Rock/Review Joseph Schwartz - Ready for Doom
Joseph Schwartz is a Chicago-based artist on a journey to explore new techniques for songwriting and production using synthetic music and vocals. His intention is to create songs that are not bound by a particular sound or genre but are fun to listen to and, even more importantly, spark conversation and emotion.
Joseph Schwartz’s EP “Ready for Doom” is a bold fusion of rock power, sharp political critique, and innovative production techniques — a release that refuses to sit quietly in the background. Built around a single central track and expanded through three stylistically varied remixes, the EP offers multiple lenses through which to experience Schwartz’s message: democracy under strain, humanity pushed toward the brink, and the unsettling feeling that societal collapse isn’t a hypothetical — it’s being engineered.
The title track delivers a heavy punch, merging dark religious metaphors with razor-edged political commentary. Schwartz poses hard questions about modern governance — from the erosion of public health infrastructure to militaristic posturing and food system disruptions — framing these issues as components of a looming, manufactured crisis. His vocal performance, full of urgency and grit, emphasizes the stakes: this isn’t doom as spectacle; it’s a warning.
Sonically, “Ready for Doom” rests on a foundation of driving guitars and commanding percussion, but where the EP becomes especially intriguing is in its remix architecture. Each reinterpretation pushes the core message into different sonic territories — industrial menace, electronic tension, atmospheric unease — giving the listener new emotional entry points into the narrative.
The production process — a mix of self-recorded vocals, AI-assisted sound shaping, and meticulous editing — showcases Schwartz’s commitment to experimentation. The result is a project that feels handcrafted yet forward-looking, gritty yet conceptually ambitious.
“Ready for Doom” is a provocation, a challenge, and a conversation starter — exactly what politically charged rock should be.