ALBUM REVIEW: Death Hilarious – Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs
British stoner metal and absolute riff wizards, PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS (PIGS x 7) are back with their follow up to their 2023 album, Land Of Sleeper, with an absolute monolith of an album, Death Hilarious. It’s a record that sounds how a bruise looks, leaving no prisoners in its wake as it shakes you to your core with its gigantic riffs that somehow get bigger and bigger as you navigate throughout the world of Death Hilarious. Whilst the album is fairly long (four of the songs featured on the album cross the five minute mark), this does allow you to bask in the energy that it exudes throughout. It may very well be one of 2025’s best releases so far if you’re a die hard fan but for a neutral, it may well be a tough listen that batters you sonically.
Opening track Blockage starts you on the journey of Death Hilarious with an absolutely barnstorming opening track with a riff that feels like a freight train as once it starts, there is very little you can do to slow it down. The sludgy and distorted riff compliments the vocals of vocalist Matthew Baty perfectly, giving it a fun and rough around the edges feel to it as it barrels towards its end in a cacophony of wailing guitars and monster riffs. Detroit follows quickly and somehow ups the ante from what came before and feels like an IDLES song that has taken steroids. Opening up to a whirlwind of guitar sounds that both wail and screech, this is a song that is sure to blow your face clean off live as even with headphones on, this song is REALLY loud, but in a live setting it’s going to be biblical to hear. Just as you think the song is reaching it’s end by slowing down, it quickly starts to ramp back up again, getting faster and faster as it guides us towards the end. Third track Collider brings more of the same as its predecessor riff wise as it doesn’t feel much different but it runs in tandem with some fun guitar solos that give the song itself a bit more variety whilst listening.
Stitches brings in yet a bit more variety as it swaps the punishing similar sounding riffs for a cool bluesy sounding track that is a fun ear worm and has you tapping your foot or nodding your head along instantly and is head and shoulders above the rest of the tracks on the record. The rolling drum beat has a great bounce to it that is sure to have crowds jumping up and down along to it when PIGS x7 go on tour. Glib Tongued is one of the more interesting tracks that the record has to offer, whilst the riffs still remain, it has a broody feel to it that is created by some interesting sounding guitar noises as a surprise special guest in the guise of El-P from the wonderful RUN THE JEWELS lends his rapping ability to the song that really elevates the track by daring to be a little different. Following on from this is The Wyrm, a seven minute opus that takes you on an absolute adventure where not a minute is wasted and shows off why PIGS x7 have made such a name for themselves within the British scene, each band member gets a chance to show off throughout and whilst it is a sensory overload, it’s a great track that boulders through from start to finish, make sure you have this one on loud!
As you start to make your way toward albums end, you come across tracks Carousel and Coyote Call. Whilst both of these tracks are good and go hand in hand with each other, you start to feel a bit exhausted at the pummelling riffs that have prevailed throughout the record as both songs feel interchangeable, you can’t help but think that Death Hilarious would have been better off with either one or the other on, instead of both of them as the two start to feel like the songs from the opening tracks of the record. Bringing the album to a close is another track that feels like an epic journey with Toecurler, a near nine minute track that sees the band indulging themselves once more and giving everything they have one final time. At this point however, you really can feel the length of this song as opposed to The Wyrm as it feels like they’re retracing steps from earlier in the album until right at the very end when PIGS x7 bring back the bluesy riffs that offer a little bit of substance as it plays out to it’s finale. Still, it’s an impressive feat to have not one but two songs that wanders dangerously close to being nearly ten minutes as it allows you to respect the excellent musicianship on display from PIGS x7, particularly Matthew Baty who once again earns his salt as he roars his way through the finale of Death Hilarious.
Death Hilarious overall, is an extremely solid album. The first three quarters are genuinely fun, great and have a lot to offer. But right at the final hurdle is where the album tails off slightly leaving you feeling like it could have been shorter as it begins to feel like they’ve picked one riff and just stuck with it for nearly an hour. Overall though, it’s a fun listen that benefits from being as loud as possible and maybe will definitely benefit from being actually stoned whilst listening to it.
Rating: 7/10
Death Hilarious is out now via Rocket Recordings.
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