Artist: Pig Destroyer
Label: Relapse Records
Release Date: 10/12/04
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Title: Terrifyer Artist: Pig Destroyer Label: Relapse Records Release Date: 10/12/04 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
It's about fucking time! I was beginning to think these guys would never come out with a new album. Pig Destroyer have finally returned with the follow up to their brilliant album, Prowler in the Yard, and in doing so have firmly entrenched themselves as one of the most exciting bands in extreme music. Beginning with 38 Counts of Battery, and really coming of age with Prowler and now Terrifyer, Pig Destroyer are the most disturbing, emotional, visceral and unclean metal experience since Acid Bath's When The Kite String Pops.That comparison is not meant to relate their sound so much as their mood and vision, as they're the only two bands that utilize imagery that makes my spine tingle and forces me to close the blinds and double check my closet before I go to bed. Aside from the lyrical aspect to the band (which for me is just gravy), the band's signature sound of grindcore and oppressive, contaminated metal is chaotic in practice but focused in vision. The band is equally at ease during the complex parts as they are at the simple, dirge-y riffs, and combines these two aspects of their sound with a fluidity that I wouldn't have though possible if I hadn't heard it myself. The production is dirty, but delicious, invoking a thick, chugging sound that makes the listener want nothing more than to express themselves violently. Warning: you must exhibit self-control when listening to Terrifyer, failure to do so might result in damaged property or disemboweled neighbors.
"I have a habit of being disappointed with the follow-ups to my favorite albums, but that couldn't be farther from the truth here." Even more amazing than the record itself is its ability to sound so good despite being the follow-up to an album that was so well constructed and well received. I have a habit of being disappointed with the follow-ups to my favorite albums, but that couldn't be farther from the truth here. While it did take me a few listens to get my head wrapped around this one, once I did I found myself wondering how a band in this genre could sound so cutting edge. This band continues to reinvigorate without reinventing. Their sound is true to their roots, but allows for continued discovery, never getting stale and continuously rewarding the attentive listener with something new with each spin. And while the songs themselves are much too short to separate from each other, they each have a unique character. The vocals come in different flavors of bile, showing range without resorting to anything that can be characterized as 'clean', but also refusing to be monotonous.
There is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the best albums of the year from one of the best bands of the last five years. As to the question of whether this album surpasses their last masterpiece, that's something that only time can decide... but isn't it exciting that the question can even be asked? One word review: Unclean.
Death's Review:
It's been quite the year for Relapse Records, recording great success with new albums from Mastodon and Dillinger Escape Plan. Now comes the new album from Pig Destroyer - another band with serious underground street credibility, if not the same degree of mainstream metal "buzz." No one should expect a Billboard 200 debut for an album with a topless dead chick on the front cover, but Pig Destroyer have nonetheless delivered exactly the album they need to make: dirty, violent, uncompromising and true. It fucking rules.All of the vitriol and lyrical insanity found on the underground classic Prowler in the Yard are present on the new album, Terrifyer. The killer riffs are there too. In fact, the most noteworthy change to the Pig Destroyer sound is that this is more focused, and there are many more slowed-down, killer headbanging riffs in every song. In my opinion, the riffs are the whole point anyway, so this really works for me. But some may resent this musical "progression," of sorts, as overall, this new found focus and intensity may detract from the so-called "grind" aesthetic. Bottom line: more polished and professional can never be considered more grindy, so take the comment with a grain of salt - this is still nasty, nasty stuff. The lyrics are psychotically poetic (sick stuff yet artistically developed a la Acid Bath) and add to the overall twisted, heavy and violent vibe. All in all, Terrifyer is accessible enough yet anti-corporate enough to strike the perfect balance between a new band that legions of underground metalheads can get behind yet at the same time remaining the perfect antidote to the current scene for those who are one step ahead of the trend - you know, those of you who are getting sick of the metalcore with melodic Swedish death metal influences that has become so ubiquitous.
You, of course, aren't like the rest of them. You know that metal is getting too 11-year old girl friendly these days. You know that the black metal bands are so keyboard-laden and so strewn in fake-orchestra ambiance bullshit these days that they have lost their raw power, and you also know that the metalcore bands all over Headbanger's Ball are too chick-friendly and generally too happy, melodic, positive and safe to really stay interesting for long. You, the angry, violent metalhead that mainstream society is afraid of - you know, the guy who really is the sick fuck that non-metalheads want to make us out to be - you are looking for something more. As always, you're looking for something heavier, something sicker. Trust me - this is what you are looking for. You are part of a long tradition of trend-setting metalheads who got into Metallica and Slayer when everyone else was into Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, who got into Morbid Angel when everyone else was into Slayer, who got into Emperor when everyone else was listening to Deicide. Now that high school kids in middle-America listening to Shadows Fall and Lamb of God are the norm, this is the sound you need to gravitate to next. The rest of the trendmongers ultimately will follow. Here's how it works - you get into Pig Destroyer, and next year, when everyone else is getting sick of what you've already been burned out on for six months, you'll show them something heavier like you've always done in the past. Can you see it? Pig Destroyer on Ozzfest 2005?
"You're looking for something heavier, something sicker. Trust me - this is what you are looking for." It's not as far-fetched as you think, and Terrifyer should go a long way to changing the general perception about the band. So get behind this stuff now, and then come see me again in late 2005/early 2006 when Pig Destroyer is huge and we'll figure out where to go next. Oh yeah - I forgot - this will never happen. This is a hate-filled, underground grind record with a topless dead chick on the front. So fuck all that shit about commercial potential. Just get into Terrifyer because it is chock full some of the sickest and heaviest riffs you've ever heard.
Hel's Review:
I have some epic things happening in my life at the moment. And I'm constantly having those moments where you realize you have zero time to do all of those things you've been putting off for months, yet they all need to be done right now. It literally is the 11th hour. We've all experienced this from time to time in our lives, and we know just how it feels, yet to put that emotion into words would be impossible. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Pig Destroyer's latest work Terrifyer: the sonic equivalent of that manic, slightly panicked feeling.
"For those of us who enjoy aural evisceration, this is as good as it gets." This album has suited my mood so perfectly during this time, it has thus managed to help calm me and to cope with my situation, as excellent music has the ability to do. The more I listen to it, the more I come to realize that Terrifyer is an astounding collection of music. Each song has its own unique stamp, and they are all devastating. It is truly brilliant in its misanthropic way.
Pig Destroyer is one of those bands that not everyone is going to appreciate, but for those of us who enjoy aural evisceration, this is as good as it gets. Sure, I have a giant soft spot for grindcore, that's no secret. But this is not a case of me touting a record that is merely good, just because I love the genre. This is a case of a record in a genre that I really love being an outstanding musical work. The production is perfect and the songs are brilliant. There is very little you could ask for that this album does not provide. Definitely well worth your time - check it out.
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