Pig Destroyer - Prowler In The Yard: Classic Album Review

No, no, no, this is beautiful. This is art. 

Honestly, is there any real way to start a discussion of this LP? Sometimes looking back on a classic album means you’re looking more at the context and impact of an LP rather than the actual quality of it, and sometimes you’re just looking back on the music scene and thinking “what the actual hell?” Prowler In The Yard is both of those instances.

Taking a step back, Pig Destroyer is grindcore band from Virginia. Honestly, saying anything beyond that would mean the band has some kind of solid or rational description and that just isn’t the case. Grindcore is one of those things I kind of just stay away from like an apple filled with razor blades. Then, every now and then, I look over and see someone smiling with glee as they munch on another razor apple and I shrug and think to myself “hey man, whatever you’re into.” That is to say, I don’t really enjoy it, but I know a lot of people do, and grindcore has influenced some of my favorite death metal bands like Dying Fetus and Obscura, so it can’t be that bad… right?

Pig Destroyer’s particular brand of grindcore borrows very heavily from what grind fans call “true grindcore” that is to say, “incoherent, and that’s just how we like it.” Which, as I said before, I just don’t really get. So what exactly is the “sound” of this record? It’s gind at its most raw and unforgiving, so expect nothing but blast beats and nonsense screaming for about 40 seconds at a time. For a record considered to be so influential and grand by serious grindcore nerds I was kind of surprised to find just how bare minimum this album was. Why I respect this album is a different story, but to answer the question of “do I like this album”, the answer is a solid “no.”

I’m sure there’s lots of people ready to jump down my throat and call me a normie for not liking this album, but I just don’t get why anyone would actually like the music of Prowler In The Yard. It’s 40 minutes of nonstop blast beats and screams with the occasional drum fill or breakdown, and I can’t even enjoy those moments with the songs being so short. Tracks where the drums relax a bit and the riffs become more focused like on “Trojan Whore” are the most enjoyable parts of the record. If the record were more like this, and less focused on the noise aspect of the grind spectrum, it would be much more accessible. And I use accessible as loosely as it can be. All that being said, if the noise and the chaos of this record were turned down any further, I think it would be safe to assume that this record wouldn’t be as fondly remembered.

I mentioned earlier that I don’t really like this album, but I respect it. The reason I respect it so much is the deeper context given to every track. On the outset, Prowler In The Yard is dressed up as this ultra-violent, ultra-scary metal record that anyone in a mom and pop store would never carry because they are sure the singer is a pedo and guitarist is a rapist. On the inside, Prowler In The Yard is a “fuck you” to the very concept of music. The blast beats? They’re supposed to make your ears bleed. The vocalist? He’s supposed to annoy you. The lyrics? They’re not supposed to make any sense. Seriously, just look at some of this shit.

“Scatology Homework”

They heckle the gunshy assassin. Led away in shame. The chameleon is my favourite animal. I learned that boys in dresses are okay on the last day of school. There was a rainbow like a halo over the world.

“Snuff Film At Eleven”

This is an advertisement for the skin machine. Paid for by the people that supply the lash for these pointless acts of self-flagellation. The vultures are made up like mockingbirds and they're circling. It is very important that I make for a thin chalk outline.

And the general vibe of the album? Yeah, it’s supposed to creep you out. Everything about this album is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable and it does its job incredibly well. So that’s the ultimate reason why this album has remained in the back of my mind ever since my first listen several years ago: irony. This album is a giant ball of irony made by a bunch of idiots who were so dedicated to testing (and ruining) everyone else’s concept of music that they made a 40 minute album to do so. On a personal level, I applaud the effort.

I’m torn as to my ultimate feelings on this album. On the one hand the music is so incoherent it’s not worth recommending to someone looking for a dynamic and approachable record. On the other hand, I appreciate the balls out, “I don’t give a fuck” attitude and style of the entire affair. I guess if I was in a record store and I came across this album, I would give it a spin once and never again, but in a digital world were this album can be listened to eternally on YouTube or Spotify, it’s worth looking at from a distance and appreciating as another weird moment in music and metal history.

Since this album defies all logic with the concept of music, I suppose I can defy all logic in music journalism by not supplying an actual rating.

General Consensus Upon Release: 9/10

My Rating: NA/10