Produced by guitarist Sam Grant, Pigs x 7’s follow-up to 2023’s Land Of Sleeper isn’t much of a sonic departure from the Newcastle behemoths, but still has some crispy little winners. From the early ’80s Motorhead-inspired ‘Blockage’ to the psychedelic, frazzled ‘Collider’ it is of course all underpinned by Matthew Baty’s relentless, snarling vocals and sardonic humour.

Much more minimalist than previous studio albums, it’s perhaps not as immediate but that doesn’t stop it from burrowing deep into your bones after a few listens. ‘Stitches’ tackles the complex vagaries of male anxiety; ‘Detroit’ is a sludgy, slow wade into a tarpit, and my personal favourite ‘Toecurler’ is a sleazy, staccato tease of a thing – burlesque metal, anyone?

The only real surprise in the album’s arsenal arrives in the form of a collaboration between the porkers and Run The Jewels rapper El-P on the track ‘Glib Tongued’. And it works beautifully, his caustic lyrics complementing the band’s green fuzz.

Only Glasgow metal band Holy Mountain can rival Pigs x 7’s commitment to forging new shapes from the post-Sabbath template. The dial may not quite be up to 11 here, but despite the raw, stripped back approach to production and an – at times – unlikely emphasis on lyrical candour, there’s no faulting the band’s passion and focus. In their trotters, Death is not the end, nor even a footnote.