Pig Destroyer's J.R. Hayes forms Virginia Creep (listen to "Vortex" from debut EP)
Pig Destroyer vocalist J.R. Hayes has a new band called Virginia Creep. Featuring members of the shoegaze-y Virginia punk outfit Tideland, among others, the band has announced a self-titled debut EP to be released on Robotic Empire. They’ve shared the first song, a haunting, ever-shifting track called “Vortex.”
The new band is quite a departure for the grindcore figurehead Hayes, as “Vortex” works with a kind of sludgy, southern-tinged post-hardcore that would have fit right in on Touch and Go in the 90s. It features clean vocals and direct lyrics from J.R. that we simply haven’t heard before. Long known for his obliterating screams and oblique, literary lyrics, there is surprise and a kind of satisfaction in hearing him deliver with such clarity, such a different kind of force. This is a strong first song, that should appeal to both post-hardcore people and Pig Destroyer fans for perhaps different reasons.
Meanwhile, Pig Destroyer have that huge tour with Napalm Death, The Black Dahlia Murder and Power Trip coming up. Tickets for the NYC show at Le Poisson Rouge on November 15 are still on sale.
Listen to “Vortex” below.
