Pig – Pain Is God (Album – Metropolis Records)
Genre/Influences: Industrial, Electro-Rock.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: British born Raymond Watts is what you can call a phenomenon. He collaborated with famous artists and was of course one of the KMFDM core members. Active since the 80s Watts is back on track with a new work of his sonic brainchild Pig! The new opus features fourteen cuts.
Content: Raymond Watts is doing what he has always done; achieving a diversified piece of modern Industrial music, which others will call Electro-Rock. The songs sound as the perfect osmosis between empowering guitar playing and heavy electronics. Some songs have been achieved with epic arrangements, but I also noticed some funky parts and an empowering, pretty Rammstein-driven song. Watts is singing with a natural charisma now adding some rage and later on emotion. The female backing vocals inject a sensual touch on top of the deeper male growls. The KMFDM fans will notice a cover version (but is it really a cover as Watts was a founding member of the band) of “Kickin Ass”.
+ + + : Globally speaking I should dare to say this new opus is a typical Pig album. It still sounds a bit KMFDM-like –which is rather understandable, but in the end it simply sounds like Pig! A merciless compromise between furious guitar play empowering the choruses and heavy electronic treatments. Songs like “Rock N Roll Refugee” and “Seed Of Evil” both are great exposures of this work, but I also have to mention the furious-like “Hell To Pay In The USA”. The Rammstein fans will be pleased by the “Evil Edit” of “Sex And Death”. A last attention grabber I want to mention is “Mobocracy – Militant Mix”.
– – – : I know some Pig albums with more potential hits, but globally speaking this album is a fully accomplished piece of music.
Conclusion: Pig remains a band with a naughty- and very personal sound; play it loud!
Best songs: “Seed Of Evil”, “Rock N Roll Refugee”, “Hell To Pay In The USA – (Piss & Vinegar Mix”, “Mobocracy – Militant Mix”.
Rate: (7½).
Artist: https://pigindustries.com / www.facebook.com/pigindustries
Label: www.metropolis-records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords
About PIG
PIG is the long-running industrial rock project of English musician Raymond Watts. Watts launched the project in the late 1980s after earlier work with KMFDM, Einstürzende Neubauten, Psychic TV, Foetus, Schaft and Schwein.
The first PIG release was “A Poke in the Eye… with a Sharp Stick” in 1988. It was followed by “Praise the Lard” in 1991, “A Stroll in the Pork” in 1992, “The Swining” in 1993, “Sinsation” in 1995, “Wrecked” in 1996, and “Genuine American Monster” in 1999. After “Pigmartyr” in 2004, the project returned with “The Gospel” in 2016, “Risen” in 2018 and “Candy” in 2019.
“Pain Is God” followed in 2020 on Metropolis Records, a fourteen-track album released across digital and CD formats.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
