Viscerals
Viscerals is the third studio album by British heavy metal band Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs. The album was released on 3 April 2020 through Rocket Recordings. Three singles, "Reducer", "Rubbernecker", and "Hell's Teeth" were released with the album, the former two released ahead of the album's release.
Viscerals | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 3 April 2020 | |||
Recorded | October – November 2019[1] | |||
Studio | Blank Studios[1] Newcastle upon Tyne | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 38:38 | |||
Label | Rocket | |||
Producer | Sam Grant | |||
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs chronology | ||||
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Singles from Viscerals | ||||
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Background and recording
The album was recorded in October through November 2019 in Sam Grant's home studio, Blank Studios, in Newcastle upon Tyne.[1]
Music and composition
Dom Gourlay of Under the Radar described Viscerals as a "bludgeoning amalgamation of metal, punk, and experimental noise at its most brutal".[2] Critics have described the album as heavy metal,[3] alternative metal, psychedelic rock,[4] sludge metal,[5] stoner rock,[3] doom metal,[6][5] and noise rock.[2]
Release and promotion
Singles
Three singles were released in promotion of Viscerals. The lead off single, and first track on the album, "Reducer", was released on 13 January 2020.[7] The second single, and second track on the album, "Rubbernecker", was released on 11 March 2020.[8] The third and final single, as well as the final track on the album, "Hell's Teeth", was released on 31 July 2020.[9]
Jon Hadusek, writing for Consequence said that "Reducer" is a doom metal and stoner rock song that "picks up where the band left off with 2018's King of Cowards." Hadusek further said that the song combined the grooves of Black Sabbath with "the crushing sonic treatments" of Sunn O))) and Electric Wizard. Hadusek summarized "Reducer" as "the next evolution of British doom and stoner metal, pushing the genre's riff-driven formulas to new experimental extremes."[7]
Track listing
All music is composed by Matthew Baty, Sam Grant, Adam Ian Sykes, John-Michael Joseph Hedley, and Chris Morley
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Reducer" | 4:27 |
2. | "Rubbernecker" | 4:27 |
3. | "New Body" | 7:09 |
4. | "Blood and Butter" | 1:39 |
5. | "World Crust" | 3:08 |
6. | "Crazy in Blood" | 5:13 |
7. | "Halloween Bolson" | 9:00 |
8. | "Hell's Teeth" | 3:33 |
Total length: | 38:38 |
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Album of the Year | 79/100[3] |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10[10] |
Metacritic | 80/100[11] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [12] |
Classic Rock | [13] |
DIY | [14] |
Exclaim! | 7/10[6] |
Kerrang! | [15] |
The Line of Best Fit | 7.5/10[16] |
MusicOMH | [17] |
Q | [11] |
Uncut | [11] |
Under the Radar | 8/10[2] |
Viscerals was well received by contemporary music critics. On review aggregator website, Metacritic, Viscerals has an average rating of 80 out of 100 indicating "generally favorable reviews based on 13 critics".[11] On Album of the Year, Viscerals has an average rating of 79 out of 100 based on 21 critic reviews.[3] On AnyDecentMusic?, Viscerals has an average rating of 7.7 out of 10.[10]
Alan Ashton-Smith, writing for musicOMH gave the album a perfect five-star rating praising the accessibility of the album, calling Viscerals a work of "a metal band that has succeeded in garnering appreciation outside of heavy subculture and appealing to a wider community of music fans".[17] Liam Konemann writing for Loud & Quiet gave the album four stars and said that Viscerals "is all guts and glory, tauter than before and all the better for it. It’s relentless; an all-out-assault of riffs and rumblings that pushes Pigs to new heights".[18] Mark Deming in a positive review compared the work of the band to Black Sabbath saying "as if Black Sabbath's younger brothers got ahold of some bad dope and decided it was time to punish the world for its mistakes".[12]
Max Morin, writing for Canadian publication, Exclaim! gave the album a positive review. Morin described the album has have the elements of doom metal similar to the likes of Black Sabbath, but said that their "grittiness to their heavy rock, a disregard for the rules of melody and harmony", makes the band sound more like the noise rock band Daughters than Sabbath. Specifically Morin said the sound of Viserals is "more like Daughters' terrifying You Won't Get What You Want more than Master of Reality."[6]
In a more mixed review, Sam Law, writing for Kerrang also compared the album to Black Sabbath, but also to Motörhead, Mastodon, and Idles. Law described Viserals as "are wilfully difficult to get a handle on. Melding the fuzzed-up, stripped-back muscle of heavyweights like Black Sabbath and Motörhead to progressive sludginess, then pouring on a generous helping of the wryly abstract humour of IDLES, this third album is a strange, unruly offering".[15]
Personnel
The following individuals were credited with the production of the album.[19]
- Matthew Baty – Vocals
- Richard Dawson – Cowbell
- John Edgar – Backing vocals
- Sam Grant – Guitar, mixing, producer
- John-Michael Hedley – Bass
- Josh Ingledew – Assistant Engineer
- Max Löffler – Artwork
- John Martindale – Engineer
- Christopher Morley – Drums
- Adam Sykes – Guitar
- Christian Wright – Mastering
References
- Willings, Sam (March 31, 2021). "Show Off Your Studio: Blank Studios is Sam Grant's self-built space for Pigs x7". Music Tech. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- Gourlay, Dom (April 21, 2020). "Reviews: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Viscerals". Under the Radar. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- "Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Viscerals – Reviews". Album of the Year. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- Bound, Chris (April 9, 2020). "British psych-metalers reach their peak on third full-length". mysticsons.com. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- Dedman, Todd (April 6, 2020). "Album Review: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Viscerals". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- Morin, Max (April 2, 2020). "Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Viserals". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- Hadusek, Jon (January 13, 2020). "Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs announce new album Viscerals, share video for "Reducer": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- "Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Share Creepy AF 'rubbernecker' Video". DIY. March 12, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- "Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Unleash New Single 'hell's Teeth'". DIY. July 30, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- "Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Viscerals reviews and tracks". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- "Critic Reviews for Viscerals". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- Deming, Mark. Review of Viscerals at AllMusic. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- Hughes, Rob (April 3, 2020). "Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs' Viscerals: where Sabbath and Killing Joke collide". Classic Rock. Future plc. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- Sloman, Tom (April 2, 2020). "Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Viscerals review". DIY. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- Law, Sam (April 6, 2020). "Album Review: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Viscerals". Kerrang!. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- Lynch, Ben (April 2, 2020). "Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs continue on their warpath with new album Viscerals". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- Ashton-Smith, Alan (April 3, 2020). "Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Viscerals". musicOMH. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- Konemann, Liam (March 30, 2020). "Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Viscerals – Review". loudandquiet.com. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- "Credits – Viscerals". Allmusic. Retrieved August 25, 2022.