''Young God'' is the second EP by the American

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

band Swans. Released in 1984, it was issued through the record label K.422. Although also referred to as "Raping a Slave" and "I Crawled", the band officially recognizes it as ''Young God''. Similar to '' Cop'', the cover art features a notice stating that the record is "designed to be played at maximum volume."

Background

''Young God'' is widely regarded by critics as one of Swans' most brutal releases, similar in sound to the band's first two albums, ''Filth'' (1983) and ''Cop'' (1984), but slightly more experimental. The subject matter is exemplified by the title track, which is written from the perspective of serial killer Ed Gein. A notable element of the release is the use of unconventional percussion elements, including a chain and metal table, which has led critics to categorize the album as industrial and

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

. The EP was recorded during the final recording sessions for ''Cop''.

Release and legacy

The EP sold around 1,000 copies in its first year, making it K.422's highest-selling record. In 1992, the entire recording was released as bonus tracks to the

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...

edition of the '' Cop'' LP, and the entirety of that edition would be released as the first disc to the double disc compilation ''Cop/Young God/

Greed Greed (or avarice, ) is an insatiable desire for material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions) or social value, such as status or power. Nature of greed The initial motivation for (or purpose of) greed and a ...

Holy Money ''Holy Money'' is the fourth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in March 1986, through record label K.422. The album was recorded in the same sessions as " Time Is Money (Bastard)", " A Screw", and ''Greed' ...

''.

Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...

included it (under the name of "Raping a Slave") as his fiftieth favorite album on one of his last "50 Favorite Albums" lists in his ''Journals''. The

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

band

The Young Gods The Young Gods are a Swiss industrial rock band from Fribourg, formed in 1985. The original lineup of the band featured singer Franz Treichler, sampler player Cesare Pizzi and drummer Frank Bagnoud. For most of their history, the band mainta ...

took their name from this EP.

Justin Broadrick Justin Karl Michael Broadrick (born 15 August 1969) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and i ...

Godflesh Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the original title O.P.D. (later Fall of Because) but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals, programmi ...

cited ''Young God'' as a key inspiration for his music. About the EP, he said:

Track listing

Personnel

Michael Gira Michael Rolfe Gira (; born February 19, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, author and artist. Now based in New Mexico, he founded the band Swans, in which he sings and plays guitar, in New York City in the 1980s at the height of ...

– vocals, tapes, production, sleeve design * Harry Crosby – bass guitar * Roli Mosimann – drums, tapes, production *

Norman Westberg Norman Westberg (born June 27, 1958) is an American guitarist from Detroit best known for his work with Swans, joining the band for the recording of their 1983 debut album '' Filth'' and appearing on every album except the 1992 album ''Love of Li ...

– guitar * H. Lombardi –

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

* Voco – engineering * Repul. H. L. – sleeve artwork * J. Erskine – technical assistance

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1984 EPs Swans (band) EPs No wave EPs