When looking for new band or a new album to listen to, you want something that is going to create an impact and stay with you for one reason or another. Today we look at the brand new album by <PIG>

So firstly, who is <PIG>

<PIG> is the industrial music project of musician Raymond Watts who was a member of the German group KDFM and has been collaborating in the world of industrial music since the 1980s. They have opened for bands including Nine Inch Nails. The current line up that join Raymond include En Esch, Guenter Schulz, Z.Marr and Galin Waling.

Let’s Talk About the album

The album Merciless Light has been created at the time when the world was in lockdown during the pandemic. The album explores different areas of the situation and the emotions are prominent in the tracks. There are 12 tracks in total and each of them vary in length with the longest ones being just under 12 minutes. It uses a variety of genres and music techniques to create this dramatic listening experience.

Stand out tracks on the album

No Less More Yes

This song punches you straight in the ears metaphorically when you start listening to it, the track feels raw, sort of industrial and takes the elements of heavy rock and intertwines them with this electronic dance style which I suppose has elements of drum and bass and dubstep. It initially reminds me of similar songs I have heard from Marilyn Manson and Rammstein and as the opening of the album it is a very dramatic one.

Limbo

This track is clearly relevant to the emotions of lockdown and the pandemic however the thing that is interesting about this track is that he has managed to intertwine elements of jazz into a really heavy sounding track. The one reason why this song really stands out to me as it paints this picture of someone in a room with like the radio or media on in the background and that the trumpets are the background noise that just happen to end up on the track. It is a very unique effect and even if this song is not for you, give it a listen just to hear this really unique take.

Obliteration Liberation

This song has a different feel to other tracks on this album and feels like it has more inspiration from a dance style song then a heavy rock track. The lyrics are poetic and the music reflects the emotion on display in the words. This is one of the longest tracks on the album so it allows the track to breath and progress slowly yet effectively as well. It has a fantastic guitar solo near the end as well and it is catchy because I caught myself tapping along to the beat.

What’s the verdict?

If you are a fan of bands such as Rammstein, Pendulum or Chase and Status there is a good chance that you are going to like some of the songs on this album as they are a mix of heavy rock and this electronic sound that sort of feels metallic and industrial. This album has an element of darkness to it and I would say it is one that takes you on a very specific journey and I think it is one of those albums you have to be in the mood to listen to. I will say, it is value for money because a lot of the tracks are a minimum of 9 minutes, with the longest being nearly 12 minutes. When you hear a length like that it can be daunting to listen to but don’t let that put you off as the constructions of the tracks create these magical musical narratives. Very clever.