Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs' current single, Glib Tongued, is a remarkable piece of art. A collision of sludge metal and glacial hip-hop, it's a dark, cautionary tale about the dangers of getting nostalgic for 'good old days' that never existed, its opening lyrics - "The silhouette of a flag / The murmuring of some national anthem" - evoking sickening memories of last summer's far-right, anti-immigration riots in England, before Run The Jewels rapper El-P takes the mic to spit bars referencing brutal acts of racial violence in America ("Notice that flag attached to pickup you've been dragged behind") that have yet to be consigned to history. It's hard to imagine any other band in the world creating such a striking song.
If the remaining eight tracks on Death Hilarious, the Newcastle quintet's fifth album, lean more closely to what one might expect to hear from a stoner/doom/psych rock band, they're no less excellent for it. Formed in 2012 as a side project for members of bleak North-East noise crew Khünnt and mind-frazzling freakazoids Blown Out, the quintet - vocalist Matt Baty, guitarists Sam Grant and Adam Sykes, bassist Johnny Hedley and drummer Ewan Mackenzie - have evolved into one of Britain's very best heavy bands, smart, socially aware, unpretentious and blessed with the most crushing riff arsenal this side of spiritual forefathers Black Sabbath.
