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Pig Destroyer is an American
grindcore Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. G ...
band formed in 1997 in
Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...
. The band was formed by vocalist J.R. Hayes, guitarist Scott Hull, and drummer John Evans. Throughout the band's earlier history, they were a three-piece group until sampler Blake Harrison joined in 2006, notably had no bassist until the inclusion of John Jarvis in 2013, and went through 2 past drummers with the role currently held by Adam Jarvis. Pig Destroyer is one of the most well-known grindcore bands in the genre due to Hayes's poetic lyrics, Hull's incorporation of thrash, punk, and doom influences in songwriting, and technical drum work.


Biography

The band formed in 1997 after the break-up of a short-lived political
hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
band, Treblinka, with 2 former members of said band, vocalist J. R. Hayes ( Enemy Soil), guitarist Scott Hull (
Agoraphobic Nosebleed Agoraphobic Nosebleed (abbreviated as ANb) is an American grindcore band formed in 1994 in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Its line-up has changed often over the years, with guitarist and drum programmer Scott Hull being the only cont ...
, Japanese Torture Comedy Hour, ex-
Anal Cunt Anal Cunt, also known as AxCx and A.C., was an American grindcore band that formed in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1988. From its inception, the band underwent a number of line-up changes and never had a bass player. The band, known for its flippan ...
), and drummer John Evans, who left the band for an unspecified school not long after the band's formation. After the departure of Evans, he was soon replaced by Brian Harvey. In an interview, Scott Hull claims that they picked the band name on the criteria that it was insulting, yet somewhat more creative than the name of his last band, Anal Cunt. Deciding that "Cop Killer" or "Cop Destroyer" would be tactless, they eventually settled on "Pig Destroyer" ("pig" being a pejorative
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...
term for the
police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
). Derived from a non-musical source as extreme as the band's sound, Pig Destroyer's easily identifiable logo was created using a graphic from ''
ANSWER Me! ''Answer Me!'' (typically rendered ''ANSWER Me!'') was a magazine edited by Jim Goad and Debbie Goad and published between 1991 and 1994. It focused on the social pathologies of interest to the Los Angeles–based couple. ''Answer Me!'' also f ...
'' magazine as a template.
Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The label was ...
signed the band and issued a split 7-inch with
Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
on the label's Singles Series in July 2000. ''
38 Counts of Battery ''38 Counts of Battery'' is a compilation album by the grindcore band Pig Destroyer, which was released on November 28, 2000 through Relapse Records as part of their ''Underground'' series of albums and reissues. The recording collects nearly ...
'' was a complete discography of Pig Destroyer releases up to the year 2000, which included split records with Gnob and influential
screamo Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is an aggressive subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002Access date: ...
act
Orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
, as well as their debut album, ''
Explosions In Ward 6 Pig Destroyer is an American grindcore band formed in 1997 in Alexandria, Virginia. The band was formed by vocalist J.R. Hayes, guitarist Scott Hull (musician), Scott Hull, and drummer John Evans. Throughout the band's earlier history, they were ...
'', and the demo that secured their record deal. ''
Prowler in the Yard Prowler may refer to: * "Prowler", a song by Iron Maiden from ''Iron Maiden'', 1980 * Prowler (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics superhero * ''The Prowler'' (1951 film), a film starring Van Heflin * "The Prowler" (''Australian Playhouse''), an ep ...
'', released in 2001, was the first of the band's records to really break through to what could contextually be considered the "mainstream". Garnering rave reviews from popular press such as ''
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' and ''
Terrorizer Terrorizer is an American grindcore band formed in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. After disbanding, its members gained recognition by playing in influential extreme metal bands, such as Morbid Angel ( David Vincent, Pete Sandoval), Napalm D ...
'', the record earned Pig Destroyer headlining slots at the 2002
New England Metal and Hardcore Festival The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival was an annual festival held in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was a weekend-long concert of heavy metal and hardcore punk bands along with a merchandising and promotional area for record l ...
and the 2002 Relapse Records CMJ Showcase, as well as a high placing at 2003's Relapse Contamination Fest alongside scene legends
High on Fire High on Fire is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1999. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, also plays guitar for doom metal band Sleep. High on Fire won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Metal Per ...
and
The Dillinger Escape Plan The Dillinger Escape Plan was an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of odd time sign ...
(documented on the Relapse Contamination Fest DVD). 2004's ''
Terrifyer ''Terrifyer'' is the third studio album by American grindcore band Pig Destroyer. It was released in 2004 by Relapse Records. The album includes a second disc recorded in DVD-Audio and mixed with 5.1 surround sound. The disc contains one sludge ...
'' boasted a much clearer sound than ''Prowler in the Yard'' or ''38 Counts of Battery'', as well as lyrics and prose from Hayes. The record came with an accompanying DVD soundscape entitled "Natasha", which was intended to be listened to in
surround sound Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to sur ...
(although a more recent Japanese edition of the album has "Natasha" as an ordinary CD with four bonus tracks). Session guitarist Matthew Kevin Mills, Hull's former guitar teacher, recorded the lead guitar parts in the song "Towering Flesh". A compilation of tracks from the
split EP A split album (or split) is a music album that includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There are also singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from "var ...
s with Gnob and
Benümb Benümb was an American grindcore band from Millbrae, California. Biography Formed in 1994 in Oakland, California, Benümb became known within the local hardcore community as a respected grindcore band. The band went through various lineup c ...
