Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs return to deliver another slab of gritty, sludgy rock with lashings of groove.

Released: 17th February 2023

Label: Rocket Recordings

Format: CD / Vinyl / Digital

Over the course of their musical journey, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs (Pigs x7) have been unequivocally consistent. With each passing release the band get tighter and more focussed. Land Of Sleeper is the fourth album from the Newcastle based group. There are darker undertones in amongst their gloriously murky music this time round.

Ultimate Hammer opens the album in bombastic fashion. The riffs are colossal and urgent with tempo changes aplenty. Matthew Baty delivers despairing vocals with aplomb before a glorious solo from Adam Ian Sykes that smashes through the glass roof early doors. As far as album openers go, you’d be hard pressed to find a better one this year; it really is that good.

If your mind isn’t awoken by the blistering opening of the album, then there are seven other cuts to make sure your head gets wobbled correctly. Terror’s Pillow builds in sinister fashion with the drum and bass creeping up with tenrils of feedback swirling around the mix. Baty’s vocals are a little more guttural but there is real control in his style that really conveys a unique emotion.

Big Rig is a great name for a band of this ilk. Whether it is about Pigs x7′ backline or not, this is a song that picks up pace quickly and brings more urgency and flickers of optimism. ‘Still everyday I feel bad energies are here, but little signs of life make matters easier,’ sings Baty before a truly monolithic musical break. Doom fans will bask in the nature of these guitars before the tempo again kicks into a gear with swathes of psychedelia batting around another fierce solo.

The Weatherman is a deeper, more sinister affair. It evokes the moods of Crippled Black Phoenix in it’s nature and style. It is discordant, despairing and vicious. Again, Baty takes centre stage with his gut wrenching vocals. It’s hard not to make comparison with early 70’s Pink Floyd in the ethereal musical coda.

Mr. Medicine is a short and punchy number that harks back to classic Kyuss and Karma To Burn. Pipe Down! opens with lyrics spat in your face before the groove of the song shimmies and sways throughout. ‘Some of the lyrics within Pipe Down! are really great. And as I try to understand the state I’m in, I realise that I can’t swim, so I make my body weightless and explore.’ Again, the music defies gravity and soars in ways that beg your attention.

Atlas Stone heads back down the psychedelia route with some cosmic flourishes added into the musical concoction. It is hard not to grin from ear to ear when you get yourself deeply immersed in Land Of Sleeper. Ball Lightening closes out the album. It kicks off in slightly subdued fashion with a simple piano motif straining around the fuzz bass line. Lead guitar lines feel atonal as they duel with Baty’s vocals. As the track, and the album reaches a conclusion, the music is frankly towering.

Land Of Sleeper is another majestic trip into the world of Pigs x7. This band never fail to deliver the goods and this album is another stellar addition to the already stunning body of work that Pigs x7 have amassed in just over a decade of releases. Long may they reign.

You can find tour dates for Pigs x7 here. Check out the video for Ultimate Hammer below.

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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