"Young God" (also known as "Raping A Slave") was originally released in 1984 as an untitled EP shortly after S W A N S' sophomore record of "Cop". The New York group's abstract, abrasive and abhorrent style of Industrialized Noise Rock resumes in continuation on this twenty-four minute EP. Michael Gira's obsession towards the concepts of power and control are also revisited here once more. According to research, the opening track, "I Crawled", was inspired by several things including Wilhelm Reich's novel, "The Mass Psychology Of Fascism", former U.S. president Ronald Reagan's presidency and the unfulfilling work history of Gira's early life (he has stated in past interviews that before he founded S W A N S, he worked in factories and construction doing back-breaking labor that never really amounted to much). The servile character in the composition pleads to an authoritative figure to be violated, strangled and ultimately terminated (take the following line for example: "You're my father - I obey you. I want you to be my father. You know what I am - I want you to kill me. I'm weak - Take what's mine"). "I Crawled" has a very suspenseful atmosphere (replete with all sorts of nightmarish soundscapes) which engulfs the listener. Time appears to stand frozen as its movement is quite stagnant. Might sound a bit odd, but this track vaguely reminds me of "Black Sabbath" (particularly the guitar notes). "Raping A Slave" proceeds with the concept of servitude and domination. Clashing noise (which is reported to have been made by the use of a chain and metal table) permeates the hollow environment, appearing at specific intervals along with a rhythmic beat. Guitar and bass are nearly inaudible here, as they are suffocated by the clashes and low-fidelity, echo-like production (which really makes "Raping A Slave" sound as if it was recorded during a live performance or something. It abruptly cuts off at the end as well). "Why be ashamed of hatred? There's nothing wrong with burning I work hard for everything I own Everything I own chokes me when I sleep" On the demented, torturous and lethargic title track of "Young God", S W A N S dive into the psychotic mind of Ed Gein. For those that aren't aware, Ed was a mentally-deranged individual from the 1950s who crafted objects out of the flesh and skeletons of corpses he exhumed from graveyards (he wasn't truly a serial killer, as only two murders are confirmed to have been committed by him). The tremulous guitar chords tear like a lacerating whip that strikes you in the back. Gira moans, wails, screams and growls like a possessed lunatic that remains enslaved against his will in a psychiatric asylum. For 1984, this sounds sinister as hell (not many groups from this era came very close to producing something as menacing as this). While I don't know exactly what it's about, I get a sense of misery, hatred and despair on "This Is Mine". Here, the distorted, groaning guitars kind of resemble those utilized by Doom Metal groups such as Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus and Trouble (not that S W A N S themselves were ever Metal, of course. Just a similarity I've noticed with the guitar tone). Convulsive drumming and tape loops of grinding, mechanical noise also taint the song. Compared to the maniacal "Young God", Gira sings in a frail, dejected tone of voice here, claiming ownership of what seems to be some kind of emotional burden. S W A N S' sophomore EP is a modest but praiseworthy effort, although fanatics of their later, softer and more "refined" material will most likely not appreciate it as much (for hardened listeners, "Young God" should be quite a treat though). This 1984 release would also designate the end of S W A N S' early era of notorious Noise Rock, as they shifted gears right after this, further exploring Industrial territory (as well as Gothic Rock and Folk).