Pig Destroyer fans have been anxiously waiting for a new studio album for five years now. And finally, after appearing on “Most Anticipated” lists for the past several years, the band has delivered Book Burner. Vocalist J.R. Hayes fills us in on the album.
There has been a lineup change since your last album. What led to Brian? Harvey's departure, and how did you decide on Adam Jarvis as his? replacement??
J.R.

Hayes: Our relationship with Brian had run it's course. I wasn't prepared to continue with the status quo. We've known Adam for a while from playing with Misery Index. He wanted the job from day one and he worked really hard to earn it.?

How come there was a five year break between albums??
We were in upheaval as a band. There was a time when I wasn't sure if the band would go on or not. It took us a while to put ourselves back together.?

When did you embark on the songwriting process for what became Book Burner?
?Some of these songs have been kicking around for a few years. Some of the lyrics go back to the time right after Phantom Limb.

What was your mindset going in as far as musical direction, and did the ?finished songs end up that way??
We don't really have a lot of goals outside of "fast/brutal". I was happy that we had more short songs this time.?

How was the experience recording the album in Scott Hull's studio??
It was great. We had lots of new equipment to (mess) with.?

Who were some of the guest musicians you brought aboard for the album??
We brought in Rich and Kat from ANb, and Jason from Misery Index.?

How did you decide on the cover songs for the Blind, Deaf & Bleeding disc ?that comes with the deluxe edition?
? We thought instead of just a bunch of random cover songs, we would have more of a theme, in this case American hardcore songs from the '80s. I chose Void, Scott chose Black Flag, Blake chose Circle Jerks, etc. We probably would've done a few more if we'd had time. They were a lot of fun to record.

?A short story you wrote is also included with that edition. Does the ?theme of the story tie in with the album's concept??
Only very loosely. I didn't want to tie it in too much, since the story was only going to be included with the deluxe version.?

Have you written and/or published other fiction??
Just the stuff that's Pig Destroyer related. I (mess) around with other (stuff), but I don't know if I'll end up publishing any of it.?

With that delay, it seems expectations from fans and critics is even ?higher than usual. What are your expectations for the album??
My expectations for the album have already been met, as I feel like we put everything we had into this record and I'm really happy about the songs, the production, the art, all of it. I really hope the fans feel the same way, but we'll have to wait and see.?

You have a handful of North American dates scheduled. Pig Destroyer ?doesn't tour a whole lot. Will that be the case for this album as well?
I don't see us changing any time soon. We like things just the way they are.