Puig Destroyer
Puig Destroyer
The Ghost Is Clear Records (2013)
Sounds like: Grindcore with blast beats, brutal breakdowns, and a baseball theme.
Score: 8/10
After a grueling 162 game season, the 2013 Major League Baseball playoffs have finally arrived, and so has the new six song 7” from Puig Destroyer.
Now you may ask, “What is the connection here?,” with the answer being the following: Puig Destroyer is a new baseball themed grindcore band fronted by Mike Minnick of LV’s own Curl Up and Die. Turns out Mike is quite a baseball fan, as is drummer Riley Breckenridge from the band Thrice, the other brainchild behind this new band. The fact that Mike is a San Francisco Giants fan and is backing a bitter enemy rival like Puig should probably be discussed at some point, but let’s stick to a rundown of this release for now.
At first glance, this 7” may throw a knuckleball at some, as the name Puig Destroyer is obviously a take on Pig Destroyer, with both band names presented in the same font. The record is also dressed up as a classic crust/grind record with stark black and white graphics and the band members, song titles, and recording information all stenciled on the back cover. Only upon closer inspection would one notice the L.A. Dodgers’ newest slugger, Yasiel Puig, blasting a home run on the cover (no, this isn’t a new Infest 7”).
I also particularly love the vinyl here, which is a beautiful slab of half white/half Dodger Blue wax. The A and B side labels on the record are also white and blue respectively (“Home” and “Away” sides) and the initials “PD” on each label use the same font as the “LA” on the Dodgers’ ball cap. Even the record matrix stays true to form, as side 1 is stamped “Fuck The Walk,” while side 2 states “Destroy The Ball.”
As for the actual music, this is modern grindcore complete with blast beats and brutal breakdowns. I’m sure true fans of the style will eat these six songs up like a Dodger Dog, as should anyone that enjoyed Mike’s former band, Curl Up and Die. Admittedly, grind is not my every game Cracker Jack, but there is enough here to hold my musical interest, especially in the form of some cool guitar riffs and head banging breaks. Hell, it’s all over in less time than it takes Clayton Kershaw to strike out the side anyway.
The only thing that truly hurts this release is the lack of a lyric sheet, which equates to multiple major league errors, especially when the bulk of the vocals are almost entirely indecipherable by ear. Luckily, I was able to find full lyrics for every song on the band’s Bandcamp page because I knew I would enjoy the sentiment behind song titles like “Destroyer of Baseballs,” “Basebrawl” and “Stop Fucking Bunting.” There’s even a feminist song thrown into the mix with “Nine and Never Apart,” but even that “Web Gem” will not earn this debut EP a Gold Glove.
This will inevitably be looked at as a novelty record by some, but as a baseball fan, I get it. The band Ten Yard Fight (a football inspired HC band from the ‘90s) of course comes to mind, and it will be interesting to see just how far the guys in Puig Destroyer can (or will) run with this idea before it loses momentum, just like TYF did shortly after a demo and a 7”. I’m sure the guys in PD will at least have another six songs of baseball inspired grind ready to go in the off season, and I look forward to the next AB (At Bat) from this band.
In the meantime, I only hope my favorite baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals, destroy Yasiel Puig and the Dodgers should they meet in the playoffs this year.
-Lance Wells
No Comments