is also available, entitled ''
Painter of Dead Girls ''Painter of Dead Girls'' is a compilation album by the grindcore band Pig Destroyer. It features songs from their Gnob and Benümb splits as well as a cover of the Helmet song "In the Meantime". J. R. Hayes once said that he did not remember the ...
''. The album features alternative versions of older songs from the ''38 Counts'' era (such as "Dark Satellites"), a series of new songs (such as "Rejection Fetish" and "Forgotten Child"), and covers of bands who could be considered an influence (such as
The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...
and
Helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
). Pig Destroyer have stated that they would release a series of 9 split 7-inch EPs in 2006. Bands on the flipside include
Orthrelm Orthrelm is an American Avant-garde rock, avant-garde band from Washington, D.C. Biography Orthrelm is a duo composed of Mick Barr on guitar and Josh Blair on Drum kit, drums. Their songwriting style is mostly experimental, and shows the influ ...
and
Blood Duster Blood Duster was an Australian extreme metal and stoner rock band from Melbourne. Their name came from the song "Blood Duster" by John Zorn, from the 1989 album '' Naked City''. History Formation The band was formed in 1991 by Jason Fuller (a ...
; however, nothing has yet been released. The 7-inch series was put on hold for the release of ''Phantom Limb''. Sampler Blake Harrison (
Hatebeak Hatebeak is an American death metal band, formed by Blake Harrison and Mark Sloan, featuring Waldo (b. 1991), a grey parrot. Hatebeak is reported to be the first band to have an avian vocalist. They never tour so as to not torture the bird. Hateb ...
, Triac) joined prior to recording of the album. 2007 saw the release of album ''
Phantom Limb A phantom limb is the sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached. Approximately 80 to 100% of individuals with an amputation experience sensations in their amputated limb. However, only a small percentage will experience painf ...
'' via
Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The label was ...
, complete with album artwork designed by John Baizley (
Baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher th ...
, Torche). In 2011, Harvey was replaced by Misery Index drummer Adam Jarvis. On August 8, 2012, the title and artwork for the band's fifth studio album, '' Book Burner'', was announced. It was released on October 22, 2012. Pig Destroyer headlined the Terrorizer stage at the
Damnation Festival Damnation Festival is a one-day heavy metal music festival currently held annually at Bowlers Exhibition Centre. Manchester. It was held at held at Jilly's Rockworld in Manchester from 2005 to 2006 and then University of Leeds, Leeds, England ...
in Leeds in November 2012, which marked their first United Kingdom show in eight years. On March 4, 2013, Pig Destroyer released an EP titled ''Mass & Volume'' via Bandcamp. Recorded at the end of the ''Phantom Limb'' sessions, this EP was released as part of a charity effort to benefit the family of recently deceased Relapse Records employee Pat Egen. In September 2013,
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as
dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
released the song "The Octagonal Stairway" as part of the 2013 Adult Swim Singles Series. In October 2013, Adam Jarvis's cousin John Jarvis joined Pig Destroyer as the band's first bass player. In 2014, “The Diplomat” (off of ''Book Burner'') featured prominently in the season three finale of Comedy Central’s TV show ''
Workaholics ''Workaholics'' is an American sitcom created and predominantly written by Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine, Anders Holm, and Kyle Newacheck, all of whom star in the series. ''Workaholics'' originally ran on Comedy Central from April 6, 2011, to Marc ...
''. In 2015, Relapse announced a deluxe reissue of the band's 2001 album ''Prowler In The Yard'', which featured a remixed & remastered version of the album in various limited formats as well as previously unreleased music, photos, and other content. On October 17, 2017, it was announced that Pig Destroyer had entered the studio to begin recording their 6th album. The album was slated for a Summer 2018 release. On May 14, 2018, the album's title was revealed, '' Head Cage'', with the date being pushed back to September of the same year. At least seven official promotional
videos Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
have been made of Pig Destroyer songs: "Piss Angel", from ''Prowler in the Yard''; "Gravedancer", from ''Terrifyer''; "Loathsome", from ''Phantom Limb''; "The Diplomat", from ''Book Burner''; "Army of Cops", "The Torture Fields", and "Mt. Skull" from ''Head Cage''. The first three have aired on
MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...
's
Headbangers Ball ''Headbangers Ball'' is a music television program that consisted of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV and its global affiliates. The show began on MTV on April 18, 1987, playing heavy metal music videos from both well-known and more obs ...
, with each video seeing more airplay than the one that was released before it. The video for "Piss Angel" debuted on the show on Aug. 14, 2004, and was directed by Kenneth Thibault and Nathaniel Baruch. The video for "Gravedancer" was directed by Vladimir Lik and released in 2007. The video for "Loathsome" was directed by David Brodsky and debuted in late 2007. The video for "The Diplomat" was directed by Phil Mucci and released on October 26, 2012. The video for "Army of Cops" was released on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
on July 10, 2018. David Brodsky returned to direct the video. It was followed by the releases of "The Torture Fields" on August 8, directed by Frank Huang, and "Mt. Skull", which featured
Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
actor
Josh Fadem Josh Fadem (; born July 19, 1980) is an American actor, writer, and comedian. Early life Fadem was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he attended Booker T. Washington High School. He has lived and worked in Los Angeles since 2000. Career ...
, on August 29, announced via Kerrang. In early 2019 John Jarvis was dismissed from the band and replaced with
Lody Kong Lody Kong is an American sludge metal band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 2011. The band is known for being led by brothers Igor and Zyon Cavalera, both sons of former Sepultura and current Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera. The band has been inac ...
guitarist Travis Stone. On August 28 of 2020, Pig Destroyer released their new EP, ''The Octagonal Stairway''.


