A Lot on My Crate

That’s a lot of pigs. This metal outfit from Newcastle, England bellows out, not only raise their fist into the air, but vent out their wrath and their woes in their most recent album released this year, Death Hilarious. Not going to lie, I was browsing bands and their amusing name stuck out like a sore thumb. So, needing more metal albums under my belt, I decided to give them a shot and they shot me back.

The singer, Matt Baty projects with a yell and a growl on all of these tracks. His vocals reminds me of Joe Talbot from Idles and their themes and aim are not so far from each other. As in the opening track of Death Hilarious, the song “Blockage” just generates so much power while opening the mindset of how self-negativity harms us. And we move into “Collider”, with these riffs and that will make you involuntarily head bang. Underneath the powerful veil however, is a character who writhes in sleepless nights on how much his life is in shambles and does not self reflect at all. That seems to be the pattern and subject Pigs touch base on, projecting with these riffs and heavy drums, are broken men with fragile personalities. The message of course not to mock, but empathize.

Another highlight, “Glib Tongued” goes into these lurking, haunted guitars. And Baty just goes guttural as he airs out all the dirty laundry as rapper El-P takes over the midpoint. Yes, that El-P of the huge hip-hop outfit, motherfucking Run the Jewels and it was certainly a welcoming surprise. Educated guess, his verses are probably why this song is named like that. Sometimes hip-hop and metal don’t mix well for me, but this collaboration made it work. It is so satisfying from front to back. “The Wyrm” goes into an epic adventure as it is the second longest song of the LP. Probably my favorite riffs of the whole album and the band just pulls out all the stops. The killer solos along with the catchy, ghostly vocals, “Idiocy, idiocy…” So, satisfying. The album’s closer is also a big pig one, the longest length, “Toecurler.” It ends strong with these Sabbath-like riffs and Baty makes a case for himself, that the man that is causing you misery is not him, but a doppelganger, an imposter. Why wouldn’t you trust him? His intentions are pure, albeit deluded as one person can be. The band tackles toxicity and social norms, by framing a sad character devoid of self-reflection. It is a warning of their vices and their addiction of self-loathing. It is a good bow to wrap up this album.

The album has some misses for me. The sound although gripping, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel and I’ve heard this sound plenty of times. It is a fun and pensive listen and the message of them kicking the sociopolitical machine is inspiring, but some of the riffs and vocals don’t hit as much for me, such as “Carousel” or “Coyote Call” as the latter seemed to drag on for me.

Death Hilarious implies dark humor as one sane person would not find death funny. But this album sounds like it’s from the maw of hell and if you see death, negativity everywhere that it’s now part of your routine and your mindset, your wallpaper would be bound to crack. Then, wouldn’t you have a laugh?

FAVORITE TRACKS: DETROIT, COLLIDER, GLIB TONGUED, THE WYRM, TOECURLER

LEAST FAVORITE: COYOTE CALL

You can purchase their album and discography on Bandcamp and they are also available for streaming.

https://pigspigspigspigspigspigspigs.bandcamp.com/album/death-hilarious