Pig Destroyer: Terrifyer (2004)-Constantine Koutsoutis
Pig Destroyer: Terrifyer (2004)
By Constantine Koutsoutis
Death, doom, destruction, fire, chaos, a touch of recreational cannibalism, and no bass guitar. That’s basically Terrifyer by Pig Destroyer. The grindcore legends are currently at the top of my Listen To pile these days and even though they have an extensive discography, this album is just stellar.
There are two really standout points in Terrifyer, even though I love the whole thing. The first is literally the first, the quiet, almost Sounds Of Nature-esque “Intro” leading into the screaming “Pretty In Casts that had me almost shit my pants the first time I heard it. It’s just a single moment worthy of all my favorite blood-soaked and suspense-filled horror movies, and direct connections between grindcore and horror films be damned. The other is “Gravedancer”, fast becoming my new favorite song ever. It’s a slight deviation from the straight-up thrash of the rest of the album, but still ridiculously fast and destructive. And I love it. But how can you not love a band whose name is Pig Destroyer? It’s quite literally one of the best names for a band ever, topping Trial By Fire (who still win for “most obscure hardcore punk band of the 90’s that everyone should have known about” in my book) and even The Queers (who always sweep the “band whose name you feel uncomfortable mentioning when your mother asks ‘whose playing at this concert?’” category).
In general the whole album’s great and even if you’re not a Pig Destroyer or grindcore fan in general, I’d recommend it if you have any interest in metal. No compromises, no shortcuts, and no doubt about their place as one of the most underrated metal bands out there. And the bonus DVD of “Terrifyer”, a musical doom metal accompaniment to a beautiful little story, is also a neat little surprise. I won’t say exactly what it’s about because that would ruin the surprise, but you’ll like it. Trust me on this.
Copyright C. 2008 Constantine Koutsoutis