All Pigs Must Die

Hostage Animal

Written by: MIN on 30/01/2018 16:46:02

If you’re into bands like Trap Them, Converge or Nails, you’ve probably stumbled upon All Pigs Must Die. Not only do they share several common denominators in terms of sound – you know, a sound found somewhere between punk, grind and sludge – they even share several members, too. This American Boston, MA-based “supergroup” includes Ben Koller (drums) and, as of 2017, Brian Izzi (guitar) from Converge and the now dissolved Trap Them, respectively. As is the case with the band’s previous album, Kurt Ballou has taken charge of production duties, and the results are nothing short of amazing. Every guitar sounds ripping, the bass is murky and rumbling and every single thrashing d-beat sounds like yet another sharp stab in a moist, open wound; the production value on this sucker enhances the record in every aspect.

Flailing and whirling in every direction, title-track “Hostage Animal” kicks off the album in the most violent way imaginable, musically and lyrically: ”Emerge from the womb // with savage intent // prisoners of flesh // march, conquer, collapse”. Buzzsaw riffs aid this hellspawn demon in escaping said womb, tearing and clawing everything in its path with a bludgeoning rhythm-section in the back. About two minutes in, everything quiets down and nothing but a sparse guitar jitters in the back, just before the entire band comes back at full throttle, leaving nothing but devastation behind. The next few minutes of the album’s duration follows in a rather similar manner, except for a few diverging ingredients now and then, such as an enhanced groove or screeching guitars; All Pigs Must Die perfectly balance aggression with variation on these first few tracks.

There are a few occasions where the quintet slows things down for a bit, both for the better and for the worse. “Slave Morality” is a five-minute long highlight, which excellently builds up from an ominous atmosphere to an almost Neurosis-like bouldering with some nice guitar lines thrown around – all good here, moving on. The following track, “End Without End”, however, commits a rather unnecessary mistake in suddenly adding a wah-wah-ladden section during the middle of the song, which doesn’t really do anything but lead into a fading outro. Although it surely sounds decent, it adds no substance whatsoever. Not quite “Fade to Black”, lads.

The remainder of the record follows very much in the same manner as the first. “Blood Wet Teeth” hurls forward in brutal fashion, whereas “Cruel Incarnate” feels a bit trite as another attempt at slowing things down, simply because it isn’t as well executed as the aforementioned “Slave Morality”. It sporadically shifts gears, but it rarely really packs a punch. Album-closer “Heathen Reign”, however, flows much more naturally through its different phases and wraps up the record on a high. Whether you’re a man of God or not, it’s hard not to accept the conditions outlined by vocalist Kevin Baker when he yells ”There is no God!” as the record draws to an end during the song’s dreadful finale.

“Hostage Animal” is another entertaining release from All Pigs Must Die, which sees the band expand on trodden terrain. There are some hits and misses, but the overall effort is performed perfectly with a musicianship so tight that that you won’t be able to cut through it. Hopefully we’ll see the band tour some festivals next summer, as some of these songs are bound to unleash hell in most moshpits.

Download: Hostage Animal, A Caustic Vision, Slave Morality, Heathen Reign
For The Fans Of: Cult Leader, Trap Them, Nails, Converge, Full of Hell, Young and in the Way
Listen: Facebook

Release date 27.10.2017
Southern Lord


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