I looked through my selection of dark ambient, nothing stood out. Same with black metal, doom, and death metal. Nothing was really fitting the bill. Then I came across my Swans collection, and I knew I found the right band.
Swans have played many genres throughout their long career. Ranging from noise, to goth, to post rock, and finally morphing into whatever the hell they are currently playing.
The sound that Swans have on The Glowing Man isn't confined to a singular genre. Sure it has a rock base, but that is largely because of the guitar oriented music. This is not rock in any conventional sense.
The songs are long... exceptionally long... most of the songs on the album are over 20 minutes. Swans uses this time to slowly build up what can only be called a cacophony of sound/noise.
The themes repeat ad nauseam until there is nothing but chaos and distortion barely controlled by the band. It's a chilling effect.
I chose the Glowing Man because it was the later period Swans album I've heard the least from. Truly any of the albums post "The Seer" would have had the same effect. Swans are in a territory that no other band has been to before, and after hearing The Glowing Man I'm not sure even those that would want to follow would be able to.
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