UMUR
"Live and Learn" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Nevada based grindcore act Righteous Pigs. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in 1989. Righteous Pigs formed in 1986 in Las Vegas and featured future Napalm Death guitarist Mitch Harris in the lineup.
Stylistically the material on "Live and Learn" is raw, noisy, aggressive, and filthy grindcore. Sometimes a little chaotic in nature, but the band are well playing, delivering their parts with great precision and they also understand the importance of variation, so while they often blast away at a furiously fast-paced tempo, they play heavier mid-paced parts too, and the combination works wonders as the music never become monotonous. There´s always something new happening within the tracks. One other thing the band do well are the delivery of the vocals and the occasional hook phrase/lyric line, which makes you remember the tracks. For example the lyrics for "I Hope You Die in a Hotel Fire", which resembles the kind of sick and depraved lyrics artists like Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Pig Destroyer would produce 10-15 years down the line. Lead vocalist Joe Caper has a raw, powerful, shouting delivery. His performance here is savage and authentic. The whole band actually sounds like they are standing in a rehearsal room next to you, that´s how unpolished and raw "Live and Learn" is.
So this is an album for those who enjoy the most harsh and noisy grindcore (without entering noisecore territory). It´s old school grindcore, which is basically a fast-paced and furiously aggressive take on hardcore punk. Many artists have played the style over the years with varying degrees of success, but Righteous Pigs manage to put enough of their own spin on the style to stand out. The fact that they are skilled musicians doesn´t exactly hurt their case either. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.