ALBUM REVIEW: Land Of Sleeper – Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs
In the farthest reaches of northern England, sitting proudly along the banks of the River Tyne is Newcastle. Historically famous for its shipbuilding industry, the city is the vibrant home of the titanic riff constructors PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS (and for the rest of this review PIGS x7). The band have been part of the UK’s rich and prestigious doom metal scene since 2012, and have been manufacturing grim, fuzz-drenched riffs with an abundance of grit and groove. Following up 2020’s acclaimed album Viscerals would be always be met with high expectations, but PIGS x7 have risen gladly to the task. Land Of Sleeper sees the band take a darker turn, writing music that matches the present day dystopian nightmares that we are currently living in.
With unbridled intensity and rawness, PIGS x7 give into the crushing weight of existential dread, emotionally cutting the ties that bind and liberating themselves by exorcising the nightmares, fears and anxieties that plague them in a whirlwind of musical euphoria. From the first second of opening track Ultimate Hammer you can feel the ground shaking beneath you, as PIGS x7‘s riffing power unleashes its primal and visceral sonic assault on your ear drums. In many ways it feels like you are sleepwalking into the maw of oblivion; ruthless and uncompromising, the quintet pull no punches throughout Land Of Sleeper. With brutal honesty in their emotional expression, the band plunge to nightmarish depths only to rise through the darkness and burst out of the shadows with the might and power of the Norse gods.
There is also an element of experimentation on Land Of Sleeper that sees PIGS x7 transcend to a higher level. This is demonstrated best on the eeriest song on the album The Weatherman. Collaborating with BONNACONS OF DOOM vocalist Kate Smith and a choir featuring fellow Newcastle natives Richard Dawson and Sally Pilikington, PIGS x7 take you on a tumultuous musical journey that is equally haunting and cathartic as the screams of your inner turmoil are let out in CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX Ghostland-esque style. Mantric and mesmeric, the song transports you to a strange, unknown place that seems oddly comforting yet spine-tinglingly chilling. Another collaboration on this album is Matthew Baty’s duet with folk musician Cath Tyler on Ball Lightning – an emotive and stirring ballad of sorts that ties this chaotic album up perfectly.
The album opens with a sizeable skull smash from the aptly named Ultimate Hammer. Following a more traditional BLACK SABBATH-esque groove and bursting with anthemic atmospherics, the lyrics of the song “I keep spinning out / What a time to be alive” sum it up perfectly. Terror’s Pillow takes a more eerie approach in introducing itself, a circular riff slowly building into an enormous caveman groove. This gradually builds and builds until the song pays off the tension with a chaotic solo backed by a boot stomping riff. Big Rig is a song that rises like a giant obelisk, piercing the earth ferociously with its sharp point. Thunderous and chaotic, and with lyrics focusing on a grimy “English town” the enigmatic nature of the song could be a metaphor for the current state that we find the country in.
Leading into The Weatherman, the energy of the album tones down slightly as the song changes the direction into an eerie psychedelic sound mixed with ominous folk influences. The aforementioned mantric and mesmeric nature of the song feels like whiplash after the sudden change in sound but it is a welcome one as we see PIGS x7 branch out into new musical territory. Mr Medicine picks the energy back up with its short and punchy, flash-in-the-pan speed and riffs that snap you back to the chaos the band laid out in the first half of the album. Pipe Down! feels like a continuation of Mr Medicine but with anthemic melody in mind. Soaring, reverberating vocals give the song a cavernous feel as the riffs continuously ascend and descend giving a swirling sensation. Atlas Stone doubles down on sludgy doom with haunting vocals screaming at you from the void. Ball Lightning concludes the album with a fine flourish of unbridled emotion. Huge riffs accompanied by the captivating duet between Baty and Tyler leave an indelible mark on you as their vocals soar together.
Land Of Sleeper represents a new dawn for PIGS x7, one of unrestrained creative freedom and it is magnificent to behold. The expanded musical horizons and Sabbathian might on this record see the band sound more unhinged and out of control than ever before as they intricately explore the frontiers of their musical capabilities. Suffice to say, no one should sleep on Land Of Sleeper.
Rating: 8/10
Land Of Sleeper is set for release on February 17th via Rocket Recordings.
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