Everything Is Good
Prehistoric Pigs
•
September 23, 2015
Hailing from Italy, PREHISTORIC PIGS is an instrumental stoner metal trio that consists of brothers Juri Tirelli on guitar and Jacopo Tirelli on bass, and their cousin Mattia Piani on drums. Their sound heavily resembles bands such as KYUSS, HIGH ON FIRE, and BONGRIPPER, as well as influences from other subgenres of metal. Their newest album "Everything is Good" came out through The Smoking Goat Records and offers 57 minutes of crashing riffs.
"Everything is Good I" starts off the album with a typical groovy stoner rock riff that slowly builds up to a louder, heavier part, which eventually moves into a trippy, dark interlude, and then again builds up again to a crashing ending. Right from the beginning of the album, PREHISTORIC PIGS show how they heavily focus on dynamics and emphasize every transition in their songs. "Universally Droning" comes up next, and the band changes gears and dive into a destructive riff that comes like a tornado of noise, destroying all in its path. However, the same riff constantly repeats for over 5 minutes and at some point, some listeners might find it annoying or boring.
The next track, "Red Fields", starts with an oriental riff played by a classical guitar, which all of a sudden changes into a heavily-fuzzed electric guitar. The song goes on with the same pattern, proving once again how the band members rely on dynamics so significantly. A fast-paced riff starts playing in the last minute of the track and brings up the excitement, right before bringing it back down with a disappointing fadeout. However, the excitement comes back in when "Shut Up, It's Raining Tolks" starts, featuring a fiery JIMI HENDRIX-influenced guitar solo soaring above the bass and drum fills backing it. However, the solo lasts for almost five minutes before transitioning into a doom metal-inspired ending, and once again, some listeners might find it a drag.
The 10 minute odyssey "When The Trip Ends", comes up next, and the band slows down drastically, playing an atmospheric, dreamy stoner rock track that slowly builds up to a massive doom metal riff, right before diving back into the quietness. Even though the band continues sticking to its guns, it seems like no new ideas are brought to the table, which makes the track a little less exciting.
"Hypnodope" is another interesting track. The song begins with heavily fuzzed droning guitar chords, and a sample of mysterious whispers. Suddenly, a cello solo comes out of nowhere as a big surprise. While cellos usually add beauty and melody to the music, in this case the cello emphasizes the disturbing, unsettling nature of this song, making it creepier. The band plays the same riff over and over, however they slowly go heavier throughout the song and build up to the apex - crashing drums, destructive walls of guitars, and the cello comes back, playing short, tiny notes that add a lot of character.
The band all of a sudden speeds up once again in "Zug" with a fast-paced mosh pit riff that will automatically make you bang your head. Except for a short quiet break, the band maintains the energy of the song and does allow breathing space.
The closer, "Everything is Good II" starts with a riff that could most likely come out of an EYEHATEGOD song, which transitions into a devastating doom metal riff, and immediately goes into a post rock-influenced interlude. However, instead of a climatic grand finale, the quiet interlude switches into droning noise and fades away, which is a little disappointing.
As far as issues and concerns go, "Everything is Good" is not in a perfect spot. Some of the tracks on this album feature very poor production. The guitars and the bass are often distorted too much and do not blend together properly. At other times, when the guitar is playing the lead part, the bass is not loud enough even though it should shine through a little more. And lastly, as mentioned before, some of the riffs and the parts on this album are overly repetitive and drag for too long, and that might burden some listeners.
In conclusion, "Everything is Good" is not a bad stoner metal album, but requires acquired taste. While some might find it thrilling and exciting, others might find it uninteresting and dull. However, it's only up to you, so definitely be sure to give this album a listen!<
6 / 10
Had Potential
"Everything Is Good" Track-listing:
1. Everything Is Good
2. Universally Droning
3. Red Fields
4. Shut Up, It's Raining Tolks
5. When the Trip Ends
6. Hypnodope
7. Zug
8. Everything is Good II
Prehistoric Pigs Lineup:
Juri Tirelli - Guitar
Jacopo Tirelli - Bass
Mattia Piani - Drums
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