Prowler In The Yard (Custom Ripple Edition)

Prowler in the Yard is Pig Destroyer's first "real" full-length, coming after a bunch of singles, a split CD (with the band Gnob), and a discography/compilation CD (38 Counts of Battery). It is actually a sort of grindcore equivalent to a rock concept album, at least in terms of the lyrics, which detail the disturbing final thoughts of a stalker parked outside his ex-girlfriend's house. (These lyrics are far less graphic, by the way, than one would expect based on the grisly cover art). Also on the concept front, the album is bookended by a computerized voice narrating an unrelated, but also fairly disturbing, scene involving the same ex-girlfriend. Musically, though, this is an album of straight-ahead, stripped-down grindcore characterized by harsh, shouted vocals and short, relentlessly fast songs. There are a few brief electronic interludes and distorted vocal effects passages, but everything else is done with a basic guitar/drums/vocals lineup (although with some overdubbing in the guitar department). Guitarist Scott Hull (formerly of A.C. and also a member of Agoraphobic Nosebleed) has come up with plenty of great riffs here, such as the breakdown during the Melvins-esque "Starbelly," but the real impressive thing about this disc is just the constant barrage of aggression and intensity. It simply doesn't let up; there are parts where it seems like the energy level and abrasiveness are at a plateau (at the end of "Preacher Crawling," for example), only to rise again to a new level. This is an impressive release that makes a strong case for Pig Destroyer, alongside Discordance Axis and Nasum, as one of the top grindcore bands of the late '90s/early '00s. ~ William York