Pig Destroyer + Encrust + Early Graves + KEN Mode @ Public Assembly, Brooklyn NYC

Few things excite me as much as the CMJ Music Marathon. Every year, members of community and college stations across North America congregate in New York City to meet up with promoters, talk about how to improve their radio stations, and of course see tons of live music.

This year, when looking through the schedule of bands, few things stood out to me as much as getting the chance to see grindcore mainstay Pig Destroyer. This was something I looked forward to even more after listening to the new album Book Burner, which if you haven't heard, I suggest you do so post haste, and just because I'm a nice guy, I'll wait for you to do so.

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Okay, good now? So, now you see why I was so excited to catch them, and with Chicago metal-heads Encrust also on the bill, I really had no choice but to check it out. So I got the venue and staked out a spot against the wall, which was where I stood the entire night.

Encrust actually started the show, and was pretty damn impressive. Their blend of metal ranging from doom to thrash to death, and all points in between, was nothing short of amazing. If From Birth to Soil isn't on your listening list, you should change that.

Early Graves was up next with some thrash-influenced metal that was really solid. This was followed by the most shocking performance of the night by Canada's own KEN Mode. I listened to KEN Mode before, but I thought their albums weren't really that special. After their set though, it was clear that I should probably give their back catalogue another listen, because their performance was intense.

Of course all of this was a prelude to the formidable sounds of Pig Destroyer. The show was completely packed and everyone hung on every excessively loud note. They played about of hour of songs ranging from the new album all the way back to the first demo they ever recorded. After the show, I walked out, bleary, tired, and felt like I had been physically assaulted, so I think it's safe to say that Pig Destroyer did their job and then some.

Just in case you missed it and you really wanted to check it out, or you just need a fix until Pig Destroyer comes near you, Metal Sucks has the entire set hosted on their website.

--Andrew Wixq hosts Grade A Explosives, Sundays 4-6pm