Grindcore has never really been my preferred area of metal given how it’s so raw, visceral, and just the pinnacle of what it means to take music to a truly murderous and unadulterated form. The only album I’ve ever really been able to get behind from grind is the latest Cattle Decapitation which even then took some of the more grind heavy elements out. So, I tried somewhere else, and it’s with Pig Destroyer’s upcoming rager that I found what I was looking for.

Keep in mind, I’ve always been really okay with Pig Destroyer as a whole throughout their career. I’ve never disliked them or really had an affinity for them, but I always come back with each new album to see if there was anything I could enjoy. With plenty of albums not really standing out to me, it’s “Head Cage” that makes a real grind newbie like myself excited because it’s got plenty of what makes Pig Destroyer a sensation to begin with while also moving their sound forward. Sometimes, though, some tracks from “Head Cage” feel far away from what we call grindcore by all standards, but the rest of the album is some real visceral mania that’s the exact kind of shit I look for whenever I jump into the hostile realm of grind rarely. There’s riffs galore and nothing but chaos sewn through every moment to create a record that is very worthy of grind heavyweights such as Pig Destroyer. From top to bottom, “Head Cage” takes no prisoners and spews the blood of the victims everywhere as the album rages on. And the longer it goes on, the more intoxicating it becomes, acting as a slow venom through your body.

I can see some people getting real upset at this album because it’s not as vicious or upfront as some of their other material, and the sound goes in different places from time to time, but I still found plenty to enjoy from this onslaught. “Head Cage” is a vicious piece in every form, and I’ve no doubt that this record will become an integral part of their legacy as one of the modern heavyweights of grind.

“Head Cage” releases on September 7th via Relapse Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Head Cage” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Pig Destroyer on Facebook here.