Single Review: PIG – Prey And Obey EP

Raymond Watts origins lie way back in the history, he was present at the birth of the alternative and industrial scene, first appearing as a member of KMFDM before emerging with PIG in 1988. Since then he has continued his involvement, not just in the aforementioned outfits but also behind the mixing desk and as a songwriter, and after more than thirty years making the kind of music that influenced a generation you might think that PIG would have mellowed with age, well the Prey And Obey EP makes it clear that he hasn’t.

The title track from the Prey And Obey EP carries the kind of hard edged guitar riff and strident drum beat that lies at the heart of the best stampy industrial dance floor fillers, and title track stands up against the material Raymond Watts has previously released. The tracks that follow, The Revelation and Cult Of Chaos, provide variations along the style of the title track but don’t quite have the same immediate impact, but they complete a fine trio of original songs that make up the core of the Prey And Obey EP, sadly after this we get a slew of remixes, two versions of Prey And Obey and one revision of The Revelation.

Half of the Prey And Obey EP is made up of remixes and for me it’s rare that a remix improves on the original recording, and those contained on this EP don’t do anything to change my opinion on this front. Despite the remixes occupying the latter half of PIG‘s latest release the three original tracks make up a fine EP, they carry the feel of the industrial tracks that were the soundtrack to many dancefloors in the late eighties, but they achieves this without sounding like an anachronism. After more than three decades one of the originators in the industrial and alternative scenes has produced an EP that is a more than worthy addition to his legacy.

Prey And Obey is now available via Metropolis Records here