Truth. Drummer Bobby Crow explains how personal struggles, powerful collaborations, and a fearless refusal to stay in one lane have turned their seventh album into the band’s most raw and reborn statement yet…
Words by Tanita Hingerty | Aug 25, 2025
Pittsburgh deathcore titans Signs of the Swarm have spent over a decade carving their name into the extreme metal underground with unrelenting heaviness and raw authenticity. Now, with their seventh album, To Rid Myself of Truth (out August 22 via Century Media Records), the band is diving deeper than ever, channelling personal struggles, existential dread, and unshakable resilience into their most visceral work yet.
Drummer Bobby Crow sits down with us to reflect on the band’s evolution, the catharsis behind the new record, and why this chapter feels like a rebirth.
There’s a lot of anticipation around To Rid Myself of Truth. What’s the meaning behind the album’s title, and what messages are you exploring this time?
Bobby: “A lot of that came from our singer Dave’s brain. He has pretty much full rein over the messages behind the songs, but he does a good job at encapsulating a lot of our combined feelings. This time, he wanted to be more vulnerable, more willing to say things that could be hard to take in. In the past, we’ve been purposely convoluted, trying to make things sound ‘metal’ or interesting. But now, he’s singing about personal experiences he’s never really spoken about otherwise.”
Tracks like “Scars Upon Scars” confront addiction, while “Clouded Retinas” (featuring Lorna Shore’s Will Ramos) grapples with Simonich’s degenerative eye condition, worsened by years of punishing stage lighting.
Dave’s condition is something you’ve had to adapt to live, how has that influenced the band’s approach to performances?
Bobby: “It’s been a learning curve. Stage lighting was actually damaging his eyes, so now we have to be super careful about colours and placement. It’s wild because touring is our life, but we’ve had to rethink how we present ourselves visually. That struggle bled into the lyrics, this album is about real shit, not just abstract rage.
You dropped two music videos recently, “Scars Upon Scars” and “To Rid Myself of Truth”. The first one looks intense, what was the creative process like?*
Bobby: “That video was… surreal. We shot it in this trap house in LA, and Dave and I walked in, looked around, and just froze. It felt like stepping back into our childhoods. There were moments where Dave had to step out between takes because it was too much, like forcing yourself into a situation you’ve spent years avoiding. The director nailed the symbolism: death, addiction, all that darkness. It wasn’t just a video; it was therapy.”
And the other single?
Bobby: “That one was pure fun. We switched some songs around last minute because we loved the energy of To Rid Myself of Truth. It’s groovy, in-your-face, just us performing with no frills. Sometimes, the best videos are the simplest. We’ve learned you don’t need a huge budget to make something hit hard.”
This album has killer features, Will Ramos, Phil Bozeman, Johnny Crowder. How did those come together?
Bobby: “Every collab was personal. Will actually reached out to us first, he and Dave are tight, so we wrote Clouded Retinas with him in mind. Phil was supposed to be on a different track, but timing didn’t work… until he hit us up last minute like, ‘Hey, I’m free now!’ We scrambled to rewrite parts of Iron Sacrament for him, and he killed it. These weren’t just ‘let’s get a big name’ moves, they’re homies who actually care about the music.”
Dream collab you haven’t done yet?
Bobby: “We joke about getting Rob Zombie on a track, imagine that over our dumb breakdowns! [Laughs] But seriously, Chino Moreno or Burton C. Bell from Fear Factory would be insane. Devin Townsend, too, his angelic voice over our chaos? Yes, please.”
You’ve been in this band since high school, how has your sound changed over the years?
Bobby: “Man, we used to be so picky, ‘This riff has to sound EXACTLY like brutal death metal.’ Now? We just write. The more we tour, the more we realise people connect with energy, not genres. This album’s first half is classic SOTS, but the back half gets weird. Fear & Judgment has this stupid groove that reminds me of the nu-metal I loved as a kid. We’re not afraid to experiment anymore.”
What’s the best compliment you’ve gotten about the new stuff?
Bobby: “When people say, ‘This doesn’t sound like anything else, but it’s still YOU.’ That’s the goal. We’ll never make the same record twice.”
You’re hitting the U.S. this fall. What can fans expect from the live show?
Bobby: “More lights, more chaos, more songs crammed into less time. We want it to feel like a knockout punch. Touring with Mental Cruelty and Carcosa is gonna be wild, half the crew are our best friends. When everyone’s vibing, that energy bleeds into the crowd.”
Anything else on the horizon?
Bobby: “We’re back in Europe twice next year, always writing, always grinding. COVID taught us this can all vanish overnight, so we’re going harder than ever.”
Anything else you want fans to know?
Bobby: “Just thank you, to our team, our producer Josh Schrader, and everyone who lets us keep making dumb heavy noises. This album is our truth. Take it or leave it.”
To Rid Myself Of Truth is out now via Century Media.
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