In May this year fellow Relapse record colleagues Pig Destroyer teamed up with The Dillinger Escape Plan, Into Eternity, Mayhem and At The Gates for the Extreme The Dojo 20 Japanese Tour. Amongst other things, I spoke with vocalist J.R. Hayes about his experience on that tour and the reception of their latest record Phantom Limb, which was released June last year on Relapse to an extremely favorable reception.
How was touring with The Dillinger Escape Plan recently? Did you find it enjoyable?Yeah, those guys are cool. Even though we've played together a few times over the years, I'd never really hung out with them, so I didn't know what to expect. They were very gracious. Plus, they're always fun to watch live. The stage is their personal jungle gym.
You have released quite a lot of your material on Relapse Records. What is you relationship with them (and record labels in general) like? It's great. They don't pressure us too much, which I appreciate. They let us take our time so we can make everything exactly the way we want. Then, when we finally get a record done, they promote the hell out of it. No complaints, really.
What do you think about bands like Radiohead or Nine Inch Nails who are self-releasing their albums?Good for them. Personally, I like having a label, 'cause they're the ones that do all the dirty work involved in promotion. Fuck that shit. I don't want anything to do with that. I just want to concentrate on writing and playing. It's kind of interesting though, how people can make records and then have them available to the public pretty much instantly. In my experience, it usually takes several months from the time the record's in the can for it to finally hit the streets.
Phantom Limb is an extraordinary album that “sees the band display more ebullient and straight-ahead sensibilities.” (Rock-A-Rolla) What were your intentions for this record as you headed into the studio?We just wanted to avoid the "concept album" nonsense this time and write the best songs we could, so each one could stand alone as well as being part of the whole. And of course, we wanted to make it brutal.
How would you describe your song-writing process for Phantom Limb? It was more efficient than usual. We're kind of used to writing and recording simultaneously, but this time we had everything written and polished before we even set foot in the studio. Having all that extra time to tweak the songs was awesome.
Do you think the recording and studio process for Phantom Limb is consistent with what you have done in the past, or were trying to tread new ground?Most of the time we record our own shit, but this time we wanted to venture into a "real" studio...mostly for the sake of the drums...the drum sounds have kind of been a thorn in our side the last couple records.
The overall reception to Phantom Limb has been extremely favorable. What do you account for the success of the new record?Some hard work and inspiration from us...some hard work from Relapse...and of course, the support of our fans. It's a team effort.
How did you go about selecting John Dyer Baizley to do the artwork for the new record?I really dug his art for the first Baroness record, I loved the psychedelic aspect of his style and the vibrant colors he uses. The "terrifyer" art is very stark and bare...so I wanted something with some more depth this time. Something that would draw you in.
Scott Hull has mentioned visual artist Matthew Barney as having an influence on his music. Do you share Scott’s admiration?I'm not as familiar with his work as Scott is, but I do appreciate his sense of grandeur. He comes up with some epic, breathtaking visuals.
What current bands interest and excite you?
Pygmy Lush, Weekend Nachos, Plague Bringer, Endless Blockade, and even though they're not new...Rotten Sound's new album slays everything.
What’s next for Pig Destroyer?
Hopefully we'll find time to write a couple grindcore songs between all the shots of vodka.
Pig Destroyer will commence an Australian and New Zealand tour this October thanks to the great booking agent/record label Heathen Skulls (of Grey Daturas fame).
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Spreading Like Wings Interviews:
Ben Weinman of The Dillinger Escape Plan
J.R. Hayes of Pig Destroyer
Labels: Interviews, J.R. Hayes, Pig Destroyer, Special Features, Tour
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