Pig Destroyer will perform “Prowler in the Yard” in full at Maryland Deathfest 2026 for the album’s 25th anniversary, returning to the festival with one of modern grindcore’s most intense and influential records. In this short interview, Scott Hull reflects on the album’s DIY origins, its lasting pulse, and the bittersweet reality that the band will not be performing “Prowler in the Yard” in full after 2026.
“Prowler in the Yard” is still talked about as one of grindcore’s most disturbing and emotionally intense records. What does it feel like to step back inside that record 25 years later?
We are totally stoked that “Prowler in the Yard” has meant as much to people as it has over the past 25 years. We never would have imagined folks would still be talking about it this many years on. The record was written and recorded in a surge of inspiration after we had an incredible response to our demo and “Explosions in Ward 6” LP. We didn’t know what we were doing, but we knew what we thought sounded good. We certainly poured our hearts into it and played our asses off — some of these songs are extremely difficult to pull off after so many years. It’s great to revisit it in full. We’re lucky.
Is “Prowler in the Yard” something you can comfortably celebrate now, or does it still feel too ugly, personal, and uncomfortable to treat like a normal anniversary?
It certainly feels strange having such a milestone. In a genre and scene that has little external support, it’s just great that the record still has a pulse, and that extreme grind/metal — whatever — can have these kinds of legs. Certainly, playing the “Prowler in the Yard” special sets makes it an extra-special party. It’s a little bittersweet too, since we won’t be doing “Prowler in the Yard” in full after 2026. So, we’re really happy Ryan and Evan kicked us in the ass and gave us an amazing spot on the MDF stage. It is always a pleasure to play Maryland Deathfest.
Maryland Deathfest is one of the few places where a set this intense can feel almost celebratory. What do you think fans are really connecting with when they still respond so strongly to this album?
With the record celebrating 25 years, I would expect it to resonate with people as something they might have grown up with, or as something they might have heard as a gateway into more extreme forms of music. Records recorded at home in a basement today would sound almost entirely professional, but back in 1999, this was the best we could do. There weren’t many people putting early Melvins, Slayer, and Assück in a blender and trying to write a record like that. So back then, “Prowler in the Yard” was something metal, weird, and extreme, but also 100% genuine and DIY. You can’t fake that kind of integrity. You can only be blindly and naively confident with what you and your pals are trying to put together in your practice spot.
See Pig Destroyer at Maryland Deathfest 2026 on Saturday May 23, 2026 at Market Place.
Tickets are now on sale at https://deathfests.com/tickets
