Pig

By the end of "Prayer, Praise and Profit,” one hell of a stomper to open this disc, the tone is set for some severe industrial ass-kicking. Raymond Watts, aka Pig, has at some point been a part of Foetus, Einsturzende Neubauten, KMFDM and Psychic TV, and manages to combine all of the above with his own bizarre creativity to give us this disc that is, if absolutely nothing else, an exercise in diversity. Did you ever think that industrial and mambo could cross paths so successfully? If not, check out "Salambo,” where Watts shares his passion for Latin American rhythms and horn sections. He slows things down a bit with the gritty and seductive "Whore,” and even bases a whole instrumental piece around tender acoustic piano ("Black Brothel”), showing us that this is one pig with a gentle side indeed. But salsa and sweetness aside, underscoring this entire collection is the abrasive industrial aggressiveness that we have come to expect — industrial/EBM at its smashingest. Others of note who drop by to lend a hand are guitarists Gunter Schulz (KMFDM) and Steve White (the Style Council), with back up vocals by Anna Wildsmith (aka "Sow”).