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OUT OF THE BARNYARD

Fright Pig

Symphonic Prog


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Fright Pig Out Of The Barnyard album cover
3.95 | 264 ratings | 16 reviews | 21% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
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Studio Album, released in 2013

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Re: Creation (6:37)
2. Incident at Pembroke (5:06)
3. The Meaning of Dreams (6:26)
4. Barque at the Lune (4:32)
5. Darkest of Forms (8:28)
6. Presumido (4:36)
7. The Claustrophobia of Time (8:28)

Total Time 44:13

Line-up / Musicians

- Josh Kirsch / keyboards, composer & producer

With:
- Kyle Gordon / vocals
- Derek Corzine / guitar, bass
- Ben Wise / guitar
- David Gennaro / guitar
- "Thumper" / drums


Note: The actual instrumentation could not be fully confirmed at this moment

Releases information

Artwork: Ed Unitsky

CD self-released (2013, US)

Thanks to Second Life Syndrome for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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FRIGHT PIG Out Of The Barnyard ratings distribution


3.95
(264 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(21%)
21%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(41%)
41%
Good, but non-essential (29%)
29%
Collectors/fans only (6%)
6%
Poor. Only for completionists (3%)
3%

FRIGHT PIG Out Of The Barnyard reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by AtomicCrimsonRush
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Fright Pig is a full blown prog band that utilises the symphonic ELP sound of Hammond organ with heavy distorted guitars and dreamy vocals; a little like Kansas, or Shadow Circus. 'Re: Creation' kicks "Out of the Barnyard" off with a synth soaked song, replete with Porcupine Tree style vocals and lifting into layers of heavy guitar riffs and odd nuances that are reminiscent of Gentle Giant or even the theatrics of early Gabriel era Genesis. It is an unusual blend of styles but certainly captures the attention of the listener. The time sigs spiral all over the place and the musicianship is a tour de force of keyboard finesse and rhythmic bass, drum and guitar foundations. There are some wonderful harmonies and layered vocals throughout and a solid melody drives the song. 'Incident at Pembroke' is an instrumental that opens with a Flamenco guitar vibrations, in many ways akin to the Celtic sounds of Ayreon's 'Loser'. The distorted guitar chords break in to remind us this is no ordinary artist. Fright Pig merge styles constantly and are hard to pin down but captivating all the time. There are some great lead breaks on this track and the maypole dance jig gives it a curiously Irish flavour.

'The Meaning of Dreams' is a song about nightmares of dark and disturbing things. The Hammond is a dominant force and the melodic singing is more forceful here, and again multilayered with nice harmonies. The guitar is solid and at one point chugs out some metal sounds as the keyboard playfully runs away. It is great when the band take off, especially with extended keyboard and guitar trade offs. The twin lead guitar break is fabulous, resounding with high string bends and fret melting speed picking. This may be the best track on the album; a sheer delight.

'Barque at the Lune' is as whimsical as the satirical title that stabs at Ozzy Osbourne's infamous song. It is basically a reimagining of the lead break from that song with some added bells and whistles. Killer lead guitar throughout.

'Darkest of Forms' is a progalicious track with more Keyboard attacks and guitar crescendos to savour. 'Presumido' is an instrumental with tons of heavy duty guitar riffing and some gorgeous acoustic guitar. There is a Spanish feel towards the end when the high speed guitar picking takes over. The grandiose track is supplemented with splashes of Hammond and waves of galloping metal chunks.

'The Claustrophobia of Time' ends the album with pigs slopping, and grunting, mimicking the album cover. Then an Emerson like Hammond run cranks along til it breaks into angelic synth tones. The vocals are welcome and speak of weird symbolic experiences; "the good, the bad, sublime and sad, all make their presence known." An extended instrumental break has some spacey sounds and a psychedelic vibe for a while, then it breaks into glorious swathes of synth, till a grinding guitar riff is heard and an ascending Hammond.

Overall "Out of the Barnyard" is a tremendous Symphonic Prog album with a myriad of styles culminating in one amazing aural soundscape. The musicianship is extraordinary and it has enough variation to appease any proghead who enjoys musical innovation, Hammond mixed with heavy guitar, and a bold inventive approach to the genre.

Review by Ivan_Melgar_M
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars A pig that won't end it's days as bacon

Let's be honest, when Out of the Barnyard was suggested and read the musicians pseudonyms all related with pigs, thought that this was another bad joke and only listened it because it's my duty, but in the moment the music started my opinion changed in 180° degrees. For God's sake, the record is not only is elaborate, intelligent, daring, but also like a breeze of fresh air......This is how modern Symphonic must sound..After 30 years of Prog listening, I should have learned not to judge a band for their eccentricities, because this weird characteristics are part of what makes them unique and brilliant.

