Swans/ Michaeal Gira — The Great Annihilator/ Drainland

For anyone who doesn’t know The Great Annihilator was the ninth studio album of Swans career. Released shortly before Gira and co. elected to go their separate ways, at least until 2010 when Swans would reform once again. Anyway, this new deluxe edition comes packaged with Michael Gira’s solo album Drainland, a worthwhile purchase on its own.

Let’s begin with the original album, which in my opinion remains a powerful slab of industrial rock/pop. Whilst not the full-blown drone tinged Americana of the post-reformation albums, it does however provide us with a hint of what the future will bring. After the short instrumental track In opens the album, I Am the Sun takes centre stage, GIra comes on like a brutally pissed off Ian Curtis, whilst Jarboe provides backing vocals, the band stomp their way across the track in anthemic fashion. She Lives is next, and is wholly reminiscent of a queasy Nick Cave track. Celebrity Lifestyle is up next, and one can’t help but become enamoured of the motorik beats and repetitive nature of the song as it drives ever onwards to its beautiful violent crescendo.

Those motorik beats stick around for the duration of the album, a constant fixture among the many and varied tracks. Jarboe’s vocals are sublime as she changes styles with ease and grace. Gira takes centre stage like some shaman in a Jodorowsky movie, the tracks are beautifully hypnotic, thought provoking, and at times brutally heavy but they never feel out of place and they never outstay their welcome. A live rendition of I Am the Sun works as a page marker between the Swans material and Gira’s solo album, Drainland.

Taking things in an even more experimental direction Drainland opens with the track You See Me, more droney and very autobiographical. It features recordings of Gira and Jarboe discussing his drink and drug use. Where Does Your Body Begin is up next and see’s Gira still in reflective mode. I See them all Lined Up is a stripped back slice of industrial rock, with Gira’s mantra like vocals playing over the top of an incessant beat. The album is not all that far from the sound of Swans to be honest, it is as already said a little more droney and reflective, however, when he does rock it up one can definitely hear the similarities, and of course the personnel aren’t that far away, with Gira, Jarboe and Bill Rieflin all performing.

Overall this is a really nice package, for what Is a criminally overlooked album. It may not be Swans masterpiece but it’s a damn fine record that deserves a lot more credit than it receives. The remastering job is a pleasure to behold, the album sounds fresh, and clear. The bass sound is punchier and a lot of things that were lost in the muddier mix are now audible and provide a new listening experience for Swans veterans. Well worth the upgrade.