For those unfamiliar with All Pigs Must Die, they’re essentially a supergroup comprised of members, both currently and formerly, from acts such as The Hope Conspiracy, Converge, The Red Chord, and Blood Horse. Two surprises come out of this musical juggernaut’s output: firstly their sound is not what you’d expect, and secondly this group is not just a random fling of passing fancy, but a serious force to be reckoned with for the long term.
Seeing the pedigree of All Pigs Must Die’s members would have you think they’d be dishing out metallic hardcore, in spades no less, but that would be selling their craft far short and removing much of the surprise that they’re actually a much meaner, darker beast. There’s healthy doses of Stockholm death metal via a slightly HM-2 guitar sound (lead-off track “Chaos Arise” dishes on some classic Dismember “Override Of The Overture” sickly melodic guitar work between metallic hardcore sections and burly metal chugs), some black metal undertones (“Primitive Fear” starts with a blastbeat and grind riff right out of the gate only to turn that same riffage into a downright spooky black metal riff with little effort), occasional rock ‘n’ roll swagger and eerie dark metal swirls.
It’s nice to see the band distance themselves from the “Entombedcore” epithet (however undeservedly that title might have been lauded upon them) and liberally inject more metal, malice and atmosphere. I’m really a sucker for a band that defies the whole “metallic hardcore” thing, where it’s more of a challenge to accurately pen their sound down. Case in point: the brooding midway point on the album, “Of Suffering”. A churning, doomy, slow to mid-pace song with a creepy intro that builds into a dirge metal riff backed by a distant yet ominous melodic line, ultimately sounding something akin to My Dying Bride meets Entombed. At the same time, they’re not afraid to write a song that’s one minute and six seconds long (“Aqim Siege”) that’s fast as hell (think Trap Them) before belting out a head-bobbing, chug-fest of a riff at the 47 second mark that makes me want to break everything in my house.
Ultimately, All Pigs Must Die’s third release sees them going from good to great. All their strengths are heightened, and a wider expanse of sound sees them shed the limitations of a more singular focus found on previous releases. Their style my not win originality points, but it’s so well executed with quality riffs, drumming and overall intensity that they easily compensate. This gem is aided by an amazingly balanced production courtesy of Kurt Ballou (Converge) and mastered at Audiosiege by Brad Boatright (From Ashes Rise). Cap it all off with cover artwork from Aaron Turner (Isis, Hydra Head Records) and you’ve got one of my more surprising heavy albums of 2013.
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loved the debut- loved all the crust SL put out last year, but this an the Nails didnt do anything for me- jaded? however- i just heard the new Dead in the Dirt- and that does the trick
on Jul 15th, 2013 at 13:42Need to check this out, enjoyed their last one. I thought Nails’ released a killer album with Abandon All Life, but will give Dead in the Dirt a try – haven’t heard them before.
on Jul 15th, 2013 at 17:26Musically I love this band. I just wish they had a more varied vocalist. I just can’t stop thinking The Hope Conspiracy when I hear any band with Kevin Baker as the frontman.
on Jul 19th, 2013 at 23:51