We're stoked to announce that we will be releasing the blasting, angry, hardcore tirade that is the new King of Pigs album, 'After Victory Comes Defeat'.
First issued in limited edition by Flying Skulls Records and now on general release as a CD from Engineer Records, these eleven new songs blast by in around twenty minutes of the most intense punk-rock hardcore you'll have heard.
Check out the reviews below...
Louder Than War...
Nottingham thrashers King Of Pigs return with another dose of Boston style hardcore. Nathan Brown dons a bandana and stage dives off the sofa.
A bit of feedback, some snare rolls and then we’re off on the King of Pigs rollercoaster. Waaaheeeey! The rhythm section clearly ate Motorhead’s Overkill for breakfast with all that gnarly 4 string distortion, barreling snare and occasional double kick attack. While the whirlwind powerhouse of Jay and Emmet provide the propulsion, Ben’s guitar riffs fly out at breakneck speed to set the direction. He’s a similar style to Bazz from Ripcord and Heresy if you ask me. Meanwhile singer Andy starts fairly sedate with an almost bored tone before building up to the screams of someone exorcising mental torment. If you like fast this is one for you. To coin an overused saying “Hardcore you know the score”. We are talking Siege, Ripcord, Heresy, SSD etc. The “slow” bits (slow for King of Pigs, faster than your average band) are very reminiscent of these 80s hardcore bands too with a very chuggy sound, and always returning back to the fast riff afterwards.
The 11 songs are done in under 20 mins. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that most of the songs (all except two) are under the 2 minute mark. I’m happy with that. It rips your face off. The band’s own take on things is that they wanted to focus on “quality not quantity”. I think they’ve made the right move. I remember records loaded with lots of fast tracks that were pretty much unlistenable because the quality was lower than the sound of a wasp trying to escape a biscuit tin.
King Of Pigs have a line in hilarious song titles like Satanic Housewife Death Rattle but when they open with War Hymns for the Under Fives you know they aren’t totally immersed in nonsense. Speaking of nonsense, the combination of Holy Hand Grenade and another called Rabbit Trigger made me wonder, is there a Monty Python Holy Grail theme? Holy Hand Grenade is possibly my favourite of the bunch, sandwiching an extra slow and extra heavy break down between Larm or Drop Dead levels of speed.
Gadgie Fanzine Review...
KING OF PIGS “After Victory Comes Defeat”
What a time to be alive! Straight on to this bugger then and lumme, it’s a powerhouse Hardcore head butt, and their most accomplished release to date. Live and in the flesh, the ‘PIGS have often approached Urko levels of intensity but here, on the new ‘un, while still being pretty raging, they have elements of the thrashers of twenty years ago who, in thrall to 80s Hardcore like Gang Green and Minor Threat, were sending us all crackers up and down the country. Vitamin X and half the Kangaroo Records roster … you remember those days yeah? The so called “Thrash Revival” … ‘twas magnificent madness. The Urko vibe I was getting is still there in the lyrics though – song titles like “I Was At My Lowest Point And Then I Met You” or “War Hymns For The Under Fives” never mind “70% Cnut 30% Human” – and they are clearly still not impressed with the way of the World these days to say the least. Not unlike SHREDS. you can hear the influence of the likes of SSD and Negative Approach on most tracks and where our mates SHREDS. went wandering down a more sing-a-long yoof crew avenue, KING OF PIGS are more likely to be nicking your bike and pushing you in to some nettles. The buggers. Another smashing album from the UK’s thriving Punk Rock scene. To quote my dearly departed Grandma, “Eeee, we don’t know we’re born these days!” KING OF PIGS as an Easter exploits analogy though? Probably best described by likening it to that time we all went out to play “Army” over the old railway lines and took pen knifes in the arm pocket of our Bomber Jackets in case the lads who were older than us and had bigger sticks than us who chased us last time were there but all we encountered in the end was the Dog Shit tree which, I may have mentioned before. These different, and softer, lads saw us clambering about on our latest climbing tree that we had claimed as ours and in a territory dispute, got in to an argument with ‘em as they reckoned it was theirs. They soon scarpered when we told ‘em we all had pen knifes in our pockets – mine even had nail clippers, a bottle opener and tweezers on it, proper tooled up eh? – but returned after we’d left and daubed the tree in dog shit. The spiteful little feckers eh? Fancy doing that.
Suspect Device Fanzine review…
KING OF PIGS - After Victory Comes Defeat CD
Just before we were locked down in 2020, King Of Pigs came to Southampton on a Sunday afternoon and showed us how punk should be played; with passion and intensity and a sense of fun. Their first two albums were on constant rotation soon after as we stayed home to avoid getting covid. Now they are back and they are thrilling me all over again with 11 new examples of their rampaging, fast and furious hardcore. Taking the likes of Negative Approach and Poison Idea as a template and adding their own UKHC influences to the mix, you will no doubt be reminded of of some old favourites from time to time as the songs zip by in a whirlwind of thrashing guitars, crashing drums, thundering bass and great punk rock vocals. This is just great from start to finish and will undoubtedly be part of many 2024 top ten lists, mine included.
King Of Pigs (Tony)