The album is opened by Re Creation, and at this point I'm already speechless, after a soft and mysterious introduction where Pig Maillion demonstrates the versatility of his voice, they shoot us with heavy artillery, the band gives everything they have, from some sort Indie related Prog, to lush keyboard sections, acoustic guitars and almost metallic riffs with nice choirs and strong melodies, but blended in such way that nothing sounds out of place, this is a brilliant opening.

I've been searching a phrase to describe Incident At Pembroke, but after several listens, I could only think in something like "Frantic Symphonic-Celtic Prog Metal with Flamenco Leanings", yes I know that this makes the same sense as an astronaut in a barnyard, but if you listen the track, everything is coherent, the blend of such incompatible genres is made with such good taste and dexterity that I can't imagine changing a single note. One word to describe it....BRILLIANT.

The Meaning of Dreams is some sort of SYMPHONY X nightmare (But hey I like nightmares), as if the FRIGHT PIG had taken the best from The Odyssey, and added GENTLE GIANT dissonances plus a bit of GENESIS, simply delightful. A special mention to the guitar work, really broke all my schemes.

I won't make comparisons with the Ozzy song, Barque at the Lune is on another league, from the nice piano intro to the elaborate synths and killer guitar, you can feel the quality, a perfect blend between Symphonic, Classical piano and Heavy Prog, make of this song one of my favorites of the album.

Darkest of Forms is a Proghead's dream, just ask for something and you'll find it, and works perfectly when placed side to side with the contradictory (again, contradictory is good) guitar based Presumido (Cocky) with the collision between Flamenco and Hard Rock, two tracks that must be listened together. No matter how hard I try, can't find a weak moment in the album.

The Claustrophobia Of Time is the cherry on top of that pie called Out of the Barnyard, one of the best tracks I heard in the last years, don't want to spoil the listener's experience with cheap words, so will just recommend to listen that Hammond.

I Never give 5 stars to a debut, because there's no worst course for a new band than a brilliant album to start their career, but this time I will make an exception, because any lower rating would be unfair, and I'm 100% sure that FRIGHT PIG will be able to pass the bar they set so high with this outstanding record.

Review by Second Life Syndrome
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars What do you get when you combine symphonic soundscapes, thundering instrumental passages, a hefty touch of American folk music, and a slightly disturbing pig pseudonym? Fright Pig! Like others have said, I was afraid this pig would be nothing but a bunch of bologna, but this band has completely convinced me that they have a sound that is honey- cured and slow-roasted. In fact, this music is as tender as it is meaty.

Had enough of the puns yet? I sure hope not. No, seriously, I'll stop. Fright Pig is a large group of musicians (I have no idea how many) that have taken the challenge to create something fresh and new in progressive rock. They have gone places where others do not dare to tread, and they have taken normal progressive standards and performed them to the max. First of all, this album is mostly instrumental. About half the tracks are completely instrumental, and some of the others are mostly so. I honestly am kind of disappointed by this, though; as the vocalist has a ton of range and a clear, tone-rich sound that comes from his pesky snout. No squealing, I promise.

On the other hand, I'm glad that the album focuses so much on instrumental passages, for these animals have the chops, the compositional know-how, and the pure gusto to relax you and get your blood pumping at the same time. Keyboards have a huge range of sound, from a creepy carnival style to electronic to blazing piano lines. Simply incredible. Guitars are steel-hard and so ominous at times that I feel I need to duck as they fly overheard. The bass notes are very dark and lend to the overall shadowy feeling, even during the brighter moments. And the drum---THE DRUMS. Holy pork rinds, Batman; I think this may be the best drum performance of the year. This guy has the gull to give us impossibly complex blast beats in a symphonic album---one with squaring-dancingly good times in it, as well. How dare he!! The guy's a genius, and I can't get enough of the drums.

So, don't let the admittedly scary piggy alias drive you away from this masterpiece. With such incredibly composed instrumentals as "Incident at Pembroke" and "Barque at the Lune" and "Presumido", this album just doesn't miss. The vocalist, too, nails his performances, especially on "The Claustrophobia of Time" and "Re_Creation". If the rest of the world wants to eat their swill, so be it. I'll be eating this fine tenderloin. (puns, puns, and more puns) And, no, I have no problem giving a debut album 5 stars.

