Pig Destroyer
Book Burner
Tracklisting:
1. Sis
2. The American's Head
3. The Underground Man
4. Eve
5. The Diplomat
6. All Seeing Eye
7. Valley Of The Geysers
8. Book Burner
9. Machiavellian
10. Baltimore Strangler
11. White Lady
12. The Bug
13. Iron Drunk
14. Burning Palm
15. Dirty Knife
16. Totaled
17. Kamikaze Heart
18. King Of Clubs
19. Permanent Funeral
There are times when writing for this blog can be
challenging. We like to pump out reviews
on a fairly regular basis, but since we have a what’s-the-point-of-ragging-on-an-album-you-don’t-care-about
policy, it can sometimes be daunting to find albums that a) we enjoy, and b)
that motivate to want to say something about them. Fortunately, this summer and fall has been a
boon for us, with album after album of incredible material, from Burning Love
to Masked Intruder to Propagandhi, etc. etc.
It seemed to be getting too good to be true and I was somewhat worried
that the last couple months of 2012 would be relatively slow in the review
department.
And then Pig Destroyer put out an album.
For anyone not familiar with this Virginia-based quartet,
they need to familiarize themselves with these giants of grind immediately. Guitarist Scott Jull and company have long
been known for producing some of the most inventive, genre-bending,
mind-destroying grindcore this side of Napalm Death. Everyone in metal seems to expect the world
from each new Pig Destroyer release (especially after the bands last LP - 2007’s
critically-acclaimed Phantom Limb),
and Book Burner does not
disappoint. Shying away from the Phantom Limb’s lengthier song times,
this record scarcely has a song over three minutes, with several scorchers
clocking in well under one minute. Songs
like “The American’s Head” and “Book Burner” demonstrate that this band is
still the force to be reckoned with that they were five years ago. Furthermore, the ‘longer’ (re: 3 minute)
tracks like “Baltimore Strangler” and “The Bug” are easily some of the best
songs on the album. In fact, I can
honestly say that I haven’t heard a better metal song than “Baltimore Strangler”
this year. So there.
This album’s soul-crushing heaviness is further augmented by
the drumming of newcomer Adam Jarvis (Misery Index) and guest vocals from Jason
Netherton (Misery Index) and Kat of Agoraphobic Nosebleed fame (although it’s
not fair to call them ‘guest vocals’...as she is the sole vocalist on “Eve”...so
let’s call her a ‘Temporary Vocalist’ or something), which help add a depth and
variation to Book Burner that is
always welcomed.
Some reviewers have been complaining that Book Burner has
strayed too far from the band’s last offering, and are lamenting the lack of
opus-length tracks that the band has become known for, but I find this
ridiculous, as I have no desire to hear Phantom
Limb-part 2. While some (most) grind
bands are perfectly happy hashing and rehashing the same riffs/songs/everything
on each album, Pig Destroyer has always proven that just because you play extreme
music doesn’t mean it always has to sound the same.
Book Burner stands on its own as an incredible piece of
music, it’s that simple. It is crushing,
but not overwhelming. It is frantic, but
not rushed. It is well-thought-out, but
not overwrought. And most importantly,
it’s fucking Pig Destroyer...with the guy from Misery Index drumming! Fuck yes!
Buy it here.
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