Search - Pig Destroyer :: Prowler in the Yard

"This is beautiful; this is art..."

Wheelchair Assassin | The Great Concavity | 01/15/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Dear God, this is one messed-up album. "Prowler In the Yard" represents nothing less than a milestone in the evolution of extremity, making much of what was once considered extreme sound downright quaint. I suppose if I had to come up with an analogy I'd say listening to this album is comparable to having your brains put in a blender, but even that doesn't quite cut it. To those looking for old-fashioned devices like melody, verse-chorus structures, and conventional rhythms, all I can say is: ha! You won't find any of that stuff here, just track after track of deranged grindcore played at speeds ranging from midtempo to about mach 3. After the (rather disturbing) intro of "Jennifer," the band bursts out of the gate with "Cheerleader Corpses" and doesn't let up until the (equally disturbing) outro of "Piss Angel." Rather than standing out as individual compositions the tracks tend to bleed into one another, coalescing into a stunning onslaught of noise that's superbly crafted to create a mood of the utmost insanity. Perhaps most importantly, these guys have a great deal of talent for a bunch of crazed noise freaks. Scott Hull is a riffmeister of the highest order, deftly mixing indescribable heaviness with hyperkinetic fretboard wankery. Brian Harvey's drumming is as maniacal and technical as any I've ever heard on a grindcore album, delivering plenty of the expected blastbeats without sacrificing variety. And topping it all off is the awe-inspiring vocal performance of J.R. Hayes, whose voice is perhaps the most demented these ears have ever had the privilege of hearing. Making the typical death metal vocalist sound sort of like Michael Bolton, J.R.'s bloodthirsty scream perfectly drives home the twisted atmosphere that Pig Destroyer so effortlessly conjure up. I actually wound up getting this album at a very good time, as I was beginning to think I'd heard it all. "Prowler In The Yard" turned out to be just what my jaded ears needed to hear. These guys are easily right up there with bands like Nasum, Soilent Green, and the Dillinger Escape Plan in revolutionizing the art of noise craftsmanship. If you're looking for something that's sure to offend all normal and well-adjusted people, it doesn't get much better than this."

Words escape me...

opy666 | Salt Lake City, UT | 11/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I did not discover PD until I heard Terrifyer, which blew me away. I promtly went out and got Prowler and it is even better than Terrifyer. I like it better than terrifyer because there is a bit more melody involved. When I'm pissed off this is the first thing I look for...and everyone needs that special CD to listen to when they are pissed off. Honorable mention must go to Harvey for possibly the most amazing drumming I have ever heard. Pig Destryer will be hated by most (well, if the average person could hear it they would hate it is what I mean), but if you have the fortitude to see the beauty in this chaos, you will be greatly rewarded."

Complete, Utter Disorder and Chaos; It Never Sounds So Good

Nick Watkins | New Albany, Indiana | 10/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pig Destroyer is not a band meant for the faint hearted. If Linkin Park is the heaviest band you listen to, stay the hell away from this album, it'll go right over your head. But if you're a fan of twisted, insane, and, most of all, NOISY music, then Pig Destroyer's 36 minute, 22 tracks grind opus "Prowler in the Yard" is sure to be a pleaser for ya.



To put it simply, there is nothing at all melodic on this record. It's all straight forward grind brutality. Many of the tracks are under a minute, which might scare off some listeners who are used to 3 minute+ songs. But keep in mind that all the tracks run together well (as they all really do sound alike) so the whole album's like one big long track. Some tracks have a little groove thrown in as well to accompany the grind; "Trojan Whore" and "Naked Trees" have nice little chugging guitar breaks, "Heart & Crossbones" has an excellent breakdown, and let's not forget about that absolutely badass drum intro to "Junkyard God".



This was actually my first grindcore album. I downloaded some songs before buying it to see if I liked it, and I did, so I went out and purchased this album. The CD's a concept album; told through the perspective of an insane man who is depressed and lonely after his ex-girlfriend Jennifer parted ways wit him. The liner notes in the booklet, written as if they were coming through the mouth of this psychotic man, state that he spent "hours carefully scrawling her name onto the side of each bullet" and "Ash grey clouds seal off the sky, ensuring that God will not be able to see what I am about to do". This is a prelude to the album. After this, the album proceeds to tell jsut what this man does to Jennifer.



The album is the story of him taking Jennifer into his arms and loving her into oblivion, as it says in the CD booklet. In other words, it's about this man's breaking into her house and killing her. But the lyrics are written with style. Sometimes extremely random, with lines like "CHAMELEON IS MY FAVORITE ANIMAL!" being shouted out of nowhere. The lyrics are all very metaphorical; on the surface, it's like a bunch of random jibberish, but if you can see past the surface, they do indeed tell the story of Jennifer and her disgruntled ex-lover.



Vocalist JR Hayes doesn't growl or screech or anything on this album; he just screams his f*cking head off. How this man doesn't lose his voice is beyond me. Guitarist Scott Hull lays down some excellent grind riffs, and often plays some groovier ones. But he can play that damn guitar, and the man was clearly put on the earth to play this particular type of music. There are no solos on this disc however, but the short songs wouldn't very much allow space for them anyways. Now about the drummer Brian Harvey...DAMN, this dude's a machine! He gives a flawless performance on this album, keeping up with every single guitar riff and lick, bashing the living s*it out of his drums, creating monster fills, and generally taking extreme drumming to new heights. He has since become one of my favorite drummers.



This album probably won't appeal to most listeners. Only a few will be able to see the beauty in the brutality; the order in the chaos. And if you can see that beauty, that order, you will be rewarded with a very powerful and emotional, and very twisted, album. Pig Destroyer are just one damn good band, and sadly, a very misunderstood one. But if you're looking for something heavy and new, DEFINATELY check these guys out."