Published by Davide Pappalardo on June 18, 2018
Raymond Watts is one of the most underrated artist in the history of post-industrial music. He was there at the beginning of it all: the English musician has been active in the industrial music scene since the early 1980s, touring and working with names like Einstürzende Neubauten, Foetus, Psychic TV, Zos Kia and many more. He had been a key member of KMFDM for years too, working on some of their best albums and having an especially heavy presence on their album Nihil. But his main project, the full expression of his mind, has not been celebrated so much like other names in the genre: PIG has always been the full expression of his skillful and powerful envision where different genres and moods collide thanks to his sarcastic yet sincere delivery.
Glimpses of metal, industrial, new wave, country, jazz, folk, classical music are smashed and reworked in his works, reconfigured as something new, driven by his tales of decadence, addiction, self-destruction, love, hate, social commentary, and criticism toward religious power. During the years he has kept a cult status knowing success especially in Japan where he had been living for quite some time, founding there the project Schwein. Albums like Praise The Lard and The Swining were an influence for names like Trent Reznor both in music and themes, presenting to the world his unique style in which everything is possible. His songwriting knows many curve-balls and odd transformations even in the space-time of a song.
After his 2005 album Pigmata he disappeared from the scene for a long time, except for some sporadic collaboration, returning in 2016 with the limited tor EP Rise And Repent and the following album The Gospel (Metropolis Records). Here he displayed a maybe subtler but not less enthralling sound, focusing on rock and (not surprisingly) gospel influenced tracks with some electronic element, a sort of semi-concept about religious concepts like sin, salvation, repentance, filtered by his always sarcastic and caustic modus operandi, be it toward himself or other things. Now he returns with Risen, an even stronger effort in which he mixes the new found style with a more aggressive approach and experimental elements from his past. Metal riffs, silken yet sharp vocals, electronic melodies, orchestral excerpts, are the tools of trade in a unique style enhanced by the help of prestigious names like En Esch (ex KMFDM) and Marc Heal (Cubanate, C-Tec).
The chosen few is a perfect way to introduce the album, starting with a slow movement with suave vocals and then evolving into a crawling riff interspersed by hard drum kicks. A music serpent which open itself in epic refrains and tasteful textures, using keys and guitars. Low, lawless and lost showcases Watts playfulness by the means of 80’s funky movements, a sleazy vocal delivery and electronic sounds. The climax is reached during the enthralling main part, full of electro-pop choruses and synthetic melodies: the idiosyncratic nature of his songwriting allows the fusion of different styles and genres, surprising the listener with unexpected changes.
Truth is sin is a calm affair with a nice atmosphere based on a guitar arpeggios guided by subtle electronics. Then fascinating riffs and piano keys give us another tasteful refrain, once again displaying Watts skills in building emotional passages. The last part of the track sees organ sounds and heavy metal guitars, perfectly ending the track. Leather pig starts with an electro movement accompanied by a strong drum machine, soon reached by a martial riffing and nocturne guitars. The main refrain sees the union of Watts’ voice and female choruses, showing he is not afraid of using “mainstream” elements too.
The last part of the album sees some new interpretation of recent songs which appeared on his last EPs, and probably the most interesting one is the new version of Hard machine. The number becomes in its first section a dreamy electro-pop pastiche with synthetic mantras enriched by Watts’ crooning voice and slow, sparse beats. Then, the track grows with guitars loops and frantic refrains with exhilarating explosions.
An album on par with some of the best episodes of Watts’ past, in which almost pop sensibilities, straight rock and metal elements, funky incursions and orchestral moments are glued together by skillfully placed electronics and by the ever charming vocal performance of Watts. Following no trend or easy route, but at the same time being I touch with modern days and developments, PIG’s music maintains a place of its own, a world full of elegance, intelligent sarcasm, epicness and sincere emotions. If you don’t know about this essential artist and his music, do yourself a favor and listen to this album, and then discover his long and surprising discography.
Label: Metropolis Records
Rating: 8