Review by Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars The mysterious Fright Pig's debut album is such a confident tour de force that I'm forced to wonder whether we will discover more familiar prog names behind their porcine disguises somewhere down the line.

The album is a marvellous example of what I consider to be the most interesting strand in progressive rock at the moment - as exemplified by the most recent albums from Phideaux, Big Big Train, Galahad and even Marillion - with bands tearing up the genre rulebooks and feeling free to mix and match classic prog sounds with cutting edge musical techniques derived from more modern (and in some cases not even especially rock-oriented) musical genres.

Here the inspirations range from the folky to the electronic, underpinned with a piggy playfulness (see, for instance, the band's delirious reimagining of Bark At the Moon's riff...). Here's one prize porker that's no boar, and I hope to get more fine cuts from the Fright Pig in future.

Review by BrufordFreak
COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Fun, funny, witty, and excellent mimickry! The band sounds like a refined Iron Maiden. As other reviewers have mentioned, the musicianship is top notch, the singing impressive, the compositions very fresh and interesting, full of unexpected twists and turns. Where I have a problem with this music is that it draws from a lot of the kind of metal and prog metal for which I do not/have never found an affinity. The acoustic and Spanish guitar parts are my favorite parts but then they usually get blended into or drowned out by the electric parts. And I also agree that this is one of the more impressive displays on the batterie I've heard this year. Great 'start' from what sounds like a VERY seasoned 80s metal band. I'll wait till the next one to see if this is a fluke, all a fun-in-cheek parody, or the work of some serious prog artists.
Review by ProgShine
COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Fright Pig is a band (if we can call them like that) like no other in the Prog world. There are no names involved, at least not real names, and the real face of Fright Pig (the guy behind the project) is also unknown. Their line up (according to the booklet of the CD) is comprised of: Fright Pig (keyboards and compositions), Pig Maillion (vocals), Thumper (drums), Hogg Wilde (bass) and Hamm Onwry, Makon Baykon, Inna Pigsie, Pig Lee Whigli, Ray Zorbak (guitars). The album was also mixed by Porcio Royale and mastered by BaconHead?

Out Of The Barnyard (2013) is a weird album in concept. All the info about the band is like a big riddle and the artwork of Ed Unitsky on the cover and booklet is also weird, to say the least. When it comes to the music, they're not really weird. They're more likely to follow a pattern of vocal and instrumental songs and a pattern when it comes to the overall sound of the album.

Track one 're:Creation' is indeed an amazing opening track with a damn catchy melody and keyboards that keep getting me back to The Flower Kings sound. On track two, the instrumental 'Incident At Pembroke', we have a weird mix of Heavy Prog with folk Scottish (?!?) music. But there's no mistake that Out Of The Barnyard (2013) is a keyboards driven album, which is always good if well written.

By the time of 'The Meaning Of Dreams' we have a clear influence of Emerson, Lake & Palmer on the track. One more weird thing about this album is the lyrics. I couldn't quite figure out if they were serious about it or if it's some concept with the pigs on the cover and in their names. I keep imagining a kind of Prog Rock conceptual story about Babe (Babe is a children movie where a real little pig wants to be a sheepdog). Leaving this aside, Fright Pig's music continues showing us its high quality in the next instrumental piece 'Barque At The Lune'. Initially a piano classic piece that soon changes and becomes a Prog Metal track.

The follow up track 'Darkest Of Forms' begins almost as a kind of Depeche Mode song and soon moves to be a Prog Rock in the 90's vein with a heavy approach. The vocals begin as a gloomy narration with some sort of somber mood that once again ends up being a Prog Metal theme with some interludes here and there. 'Presumido' continues the album routine of instrumental track after a vocal track, this time they begin with an acoustic guitars in the intro. But soon Fright Pig embarks once again on the Prog Metal formula, which turn out to be a bit tiring and quite predictable.

Final track on Out Of The Barnyard (2013) is 'The Claustrophobia Of Time' and finally we can actually hear a bit of the damn barnyard. This track is more Symphonic, but still charged with heavy distorted guitars. When the vocals start you can feel some Agents Of Mercy on the overall sound. But in the end, it is the mix of Symphonic keyboards and Prog Metal guitars that rules it all.

Out Of The Barnyard (2013) can be tiring with the Symphonic/Prog Metal formula, especially because they pretty much appear on every song. But Fright Pig is quite a unique character and they have done pretty much alright for a debut album and there's plenty here for you to sink your teeth in. That's why I think you should go for it!

