Chicago Open Air 2017 – Photo: Jessica Stacy
Pig Destroyer is a deathgrind five-piece hailing from the city of Alexandria, VA that was formed around 20 years ago by J.R. Hayes and the legendary Scott Hull. The music consists of a high mix of brutality and ferocity sure to annihilate anyone in its path. There are highly disturbing lyrics sure to appeal to any horror lover as the band blasts through a ton of songs on each record (there are 23 tracks on ‘Prowler in the Yard’ in under 40 minutes). To begin their career, Pig Destroyer released their first demo ‘Explosions in Ward 6’ following the year of formation. Soon enough, they garnered attention from Relapse Records and signed with them in 2000. The next year, they released their first major full length in ‘Prowler in the Yard’ to come out absolutely dominating from the start. The relentless pace that Pig Destroyer brings to the table is an uncommon one. This album propelled them to mainstream success despite being one of the most extreme albums ever at the time. The band then got to play the likes of New England Metal and Hardcore Festival and a few Relapse Records showcases in 2002. They are truly one of the fastest bands in the world. Through the years Pig Destroyer grew to be legends of the genre and are still hailed as one of the best in extreme music. They also released a few EPs between records like ‘Natasha’ and ‘Mass & Volume’. After taking a somewhat slower, darker tone on the EPs, their most recent record ‘Book Burner’ returned to the absolutely slamming grind sound that band had become trademarked for in the early 2000s. “The Diplomat” has one of the more interesting video concepts in recent years with outer space monkeys ripping a human apart and soon each other right after with machine guns. It was created by Phil Mucci, who makes some of the most entertaining videos you will ever see.
We had the opportunity to speak with lead vocalist JR Hayes after the bands dominating performance at this years Chicago Open Air Festival. We talked about fans dressing up at shows, the bands upcoming album, the revived television show Twin Peaks, and censorship in music. We also talk about his former band Enemy Soil reuniting after If you haven’t seen Pig Destroyer live then you truly haven’t lived. Here is our interview with Pig Destroyer’s very own JR Hayes.
