The most anticipated grind album, no…the most anticipated album of 2012 has finally graced my ears and I have great news for you long time Piggie D faithful fans out there: Book Burner is no fucking punk. Hit after hit, this album is your hate anthem of the year. Featuring 19 tracks of pure rage and gnarly songs, Book Burner does not and will not disappoint the listener. It’s strange how something so loud, fast and heavy can have such a killer groove. Do exactly what the instructions tell you to do inside the manual: Listen to this at maximum volume. You’ll be continuously headbanging through the entire album. Each member of the band does their part to make this one of the most ferocious albums of 2012.

I’m glad to announce that the venom J.R. spits is back. Track after track he screams, growls and screeches this poetic words into your ears. Those frenzied screams are always something I’ve respected about Pig Destroyer, Hayes’ vocal approach is one of a kind and his heart bleeds out on every album. His dark story telling lyrics make Pig Destroyer even more unique because it’s not about government, murder and religion….it’s more than that….it’s short story after short story. A writing style I respect more than anything.

Let’s talk about the guitar writing for a second. Scott Hull is on the axe. Think about this and come to your own conclusion. Yes, his riffs are amazing. Grind, death, doom, sludge, stoner, spastic and rad: Hull tears it the fuck up on Book Burner. Even the slower riffs will make you want to snap your neck as you headbang to his whirlwind of riffs. He could be play at 1 bpm or 9999999 bpm and he would still somehow blow you away. His hands do murderous artwork and the songs somehow survive and tell the tale of his inner working mind. From rabid power chords to intense galloping palm muted glory, Hull’s guitar work is pure hate. Not to mention Hull produced, engineered and mastered this thing….he is incredibly important in this freight train of a band. Without him none of this would be nearly as good as it is.

Blake Harrison apparently does some noise on this album as well, working the electronic samples and doing some vocal work as well. It’s hard to pinpoint his exact contribution to the album besides the obvious samples at the beginning of some tracks. Adam Jarvis behind the kit does impress the SHIT out of me. Track after track, blast after blast his assault on the skins and cymbals is mind blowing. He is so damn aggressive on Book Burner and it’s probably the most incredible thing you’ll hear this year in terms of extreme drumming. His style and attack is primal and merciless, it’s not just all mindless blast 24/7 either. His stylized timing and rhythm on the drums is particular and well executed. He is a machine, yes. However, he is a machine with a conscious thought process for well played drumming and each hit on the snare, crash or drum kick is vital and necessary. Adam Jarvis plays his heart out on this album and it’ll more than likely be the first thing you notice while listening to this album.

The songs, my god there isn’t one bad song on the album….nothing ugly or pointless. Each song serves a purpose, some of them straight to the point and only 32 seconds long. Many of the track on Book Burner are under 2 minutes, which keeps you moving and grooving. It never fails to hold your interest and does so with explosive writing and the constant blitz upon your ears will hold you down and beat the shit out of you with a music brick of furious emotions. You’ll be bloody, you’ll be sore and your ears will ring……but it’s the best ass whoopin you’ll ever receive. Book Burner is one hell of an album and it doesn’t let you down, not one bit. Old school fans, new fans and your mother’s father will agree: It’s the best thing to happen to metal since spiked leather shin guards, oh yeah. Nice fit!

You’ll be happy to know that there is very very little wrong with the album. Hayes’ vocal’s aren’t as strong as they used to be but it’s a very minuet difference between Terrifyer and Book Burner. I’d say it’s more of the pitch this time around and not so much the power. His voice is more raspy than screechy now, which doesn’t make too much of a difference to me, he still sounds fucking great. Also, the overall production is very good. It’s very thick and not as raw as past releases, which I welcome with open arms but grind elitist snobs may shit mountain dew when they hear this album. While it is definitely pure rage and grind, someone will surely bitch about the production being over done. If someone complains about it please shove them out of a moving truck….and be sure to be going at least 76 MPH. Thank you.

Book Burner will be readily available for mass consumption on October 22nd through Relapse Records. I highly suggest pre-ordering this beast to secure a copy. This is one of the best albums of 2012 for sure!

5 out of 5