(Originally posted on progshine.net)

Review by Windhawk
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars US band FRIGHT PIG is one of which we don't know too much right now. It is based in New York, USA, and appears to be the creative vehicle of the composer and keyboardist who has chosen to use the moniker Fright Pig for his progressive rock oriented excursions. This project began in 2006 or 2008, depending on which of the sources the band has made you want to believe, and "Out of the Barnyard" is his/their debut album. An album that has been met with a lot of positive attention, and which secured this anonymous band a slot at the 2014 edition of the fairly prestigious Rites of Spring progressive rock festival in Gettysburg, USA.

Fright Pig is one of the positive surprises of 2013, and their debut album "Out of the Barnyard" is a tour de force of flamboyant, challenging music residing somewhere in between symphonic progressive rock and metal with a progressive sheen to it if not progressive metal as such. This is a band that has found many fans as is, and if I should take a guess at what their key audience might be I'd say that those who love artists such as ELP, Virgin Steele and Iron Maiden with equal passion should love this band and this album through and through.

Review by b_olariu
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Fright Pig is one of the newer prog bands of the scene that got last year 2013 lots of recognitions world wide, rave reviews and all. Well, definetly I needed to check this one out, since I'm a prog lover and colector. So, what we have here a debut named Out of the barnyard with a very good cover art and art work overall, nice booklet - made by already famous Ed Unitsky. What about the music, most of the time ok, even great in places, something between ELP in keyboards department with loud guitars - one of the problems of the album to me, symphonic prog going towards a more harder edge in parts, a combination between Kansas and ELP. A little problem is to my ears, that the guitars are to loud most of the time in comparation with the rest of the instruments and another thing is that the arrangements are little chaotic on some pieces, no clear direction. As a whole I like the album, no particular moments are excellent but pieces like instrumentals Incident at Pembroke, Barque at the Lune or Presumido my fav of the album shows big potential with catchy passages and nice interplay between musicians. I think Fright Pig definetly will make some more ripples in prog circles in years to come, besides their music the names they use are quite funny. Good album but far from excellent. 3 stars rounded to 3.5 because of those instrumentals.

Review by Progulator
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Fright Pig, a band who at first glimpse of the song titles seems to be just a gag, ends up being quite a storm of modern, heavy, hard hitting progressive rock. At some point or another this group of oinkers seems to be just about everywhere on the map from classic symphonic prog to neo prog and prog metal, with the tendency to deliver with loads of energy and a frequency of swapping instruments in and out of the arrangement that would please your ADHD. "Recreation" delivers up front with some Yes like tendencies in the keys, but then gives us moments of prog metal and even a great eerie section of vibrato choir vocals over the top of weaving guitar harmonies and piano runs. "Incident at Bembroke" is a straight up prog/folk metal jig with 70′s prog leanings (lots of organ and synths) and a good deal of rhythmic interest, while "Barque at the Lune" is a full out prog metal romp replete with technical guitars, double kick, shredding, and classical style piano soloing. As the album progresses it seems to get more and more technical with tunes like "Darkest of Forms," mixing 80′s rock, baroque, and wild instrumental sections, as well as "Presumido," a full on flamenco metal piece (calling to mind Power of Omens) with some nice extra touches like the screaming Hammonds and classical guitar. At first I was blown away by this as being an album that presents mountains of energy and sounds, but as it went on it became apparent that there may be a bit too much focus on wild instrumental arrangements and not enough on clearly purposeful composition, in my opinion at least. Still, Fright Pig delivers an impressive debut with Out of the Barnyard, dazzling with their ability to seamlessly meld and transition between prog genres and really come out all guns blazing. Get ready to roll around in the mud with Fright Pig!
Review by siLLy puPPy
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic
5 stars Clearly not all little pigs are created equal. Some went to market, some stayed home and collaborated with other piggies to build ever stronger houses to foil a wolf with an appetite for destruction and then there was one who just wanted to be scary. FRIGHT PIG had had enough of the rural life and decided he was soooo OUT OF THE BARNYARD and went to music school instead. The result is the first all PIG band dishing out one delicious genre of music followed by another. Not much is known of this band since they took the black metal anonymity approach and are rumored to be rolling around the mud somewhere in New York state.

