Reviews : Albums : Pig Destroyer, "Terrifyer"

Immediately upon hitting "play" with a Pig Destroyer album in your stereo, it becomes clear just how effective grindcore can be, when played with skill and conviction. Unfortunately, that's such a rare occurrence that the entire genre is easily dismissed as juvenile, characterized by a wild flailing of the drummer's limbs, simplistic guitar work, and infantile attempts to emulate J. H. Prynne in as grating and unbearable voice as possible. Generally speaking, the genre, as it appears to the casual listener, is devoid of any intelligence or musical skill, and without those, what is it left with? It's the musical equivalent of the cinematic horror genre. Still, every now and again, a band comes along that recognizes what grindcore is capable of, then does even more with it. Pig Destroyer is just such a band.

One thing that "Terrifyer" makes clear is how much grindcore owes to punk, as the music comes alive with the "fuck you" attitude of The Sex Pistols and their ilk (there's even a note that says "To Be Played at Maximum Volume"). There's no respite from the aural thrashing Pig Destroyer inflicts on the listener, save a few samples that feature, among other things, a men yelling as a woman screams. It goes without saying that the songs are performed at breakneck speed and are a bit on the tinny side (this is likely due to the absence of a bassist and the fact that the studio used was "Brian's House"). Still, the sound is clear and gritty, and there's little chance that a crisp, Fredman-esque production job would have fit the music so perfectly. There's no melody to speak of and vocalist JR's bleeding-throat screams are almost painful to listen to as they must have been to perform.

Then there are the lyrics, which are more disturbing than anything you've heard in metal, including Deranged and the like. The insert reads like the journal entries of an obsessed psychopath, and whoever the girl most of the tracks focus on is, she'd better watch out... Then again, there's times when she seems just as insane (The short story included in the liner notes sheds some light on the voice behind the lyrics).

"Terrifyer" is, in a word, extreme. And, in two words, extremely good. It's also evidence that grindcore can't be universally ignored just yet, but as long as Pig Destroyer keeps churning out material of this quality, that's definitely a good thing.

Standout Tracks    All

Tom Bransfield