Whereas 2023’s Land Of Sleeper was conceived as an immersive headphones experience, this time Pigsx7 strove for something more directly hostile. “We wanted it to be a slap in the face,” grins producer and guitarist Sam Grant. That objective came, in part, from playing so many gigs over the last couple of years. The band felt well-oiled and ripe to give listeners at home the kind of pummelling their audiences receive. Death Hilarious does bring in some big surprises, particularly the track “Glib Tongued”, which has guest bars by El-P from Run The Jewels. When bassist John-Michael Hedley unwittingly wrote what his bandmates considered their equivalent of a hip-hop number, Pigsx7 set their sights high and secured a blistering contribution from one of the world’s greatest rappers.
That’s not to say Pigsx7 have pivoted to nu-metal. Death Hilarious is a diversely punishing record which shapeshifts through Sabbathian doom, grotesquely minimalist noise rock and cyclical post-metal fortissimos. Pigsx7 continue to push themselves, too. Incongruous synthesiser solos appear where guitar histrionics would usually fit. Piano tracks lurk in the mix, adding near-subliminal depth to the maelstrom. “Stitches” is like Motörhead trying to perform glam rock with a tipsy keyboardist. Then there’s the 100mph pace of cosmic-thrash opener ‘Blockage’. Distorted licks flying from the amplifiers of Grant and lead guitarist, Adam Ian Sykes, while the rhythm section sizzle behind. Along with this exciting news announcement, the band have also released a new single, the aforementioned “Stitches” – you can watch the wonderful, animated video directed by the extremely talented Ben Faircloth below this article. This is what vocalist, Matt Batty from the band says about “Stitches”, “I’m aware our band sits in a world largely commandeered by bravado, confidence and machoism, but Stitches is an expression of vulnerability, paradoxical emotions and those so familiar pangs of anxiety I wrestle with while butting heads with societal expectations and personal struggles”. With all that power running through its veins, Death Hilarious is easily going to be one of the best rock records of 2025…and that is no joke!
Death Hilarious will be released on April 4th via Rocket Recordings. Pre-orders are now available here.
