According to Swans front man Michael Gira, the new incarnation of the band is more of a collaboration effort with a rotating crop of musicians contributing their efforts to create something magical.

With Swans’ new album leaving meaning out October 25th, the personnel for the record includes Kristof Hahn (who has been with the band since 2010), Larry Mullins (who has played with Swans harking back to the late 90s and a contributor to Gira’s Angel of Light project) Anna and Maria von Hausswolff, trio The Necks, Ben Frost, Yoyo Röhm, Baby Dee, Heather Trost and Jeremy Barnes. There are also additional contributions from original Swans member Norman Westberg.

Having already given fans a taste of what to expect from the forthcoming LP with the track ‘It’s Coming It’s Real’, the group now unveil another song titled ‘The Hanging Man’. In traditional Swans fashion, the tune is over 10 minutes in length. Re-incorporating the use of repetitive riffs as meditative mediums, Swans scale back on their usual climatic and explosive build-ups, rather opting for subtle add-ons whilst fostering a steady flow for an almost spiritual experience. ‘The Hanging Man’ feels like it could have been an extension cut from their masterpiece album To Be Kind, and that’s surely not a bad thing.