Influences

Scott Hull has mentioned artist
Matthew Barney Matthew Barney (born March 25, 1967) is an American contemporary artist and film director who works in the fields of sculpture, film, photography and drawing. His works explore connections among geography, biology, geology and mythology as well ...
, author
Dennis Cooper Dennis Cooper (born January 10, 1953) is an American novelist, poet, critic, editor and performance artist. He is best known for the ''George Miles Cycle'', a series of five semi-autobiographical novels published between 1989 and 2000 and describ ...
, and
noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise within a musical context. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical ...
ians
Whitehouse Whitehouse may refer to: People * Charles S. Whitehouse (1921-2001), American diplomat * Cornelius Whitehouse (1796–1883), English engineer and inventor * E. Sheldon Whitehouse (1883-1965), American diplomat * Elliott Whitehouse (born 1993), ...
as influencing his music. Pig Destroyer is inspired by
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
, such as Dark Angel and
Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
, the
sludge metal Sludge metal (also known as sludge or sludge doom) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated through combining elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. It is typically harsh and abrasive, often featuring shouted vocals, heavi ...
of
The Melvins ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, and American grindcore as practiced by
Brutal Truth Brutal Truth was an American grindcore band from New York City, formed by ex- Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, and Stormtroopers of Death bass guitarist Dan Lilker in 1990. The group disbanded in 1999, but reformed in 2006 and continued to release mus ...
.


Members


Current

*J. R. Hayes – vocals (1997–present) * Scott Hull – guitars (1997–present) *Blake Harrison – electronics (2006–present) *Adam Jarvis – drums (2011–present) *Travis Stone – bass (2019–present)


Former

*John Evans – drums (1997–1998) *Brian Harvey – drums (1998–2011) *John Jarvis – bass (2015–2019)


Live musicians

*Donna Parker – electronics (2006) *
Jessica Rylan Jessica Rylan (born 1974) is a sound artist, electronic musician and engineer from Boston, Massachusetts. Most of Rylan's work is based on the design and construction of DIY modular synthesizers, which she then uses to create a variety of sounds ...
– keyboards (2006)


Timeline


Discography


Studio albums

*''Explosions in Ward 6'' (1998) *''
Prowler in the Yard Prowler may refer to: * "Prowler", a song by Iron Maiden from ''Iron Maiden'', 1980 * Prowler (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics superhero * ''The Prowler'' (1951 film), a film starring Van Heflin * "The Prowler" (''Australian Playhouse''), an ep ...
'' (2001) *''
Terrifyer ''Terrifyer'' is the third studio album by American grindcore band Pig Destroyer. It was released in 2004 by Relapse Records. The album includes a second disc recorded in DVD-Audio and mixed with 5.1 surround sound. The disc contains one sludge ...
'' (2004) *''
Phantom Limb A phantom limb is the sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached. Approximately 80 to 100% of individuals with an amputation experience sensations in their amputated limb. However, only a small percentage will experience painf ...
'' (2007) *'' Book Burner'' (2012) *'' Head Cage'' (2018)


References


External links


Pig Destroyer
at
Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The label was ...

Pig Destroyer
on Myspace
Live Photos of Pig Destroyer at Blackened Music Series Event 2009
{{Authority control American grindcore musical groups Deathgrind musical groups Relapse Records artists Heavy metal musical groups from Virginia Musical groups established in 1997