When you see the name Pig’s Blood, you probably have an idea of the direction in which their music goes. I assume you’re not expecting something that goes well with a white wine or a night out, and if you did think that way, maybe music isn’t for you. I expected terror and firestorming chaos, and if that isn’t exactly what I got.

That carries over to their ferocious third album “Destroying the Spirit,” a slab of death metal so heavy and blinding it might be a little too war-ravaged for some listeners. Over 10 tracks and 33 minutes, the band—vocalist Chris Ellis, guitarists Mike Gamm and Paul Mirenda, bassist Bubba Nitz, drummer Brian Serzynski—immediately removes any sense of safety or calm you might feel and replaces that with madness that boils dangerously in your belly. It feels like fire ants crawling through your veins, devouring you mentally and physically as you writhe along to every savage beating you sustain.

“Standing in Depravity” grinds, the howls murdering, ugliness rising and flooding, the ferocity going off the charts. The pace crushes as blinding madness takes over, the heat exploding and fading. The title track engulfs, the leads soar, and the howls batter, swimming through your head and mangling limbs. The pace liquifies as deep growls scar, electrifying and snarling with ill intent. “Tartarean Infection” is hellish, riffs entangling, the vocals curding as the guitars encircle. The hammers drop and soot flies, burying with force, the growls bringing everything to a gruesome end. “Power to Stop It” is tempered at first, the vocals choking as the lead dizzy, the humidity thickening dangerously. The guitars hang overhead as the pace fully unloads, flattening and chewing into the ground. “Rabid Dogs” attacks, naturally, as a delirious pace melts, thrashing and devastating, furious growls sinking teeth into muscle. The leads smoke and feedback rings in your ears, bludgeoning as demonic shrieks rub glass in your face.

“Satanic Hammer of Justice” has leads swirling, the vocals attacking, and the tension rapidly increasing, chugging with fury. The temperature elevates as gnarly mashing draws blood, ending in pain. “Aftermath” detonates from the start, riffs wrestling, a storming, jolting attack knocking screws loose. The howls torch as the guitars catch speed, everything falling after an adrenaline spike. “Commitment to Death” tears open with the guitars trampling, the pace divebombing, and a thrashy tempo lashing before taking a brief breather. Guitars begin to bubble before boiling over, the blasts hit even harder, and the growls sicken before the volume subsides. “Ravenous Hellslaught” chokes you out with intensity, the band opening the blast furnace as the guitars thunder in, clawing at you with violent intent. A hellish fury swallows you whole, bloody handprints left from where you tried to crawl away. “Strikeforce of Isolate Will” closes the record, guitars launching as a wrecking pace levels, the grime thickens, and the playing slays. Wild cries attack as playing continues to rain down blows, the guitars chug, and the final moments flatten.

“Destroying the Spirit” is a savage monster here to do maximum damage, which should be no surprise to anyone who had encountered Pig’s Blood prior to this album. It just flattens you, squeezing out all your juice and guts in front of you, paying no mind to the concept of mercy. You’re going to get flattened, and live it’s likely to be an even more bruising experience, so prepare yourself or else.  

For more on the band, go here: https://pigsblood.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/shop/

For more on the label, go here: https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/