Virginia’s extreme sound nihilists PIG DESTROYER deliver savage grindcore that is both intentionally confrontational and thoroughly pummeling. PIG DESTROYER formed in 1997, when vocalist J.R. Hayes and guitarist Scott Hull decided to unite in their efforts to create utterly destructive grindcore. The trio began rehearsing and immediately found that their common musical interests produced intelligent and incendiary music. Derived from a non-musical source as extreme as the band’s sound, PIG DESTROYER’s easily-identifiable logo took form when the emblem from the infamous Answer Me! magazine was disassembled and rearranged.
This lineup meshed well and recorded their self-titled demo, which met to a rousing response. A PIG DESTROYER / ORCHID split 7” was then released, and quickly sold out. In early 1998, the band embarked on an East Coast tour that culminated with an appearance at New Jersey’s Paperweight Festival, where PIG DESTROYER crushed alongside contemporaries CONVERGE, KID DYNAMITE and ISIS.
1998 then saw the band initiate skinsman Brian Harvey into the faction. PIG DESTROYER was growing in name and sound, a CD entitled 'Explosions in Ward 6' was released, and PIG DESTROYER increased their visibility, touring and playing shows with the likes of DISCORDANCE AXIS, PHOBIA, DAYBREAK, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and CATTLEPRESS. Great reaction to the 'Explosions in Ward 6' album established PIG DESTROYER as one of the best new grind acts to emerge worldwide in the last decade.
PIG DESTROYER toured throughout 1999 and 2000 with DAYBREAK and GODSTOMPER, further abusing the East Coast scene(s). Standout performances at Philly’s Stalag 13, NYC’s CBGBs, the 2000 March Metal Meltdown, and at New York’s renowned Knitting Factory saw the buzz on PIG DESTROYER reach a new high.
Relapse signed the band and issued a PIG DESTROYER / ISIS split 7” (PIG DESTROYER covered the CARCASS classics "Genital Grinder" and "Regurgitation Of Giblets") as part of the label’s ‘Singles Series’ in July 2000. Released as a limited edition of 2000, the single sold out in less than a month’s time, garnishing cult status for the release. Plans were made to release a complete band discography under the guise '38 Counts Of Battery.' '38 Counts Of Battery' is an intense register of the band’s work and includes the remastered 'Explosions In Ward 6' album, tracks from the ISIS and ORCHID splits and their scalding demo.
PIG DESTROYER then took listeners on a rampaging journey through an unsettling, psychotic world with their 2001 album, 'Prowler In The Yard.' Melding an insane musical attack with similarly jarring lyrical prose and an unmatched propensity to incite, 'Prowler In The Yard' hit listeners like a coal-black monolith of nihilism. Equally extreme artwork by noted tattoo artist Paul Booth perfectly complemented PIG DESTROYER’s aural atrocities, setting the tone for what could only be called a disturbing listening "experience." The record stunned music fans, garnering lavishing praise, and becoming one of the more talked about extreme music releases in recent history. Headlining performances at the 2002 New England Metal and Hardcore Festival and 2002 Relapse Records CMJ Showcase, alongside a hi-profile set at the Relapse Records Contamination Festival in Philadelphia, cemented PIG DESTROYER’s place among the new goliaths of heavy music.
PIG DESTROYER then continued work on the follow-up to 'Prowler In The Yard.' In what would turn out to be an exhausting, lengthy creative process, the band assumed the ambitious goal of creating a multi-media monster (CD / Audio-DVD package) with their next release. Choosing to name the album 'Terrifyer,' the band worked to create something different, something new to extreme music fans.
In January, 2004, PIG DESTROYER toured Japan as part of the "Extreme the Dojo" tour series where PIG DESTROYER delivered explosive live sets alongside NAPALM DEATH, and NASUM. The band headlined the 2004 New England Metal and Hardcore Festival and was profiled by the FUSE Network’s “Uranium” program. Meanwhile, a video for "Piss Angel," from 'Prowler In The Yard,' surfaced and saw air time on both MTV2 and FUSE.
‘Terrifyer’ saw its release in the Fall of 2004, embodying a frighteningly compelling mix of metal, grind, thrash and punk rock that seethes with intensity. PIG DESTROYER's vicious attack set out to envelop the listener in a cocoon of grisly nihilism. 'Terrifyer' featured 32 minutes of unrelenting sonic battery as well as the 37-minute Audio-DVD track "Natasha," mixed in glorious 5.1 Surround Sound. Immediately upon the release of 'Terrifyer,' PIG DESTROYER embarked on their first UK headlining tour, fronting the 2004 "Grind Over UK" tour with HALO and others in tow.
PIG DESTROYER spent 2005 continuing to trounce the world with their blistering live set, banging heads at the Relapse Records SXSW Showcase Show in Austin, TX, MacRock in Virginia, and Maryland Deathfest as well as performing a handful of European shows with ROTTEN SOUND and labelmates LENG TCH’E. PIG DESTROYER also returned to the West Coast for the first time in three years for a week-long run with UPHILL BATTLE, PHOBIA and TRIAC, including a stop in Tijuana, Mexico.
2006 began for PIG DESTROYER with a brief run along the East Coast with noise enthusiasts WHITEHOUSE and WOLF EYES, bringing with them Blake Harrison to man samples and noise during their live sets. Harrison later became the official fourth member of PIG DESTROYER later that year. The band spent the remainder of the year harvesting ideas for ‘Terrifyer’s follow-up.
The band started drawing inspiration from all that was around them and, like Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, all of the elements came together like a stroke of genius mixed with equal parts madness, birthing ‘Phantom Limb’. ‘Phantom Limb’ will see a June 12th North American release date (June 18th internationally) and furthers the enigmatic band's nihilistic, shock and awe attack. With it, PIG DESTROYER boil metal down to its muscle, sinew, and bone - razor-sharp guitar, percussive pummeling, and a lone, stark howl - and use them to commit a vicious assault. The lyrics paint loathsome, frightening images of pitch-black self-hatred and the frailty of the human experience. With ‘Phantom Limb’, PIG DESTROYER provides a musical manifestation of the violent experience of the human animal, and cements their already legendary status.
