'AGT': Sword swallower Andrew Stanton shocks Simon Cowell with 'brilliantly disgusting' act

To make your mark on "America’s Got Talent," you've got to make a big bang.

Drum troupe Chioma & The Atlanta Drum Academy kicked off the second round of live shows Tuesday night with a vivacious performance that saw the percussion group charm judges Simon Cowell, Sofía Vergara, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel with a lively drumming routine that featured colorful, glow-in-the-dark drumsticks.

"You put on a show for us today. You utilized the space," Klum said. "I hope Beyoncé or Taylor Swift or someone big like that is watching because they're doing these gigantic shows right now, and you should be part of it."

Cowell praised Terry Crews' Golden Buzzer act for its strong stage presence, adding that he could envision the group performing at the Super Bowl someday.

"The energy was just unbelievable," Cowell said. "It was sort of brilliantly messy. I always think with a group, it needs a great idea and it needs talented people, and what I just saw there is everything."

Here's what else went down on Tuesday's episode.

Simon Cowell raves sword swallower Andrew Stanton is 'brilliantly disgusting'

Andrew Stanton has mastered the art of shock.

The sword swallower astonished the judges with his daring stunt act, which began with Stanton placing a pair of spiral-tipped drills through his nostrils. Stanton proceeded to lift his onstage assistant with a chain attached to his eyes, all the while holding a pair of long swords in his throat.

Stanton capped off the performance by swinging himself from the ceiling with a sword in his throat. Upping the ante, Stanton's assistant climbed onto his back for a nail-biting finale.

"That was disgusting but brilliantly disgusting, and one of my favorite acts tonight," Cowell said. "You deserve to be here."

Klum echoed Cowell's praise of Stanton, commending the sword swallower for the uniqueness of his act.

"It is very exciting in a very strange way because we don't see this very often," Klum said. "There aren't many people that do what you do, so it is incredible."

Howie Mandel calls Golden Buzzer dance troupe Murmuration 'perfection'

Murmuration can be a handful — and that's a good thing.

The French dance troupe, which earned Mandel's Golden Buzzer earlier this season, stunned with its razor-sharp arm choreography, which was performed blindfolded by its members. The group deftly elevated the act's complexity by spelling out a message with members' synchronized arms: "Stop hate: we need love and unity."

"That is perfection," Mandel said. "They did so many wonderful things with their hands and arms and music and body. America, we're asking you to do one thing with your hands: vote. They have to be in the finals."

Cowell said the consummate performance undoubtedly placed Murmuration in a class of its own.

"This was in a different league to anything we've seen so far," Cowell said. "I know we all have different tastes, we all like different things, but honestly I think everybody watching at home is just going to be thinking what we’re thinking."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'America's Got Talent': Sword swallower Andrew Stanton shocks Cowell