Blessing The Hogs

Despite the level of notoriety Blessing The Hogs will no doubt instantly command for having notable metal producer Billy Anderson (Melvins, Eyehategod, Neurosis, Buzzov*en) in the band, Blessing The Hogs ably stands on their own two blackened hooves. Four new songs (including two covers) and nine tracks that previously appeared on their independently released self-titled debut of last year comprise The Poisoning, and it's an ugly, violent affair. Sick, abrasive and oppressive, Blessing The Hogs deliver unrelenting hostility via down-tuned riffing that is more metallic, complex and intricate than much of Anderson's producing pedigree would indicate. Still, the nods to sludge stalwarts such as -16- (especially in "Solvent Farmer," which loosely echoes "Fucked For Life,"), Buzzov*en, Eyehategod and Crowbar are present, but their sound is more based in metallic thrash and chugging repetition, not unlike a sludge/hatecore version of early Fear Factory, minus the grindcore, or early Prong, at their most severe. An utterly misanthropic air of menace and hostility envelopes the whole proceedings, and much like Lamb of God (who they now share a home with at Prosthetic/Metal Blade), Blessing The Hog's sinister sound, while maliciously metal, has the potential to cross genres throughout the underground.