This sounds nothing like KMFDM. The only thing it even has in common with them are the band members. This is far heavier than anything KMFDM has ever done. Also, the production/mastering job on this disc is outstanding. Bad production? No way. When it was released under the WATTS name, yes, but this has been remastered and sound superb. Really loud to boot! This is easily one of Raymond's best effots to date. It took a bit of getting used to, as it's a bit more "metaly" than his previous works. But it is now my most listened to CD at the moment. Vitriol Vice and Virtue is the stand out track. Hard, heavy and sick. While Reject I can relate to on a personal level. Every song on this cd is top notch really. I am [im]patiently awaiting PIG to come to a city near me on June 30th... And i will enjoy hearing this live.

Pigmata was previously released in England, by an small upstart label who would go on to greatly botch the release, with few fans ever obtaining it. Those who were able to complained of a poor mastering job. (People often mistakenly critique the production, which is quite good, rather than the mastering.) Raymond went on to state the label didn't even do a mastering of the record. He and fans alike were very unsatisfied with the original release. Thankfully, it's been given proper treatment here, with a brand new mastering job, full artwork and the Pig stamp applied (rather than the previous 'Watts' title). The original album's tracks largely take on a guitar-driven sound, easily standing as Pig's heaviest record to date. The comparisons to KMFDM are obvious, although frequently cited backwards. It is the members of Pig who all went on to join KMFDM, and heavily influence their current sound. Three new tracks appear on this edition, which is where the album truly expands to truimph above the initial botched release, into a very strong overall effort from Pig. These tracks do not carry the same angst and metal sound of many of the earlier tracks, and present some of Raymond's strongest work in years. The highlight is a slow twister titled "On The Slaughterfront", which sees Pig take on a far more vulnerable side, into even darker territory than explored on "The Swining". The riffs of the earlier guitar-driven tracks are very strong, particilarly on tracks like "Vitriol, Vice and Vitrue" and "Suck Spit Shit", rivialing some of the heaviest moments of KMFDM's "WWIII" album. However, the greatest moments on Pigmata are found in the slower, darker moments of tracks like "Kundalini", "Junky" and the aforementioned "Slaughterfront". This is the version fans had been waiting for, and makes the album rise to stand superior to Pig's last effort, "Genuine American Monster". The new tracks also provide a fresh excitement toward what might come next from the Lord Of Lard.

After a bit of controversy and a long wait, PIG (Or in this case, KMFDM minus two people) returns with Pigmata. It goes without saying that the project Raymond Watts created hasn't been in the forefront of his time in recent years, and it seems to be reflected on Pigmata. The majority of the songs sound like overprocessed (Or underprocessed, because of the poor mastering job) 90s alternative, and the standout songs, like Here To Stay, Situation, and Take, sound almost exactly like KMFDM. What distinguishes this CD in ANY way from KMFDM is merely the lack of Sascha Konietzko's growl. That being said, the CD is not bad to listen to. Once the listener gets past just how bad the production is, and accepts how much like KMFDM the CD is, he realizes that some of the songs are pretty fuckin' badass. Watts's penchant for song titles shows through again on songs like Suck Shit Spit and God Rod, the latter sounding like KMFDM at its mid-90s peak mixed with a bit of Nine Inch Nails, and yes, a hell of a lot of PIG (plus some extremely explicit Watts lyrics). Kundalini takes the listener on an electronic excursion; Steve White's programming on Pigmata is fantastic. As a PIG album goes, Pigmata is a bit disappointing. Raymond Watts has done better in the past, and he seems unable to shake off the chains of KMFDM (Which may be why he didn't appear on their latest album). But musically, it's a pretty damn good CD. Some of the guitar parts run together, and the production is AWFUL, but still, if I had to start over, I'd buy Pigmata again.