What starts off with the first track "re CREATION" sounding like something Neal Morse would come up with on a Spock's Beard album mixed with other similar bands gives way to an ELP- esque Irish jig on the second "Incident At Pembroke." This album in fact displays everything that could please both classic progsters of the 70s mixed with galloping classic metal of the 80s with lots of ethnic flavors thrown into the pot that really simmer down into a deliciousness unlike any other band i've encountered. For the most part we get a virtuosic ELP approach on the keyboards delivering one furiously complex run after another, we get sizzling traditional metal riffs and solos hot enough to smoke some pork and we get beautifully constructed melodies that range somewhere on the far reaches of neo-prog meets symphonic Mainhorse and Kansas type of stuff.

This album has many different sounds and moods but then again since no credits are listed it very well could be completely different musicians on performing on different tracks since FRIGHT PIG is actually the name of the main PIG while the band of the same name technically is a group of guest musicians. Despite the obscured details regarding the identities of the band, i tend to agree with all those who believe that this is certainly a super group hosting a plethora of highly developed and paid-their-dues veterans of the musical world where they could play around in the mud together and have some fun without their record companies bitchin' at them for getting dirty.

As a lover of virtuosic musicianship this is truly a joy to listen to. The highlight of this album is the excellent "Barque At The Lune" which slightly changes Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon" riffs and seriously progifies it by adding all kinds of tasty instrumental touches which includes a very accurate solo mimicking the original's Jake E Lee sizzling solo which abruptly turns into a lightning fast Chopin keyboard run and then the two play together. Hmmm? maybe it could be Jake playing his own solo for all i know!

After hanging out on the farm for a while with this one, i wanted to wait and see if this is one of those flash in the pan type of novelties but i have to say that i personally haven't tired of it, in fact, the whole thing sounds super electrified with enough piggy passion to run a power plant. This is exactly what everyone was hoping for with super groups like Asia, GTR and Transatlantic to sound like but this one actually delivers where those were ok but not up to this level. This album really has everything: depth, delicate beauty, blitzkrieg virtuosity and excellent song structures. Well, don't let this FRIGHT PIG scare you away with its extreme technicality. The music is perfectly balanced with highly stimulating creative motifs guaranteed to addict you with symphonic bombast, Irish jigs, Chopin piano, metal guitar solos, Symphony X operatic style vocals and even an outstanding Spanish classical guitar bit. BTW, it has been revealed that the mastermind of this project is actually a bipedal mammalian specimen residing in the species homo sapiens and his name is Josh Kirsch.

4.5 rounded uP!

Latest members reviews

3 stars I've found this album in my discography and considered it an obscure item by its name and lack of publicity. My premonition was confirmed after hearing the album - it is an original piece of work indeed. It lacks the one-directional legacy burden and is rather pained by different colours, be it ... (read more)

Report this review (#2981068) | Posted by sgtpepper | Tuesday, January 9, 2024 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Very accomplished modern prog album. Fright Pig blend classic prog (especially Genesis organ and guitar sounds) with neo prog and contemporary prog-related rock (very strong similarities to Muse in places). All the tracks on the album have melodic and rhythmic instrumental complexity - manna ... (read more)

Report this review (#1338483) | Posted by Green Shield Stamp | Saturday, January 3, 2015 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Out of the Barnyard is technically impressive, energetically produced and tongue-in-cheek (Barque at the Lune - that's pretty funny), but hardly a masterpiece of form and substance. It feels like a musical lesson, a rather random demonstration of all the popular techniques of prog (mainly from t ... (read more)

Report this review (#1073569) | Posted by Progrussia | Wednesday, November 6, 2013 | Review Permanlink

3 stars Fright Pig is the name of an American band which has recently released their debut record "Out of the Barnyard" 2013 and the recond has got credits from many persons. The cover is quite finny with a pig mother feeding her children, an astronaut and a farm. The band seems to be anonymous. I ... (read more)

Report this review (#1057602) | Posted by DrömmarenAdrian | Thursday, October 10, 2013 | Review Permanlink

5 stars These "pigs" take me "on the wing" of their amazing album ! Oink ! It's a delicious energy and beauty for the listener, who likes classic rock, prog, metal, spanish guitar, Moraz/Wakeman, Queen's choir, to sing loudly, to joke around classic music... What a mix! I can't describe it in a few wor ... (read more)

Report this review (#1033489) | Posted by Olgaodessa | Thursday, September 12, 2013 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Very interesting album that deserves a great deal of attention here. The music is a kind of a mash up including strong strains of ELP, Kansas, Gentle Giant, Symphony X - the thing is that it works, man does it work. My ears pricked up right at the beginning of the album and they stood to attention ... (read more)

Report this review (#1029480) | Posted by sukmytoe | Thursday, September 5, 2013 | Review Permanlink

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