*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the state of the month*
This month’s state is Illinois!
You ever heard a band for the first time and it gets you so pumped you just want to jump up and down and smack the shit out of someone? Please make sure your mother isn’t sitting in the room with you and I will introduce you to Pig Champion. The Chicago based crossover band has been tearing up the scene since 2010. The band has released two albums. In May of 2010 they released the debut “Oppression Breeds Violence” which I may add has some amazing cover art. That album has 13 tracks that length wise are more to the punk side of crossover. Most of the tracks average around 1 minute, except for a few standouts like “Apologies” and “I Do The Work” and the almost 4 minute brutal attack of “Bone In The Throat” before the Nixon resignation speech takes over the rest of the 20 minute track.
Vocalist Jacob Faltin has a vocal style that is like a school house bully and it demands your attention. There is nothing passive about anything this band does. Just the mention of their name and I can see mosh pits start to form. When most people think of crossover the first band usually to come to mind is D.R.I. or Municipal Waste. While Pig Champion is in the category of crossover they tend to have more thrash elements than punk and create this beastly attacking sound that leaves you wanting more. Lucky for us there is more. The band have a sophomore release called “Grief”. The first track on this 5 song EP “Shock/Denial” is the song I warned you about. If this song doesn’t make you want to get up and start throwing punches you need to clean the shit out of your ears. This EP was released in October of 2011 and is equally as good if not better than the debut. The EP follows the stages of grief through each track. So it’s a concept EP in a way with tracks in appropriate order Shock/Denial, Anger/Bargaining, Pain/Guilt, Depression, and Acceptance. You will find some different elements sneaking in here and there as well. Some slower sludgy guitar tones are a very noticeable and welcomed element of change from the debut. Call them thrash, punk, crossover, hardcore or whatever you want these guys know exactly what the fans want and they shove it in your ear drums with force and leave you begging for more.
** Update**
The band has released a third release that I wasn’t aware of previously. “Has Been” was released in May 2014, and is yet again another brutal assault by the band. “Has Been” is a 4 track EP and brings with it some new elements. On the opening track you will hear a slight grindcore element that wasn’t found on the previous releases. This is everything really you could ask for. It’s loud, fast and in your face. “Long Arm” is personally my favorite track on the album. It just has this continuous attacking sound that just destroys everything in it’s path and then abruptly with no notice comes to a screeching halt.
Make sure to check out the material on Bandcamp here, and also here and follow the band on Facebook here.
