All Pigs Must Die are at it again. Their follow up to the revered God is War, Nothing Violates This Nature is a continuation of the already heavy, already destructive tendencies of APMD. Heralded as a supergroup, APMD pushes the envelope of what is heavy, and explores the deepest reaches of pure, unadulterated decimation.
“Chaos Arise” – a blitzkrieg that aurally assaults the listener, opens up Nothing Violates This Nature. Seriously heavy riffing by Adam Wentworth encapsulates the atmosphere of pure bleakness — Ben Koller’s drumming is unrelentingly crushing, and the deep barking by Kevin Baker sets the mood straight away. It is a bludgeon over the head with a blunt instrument; APMD shows their strength from the opening note. It is difficult to pinpoint, exactly, how something so heavy could exist; perhaps it is the fastidious approach to instrumentalization that APMD employs. Perhaps it’s the water in Massachusetts. What-ever it may be, “Chaos Arise” is an opening track that completely destroys all in its wake. It is something to truly revel in; APMD has such a unique style that it is almost impossible to resist the urge to thrash around the room.
The first single from the album, “Silencer”, is demonstrably heavy. Picking up where “Chaos Arise” left off, APMD segues into “Silencer” perfectly. Blending together a style of crust and blackened hardcore, the track grooves along, pushing the pace at every step, a sound made from the ashes of bands Discharge and Entombed. This style of hardcore works so well for APMD; all tracks sound extremely clean through waves and waves of distortion. “Primitive Fear”, a constant sludge assault, breaks the convention of the two opening tracks. Having this sludge influence, APMD grooves to a repeating breakdown, using these deep, metallic guitars to assault slowly. “Of Suffering” is another track that follows the same pattern; these sludgy, dark tones wash over, painting the bleakest picture. There is all kinds of imagery in the music, something dark and full of suffering; drenched in the mire of the river Cocytus, and steeped in the deepest reaches of the nether. APMD can play assaulting, break-neck blackened hardcore, but these tracks that showcase this kind of sludge are not only breaks from the action, but rather their own entities that exist to give the whole album a full, experienced sound.
“Aqim Siege” is a one minute assault, incorporating black metal style drumming, breaking down into the d-beat blackened crust style APMD is known for. In one single minute, APMD puts forth a track that is a myriad of sound, culminating in a vicious double-bass attack that ends the track. “Faith Eater”, a definitive d-beat track, completely blindsides the listener with sheer aggression. There is such a menacing sound that comes out of these instruments – all avenues are explored to make such a full, deep, and technical sound. On the last track, “Articles of Human Weakness”, APMD shows serious anger and aggression; tight riffing meeting punching drums. The bass is so low and so heavy, making the heart jump at every note. Nothing is left unturned on this track – every moment there is something different, something unique to behold. APMD succeeds in blending so many differing styles to pursue a goal of attaining something so sinister and so heavy.
Nothing Violates This Nature is still an album of complexity. God is War is heralded because of its nuances, but on this new LP, All Pigs Must Die do things differently with successful results. There is still nuance that exists, there is still a wide range of material to work with that has “flair”, i.e., things that keep it interesting. It is not just a purely punishing release; that’s an understatement. Nothing Violates This Nature is a full-scale assault that covers various genres to create a perfectly heavy sound. That is something that is truly unique; sure, there are first round knockouts on tracks like “Chaos Arise”, but that isn’t what makes the album “great”. What makes it great is the combinatorial effort of each band member to pull their weight in crafting a sound that is fresh. There are differing styles, here; APMD switches from sludge to black metal to Discharge influenced assaults – each with their own measures of success. But this blends so seamlessly together; it isn’t just one style one-upping the others. Nothing Violates This Nature is a true testament to a band advancing their sound. There are rarely any hiccups that occur; the album drives itself, one track at a time. There are no tracks to skip over, no tracks that are added to take up space; APMD pulled out everything they had in their arsenal to make a consistently tight album. And that’s what is important here; the album is tight. It’s one thing to be a band that exists on pure heaviness, but it is another to be a band that combines their heaviness with a sound that truly is far-reaching of their playing ability. Nothing Violates This Nature. Nothing.
The album is available July 23rd from Southern Lord.
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