RSS Feed


THE MIGHTY SWINE
Last Man Standing

Broad Horizon (2014)
Rating: 9/10

“Don’t let your mind now be so shallow, you bet fear what’s comin’ your way,” warns vocalist / bassist Mike Skimmerhorn (Chastain, ex-CJSS, ex-Spike) of Cincinnatti, Ohio-based hard rockers The Mighty Swine.

The lyrics are from the track ‘Last Man Standing’, a rousing, belligerent effort from a band that has returned from its hiatus in order to march into the annals of metal folklore. Last Man Standing is the second release from this band with a line-up that also features guitarists Stacey Donahue and Jeff Tong, and drummer Rory Faciane.

Now, if – like me – you like your metal straight up, best served hard and with a big enough kick to knock you back into your chair then you’re going to love this. This is some ballsy Midwest metal that comes out fighting straight from the off. Eleven tracks, each boasting a punchy rhythm section that isn’t afraid to go below the belt to make itself dominant. It may be bereft of frills, but who needs glitz and glamour when you’ve got a bunch of hardened musicians who will tear out your jugular in a split second?

With the promotional track ‘Last Man Standing’ exhibiting a bruising riff, I’m oddly reminded of 80s Canadian metalheads Sword and chest-busting cult rockers Anvil, merely in the sense that this is pumped up, serious rock music that doesn’t veer from its path.

Delivered like a juggernaut coming down the freeway, The Mighty Swine is a well-oiled, much experienced war machine fuelled by churning riffs, thunderous drums and a vocalist who just knows how to bellow. It’s in your face, driving, pounding metal for the masses; an immovable object cluttered full of intense, hurting, brooding anthems such as ‘Empty Shell’, ‘Vengeance Is Mine’ and ‘Dead Man’s Stare’.

One can only commend the production values of one Rob Nadler who has given this record such a fat sound that as every riff is executed and each drum beat resonates, one may begin to feel as if they’ve walked into a bulldozer. It seems a rare thing to hear such a pure metal album in the modern age, because although this opus most certainly has progressive edges – especially in the monstrous percussion – I’ve longed for an album that just sets out its stall and mows the listener into submission by way of crushing structures and deadly dynamics.

All manner of riotous metal bands spring to mind with this beefy behemoth; think Judas Priest copulating with, say, Armored Saint or even a swarthy Black Sabbath mixed with the aforementioned Sword and Savatage, who were one of my favourite bands from the 80s. This is just clumping, clanking metal that boasts smooth edges, brooding subtlety and more importantly a batch of songs which rain down upon the listener like a pile of bricks dropped from a great height. For me it’s ‘Thick As Thieves’ which more than pays homage to the 80s, but the band exists in its own void of straight-laced prime where no real categories exist, the only intention being as hard as nails.

Behind this solid ball of rock are numerous progressive threads, however, which enable the likes of ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘Rite Of Passage’ to break from the often limiting heavy metal boundaries and crush all in their wake. But just when some may not be convinced that The Mighty Swine are contenders to the vacant metal throne, they finish you off with a staggering cover of Judas Priest’s classic ‘Hell Bent For Leather’. Rarely do I tend to use American wordage, but this album not only smokes, it also kicks some serious ass!

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share