Pig's Blood : "Destroying the Spirit

 Going into this, I was expecting something more on the grind-core side of death metal than the black metal, but here we are, it is what it is. Described as being beastial, there is more attention to detail than just the crashing of teeth. Yes, they hit you with an intense bludgeoning, but also remember that they are writing songs in the midst of the angry storm they rain down on you. The title track is more in your face than the opener. The vocals are layered with a more blackened rasp, often coming to the forefront over the lower growl beneath, surfacing from time to time. There are a few slower, more grinding riffs on this one as the song progresses. 

There is more of an early Deicide-like charge to the unrelenting. The vocal laying is less demonic-sounding than what Glen Benton used to do, but it still has a similar effect. The drumming is impressive on this album, while it's a given if you are playing death metal, you need to be a machine, this guy is more well-oiled than some machines out there doing this. The dense production lens it self to the claustrophobic feel of the mix, as if the instruments have closed in on you. Sometimes this blitz can become a bit of a blur, as heard on "Power to Stop it." "Rabid Dogs" is a fitting song title as it describes the nature of the assault upon your ears here. 

None of the songs ventures to the four-minute mark, leaving the blasts of brutality to keep their sting more vital, rather than just numbing you out. The most melodic moments so far can be found on "Satanic Hammer of Justice." There is a more intense blast of double bass that hits you when they hammer into "Aftermath".  The buzz saw guitars do not let up with "Commitment to Death.". None of the lyrics can be made out as they are being violently spewed with little articulation.  Then there are moments of just battery with less musical touchstones, such as 'Ravenous Hellslaught." The last song also follows a similar path. I will give this album an 8 as they do cash in on some pretty mean riffs that have a head-banging catchiness to them that more often than not balances out the more feral aspects of what they do here. 

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