Merge Between Worlds: On Swarm X Sentinel Complex's "Make It Out Alive" (Feat. Man Ov God), and the Careers That Have Made Them Who They Are Today
SWARM x Sentinel Complex “Make It Out Alive” (Feat. Man Ov God) single cover art
When you look at metal and how it's been shifting within the past few years, we are seeing more and more multi-fusions of EDM and metalcore now more than ever. It just goes to show you that if there is a drive and a creative mind to provide something that hasn't been fully experimented with within the genre, there will be talented artists out there that will seek the right tools to make it happen. In the most gratifying and unexampled of ways, SWARM, Sentinel Complex, and Man Ov God, have managed to pull this off in spades with their latest collaborative release, "Make It Out Alive."
A track that is truly the sui-generis in the genre currently, this colossal three-way collaboration combines the very best of metalcore and electronic bliss vocally and instrumentally to get your blood pumping and craving for more. With infectious djent-heavy guitar riffs, intermingling with dark, punchy atmospheric soundscapes, and capped off with some pretty gorgeously controlled deathcore vocals, it's the perfect recipe for every electronic-metal fan's fantasy.
However, behind this three-minute aggressive yet euphoric paradise is a deep track lyrically that stretches far beyond the instrumental finesse they so expertly crafted together. SWARM and Sentinel Complex have joined me today, not just to talk about "Make It Out Alive." While the track is an achievement in and of itself, their stories about their success are one worth noting as well.
I want to thank you both for coming to chat with me about your career and release. I appreciate it. So I guess we can start from the beginning lol, how did you both come to start your journey as, SWARM, and Sentinel Complex? Each of you can answer this individually. What was the music scene around you like at the time?
SWARM
Sentinel Complex: Thanks for having us! Sentinel started as a project between a friend and me, and we started out writing music for trailers and indie games/films. This eventually culminated into us coming up with enough material to start releasing music as a band. The local music scene has never really been overly bustling down in Bournemouth, so focusing on writing and developing as a musician became the main focus overplaying local shows. Since then though, it’s just been a journey of experimenting with the merging of different genres and incorporating different influences. Since we are now working on separate projects, I’ve really taken the time to focus on my direction and feel I’m starting to hone in on it.
SWARM: My pleasure! I grew up listening to music as much as I could - my mom said I wanted to do nothing else except pretend I was singing to my favorite songs. When I was 19, I joined a metal band. That was my first dive into making music. I played guitar - I didn’t even know how to play guitar when I auditioned for the band, I just wanted to make music. I taught myself the basics of playing very quickly, so I didn’t train wreck during the try-outs haha! I learned a lot about writing and performing, and I owe my current project to that experience, without a doubt.
My first experience with electronic music was in 2015 - I saw Excision at House Of Blues Orlando. It had the aggressiveness and energy of metal, but it was electronic! I was captivated. A few years later, in 2017, I decided to learn production to make my own! The rest is history.
What are your music influences? How were you able to integrate them into your latest release "Make It Out Alive?"
Sentinel Complex: Honestly, I’m influenced by a bunch of different things, I grew up as a metal-head listening to bands like Trivium, Periphery, Machine Head, and Parkway Drive and started playing the guitar at a young age so that naturally became part of my sound! Nowadays, I take a load of inspiration from horror and sci-fi cinema and film scores too since I love them both so much. For "Make It Out Alive," it was easy to incorporate the heaviness of the guitars and metal elements into the song since both of our styles incorporate metal and electronic influences to varying extents. Aside from that, we both love stuff that is very heavy so it was bound to work haha, and having Man Ov God on vocals was the icing on the cake!
SWARM: I grew up listening to industrial metal, and to this day, it is still my favorite genre. My favorite bands like Rammstein & Nine Inch Nails always have influenced me with their over-the-topness -, something I fully embraced with this song. The mixture of industrial rock & breakdowns is something that is (literally) music to my ears.
How did all of you guys come to collaborate? How did that conversation happen?
Sentinel Complex: I discovered Swarm in 2018 with his release “The Nothing” and was pretty blown away because I hadn’t heard anything being done like this before. I ended up submitting a remix for his track “Devil’s At Your Door” which I think really caught his attention, and then a few conversations later, we talked about doing a song together!
SWARM: Sentinel Complex remixed one of my songs, “Devil’s At Your Door” with TINYKVT, last year. I loved it so much I asked them to make a song with me! I hadn’t had any guitar in my songs yet, and I knew with the right artist, it would be amazing.
I had previously worked with Brooke Reeves (Man Ov God) on another song of mine, "Drag Me Down." Once I realized the song was going towards an actual metal direction with the guitar composition by Sentinel Complex, I knew he was perfect for it! Brook and I share a similar taste for the epic and heavier side of bass music. Brook is also the singer of one of my favorite metal bands, Impending Doom. I got their logo tattooed on my elbow over a decade ago! Love that guy, I still fan-boy every time we work together haha!
You guys all have similar yet different styles that make you stand out within the scene. Sentinel, there is this aggressive metal soundscape but merges with these amazing electronic and orchestral elements, SWARM, you're musically haunting in your presence, but you have these unique punchy EDM elements surrounding your work. Working together, it almost seems like a match made in heaven, considering you guys have this dark heaviness to all of your work in some shape or form. Lyrically, where are you coming from with this track?
Sentinel Complex: I agree! I think our musical writing tastes are similar enough that every idea put forward by either one of us just felt natural and fit well in the track. When it comes to the lyrics, I take away from them someone who feels isolated and alone and just wants to escape everything. I’ve had to deal with a lot of personal issues this past year or so, so being able to pour into a track like this musically has been a great way to sort of tie it all up if that makes sense!
SWARM: I think Brook, who wrote the lyrics, can explain that best.
“Seeing the panic and the chaos that’s happening all around us Has put a lot of people on edge and feeling really anxious about what’s next.
Don’t you wish you could get away?” - Brook
Sentinel Complex
I love what you guys are doing in the sense of merging contradistinctive genres with metalcore to reach a new heightened and kaleidoscopic kind of sound to keep it progressive. However, you get your fair share of listeners that don't jive with the merging of so many different genres. As an artist, how do you feel about those negative opinions? How do you avoid them and continue to remain positive continuing to make the music you want?
Sentinel Complex: Oh, it’s always bound to happen whatever style of music you make, and I think that when you try to push something forward, there are always going to be people that aren’t going to react well to it. I’ve always had a personal mantra of “make music for you, not your audience” because it means that I am staying true to myself and what I love to do. If I stray away from that it doesn’t feel right to me. There are people that will love what you do and will stay on and become loyal fans of your work.
SWARM: I learned a long time ago that you can’t please everyone. If you try to, you’re asking for trouble. When it doesn’t come from the heart, authenticity is missing, and that’s something I will never allow myself to do - I only make music that I love regardless of genre. The music will end up sounding like “SWARM” regardless of the genre - it’s inevitable that my heart will pop through. That's all I care about!
How has last year and even part of this year changed the way you write and produce music as artists? How have you both evolved from that?
Sentinel Complex: Since the last year or so I’ve had to shift my way of working because for a lot of the time, I didn’t have access to my main home studio so it has forced me to work primarily on headphones and do a lot more "in the box" work. Because of this, it’s forced me to learn a lot in regards to trying out different writing methods and learning new techniques.
Working with Swarm and Man Ov God though on "Make It Out Alive" has really opened my eyes to what is possible when it comes to merging metal with the electronic side of things and has had a huge influence on my writing style. It has validated to me that it can be done successfully in the way I’d hoped.
SWARM: I am mostly a loner. I don’t go out and party too much, the only time I really leave my house is when I’m exercising, getting on a plane to play a show, or running around grocery shopping. It was odd going from being on an awesome tour with Sullivan King to being totally shut down in the span of 2 months. But I made the most of it. I sharpened my skillset, learned new ones, and worked on making SWARM the best it could possibly be. I am very proud of what I accomplished with touring being totally eliminated!
It also made me very appreciative of what I have. It’s very easy to take things for granted. Looking forward to interacting with people in person again! I also got interested in using my voice in my songs and learning how to play the piano. I’ll have new music at the end of this month with my voice on it for the first time!
What is next for you guys this year?
Sentinel Complex: I want to continue releasing songs as regularly as possible in a single form, I have a few more songs which I’ve been sitting on for a while which I would love to finally see the light of day and there are a few new ideas that I’m itching to get started on! I would love to potentially do more collaboration projects too!
SWARM: Since it looks like festivals and shows are coming back, I’m gearing up for those - on April 24th I’ll be in Houston TX at Ubbi Dubbi Festival and the following month I’ll be playing Sunset Music Festival in Tampa FL. I hope to meet all of you in person very soon! Thanks so much for having me!
Check out "Make It Out Alive" Down below or listen/purchase here!