Genuine American Monster

Pig | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 22, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Metropolis Records
• ASIN: B00006J9PW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,868 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #94 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Goth & Industrial

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pig Meets Pig, November 27, 2000

By 

Jesse Lauer (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genuine American Monster (Audio CD)

As I see it, there are two "Pigs". The first Pig (pre-Sinsation) experimented with different musical genres. It flirted with the sounds of Cuban, Jazz, Big Band, and Doo-wop music while heavily laden with synths and drum machines to give it an industrial-rock edge. Whereas, the genius of the other pig (post-Sinsation) shone brilliantly in the studio. It's music was geared almost solely toward industrial and created vast, breathtaking landscapes which often left me speechless. Finally, the two unite. "Genuine American Monster" combines the experimental musicianship of Pig "A" with the masterful Production of Pig "B", to make one of the most original albums I've ever heard.

The first track, "Prayer, Praise, and Profit" is plenty pissed off yet almost anthemic and startlingly begins in a major key. "Riot, Religion, and Righteousness", probably the most dance-friendly track on the album, has a vocal effect that has to be heard to be believed. "Salambo" introduces industrial music to an upbeat salsa feel. "Whore" creates a beautiful atmosphere for one of the most sorrowful and personal songs Raymond Watts has ever written. "Flesh Fest", the down-tempo Doo-wop influenced track, leaves you confused as to whether you should grind to it or swing dance. "Black Brothel", the first instrumental on the CD, displays the ever-present beauty in sadness. "Disrupt, Degrade, and Devastate", in a similar vein to Pig's "Wrecked" album, reminds us that it's sometimes fun to be pissed off. "F.O.M.", which I feel to be the weak point of the album, seems like Raymond forgot that he was writing music for Pig instead of KMFDM. "A Fate Worse Than Death", contrarily, is what I feel to be the albums high point. The rhythmic work is astounding, the guitar work is exceptionally unconventional, and the accompanying female vocals during the chorus still give me chills. "Cry Baby" is another flawless collaboration between Pig and Sow. And "Inside", the 13-minute reluctant epic (whose variations have appeared on several different Pig albums) has never been so poignant.

Raymond, congratulations are in order. Instead of butting heads with your other musical voice you've collaborated with it to produce a brilliant work of art. May you two continue to work together.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PIGS BEST! ORDER RIGHT AWAY!, February 17, 2000

By 

Keegan MOnti-Kewley (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genuine American Monster (Audio CD)

This is THE single greatest industrial album ever released, quite possibly the greatest album ever released of ANY genre!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a good thing they brought it to the U.S.!, February 4, 2005

By 

Irene Helen Zundel (Carmichaels, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Genuine American Monster (Audio CD)

This was first released in Japan, so it wasn't sure whether they were going to release it in the U.S. or not. It's a good thing they did, because this is one of Pig's more solid efforts. Plus, they added an extra track to the U.S. edition. This is the epitome of techno rock, with Guenter Schulz from KMFDM and Slick Idiot adding some assistance.

1. Prayer, Praise, and Profit - 10/10 - The best opening for any song EVER, a masterful orchestrated opening builds up to a heavy guitar rift. The chorus is simply fantastic. Put simply, this song is SWEET.

2. Riot, Religion, and Righteousness - 10/10 - An electronic song with some guitars. Raymond Watts sings in a robotic voice, except during the chorus, which is the best chorus ever made for a song. If you can't understand the lyrics, go to www.raymondwatts.com and find them out. You don't want to miss out on them.

3. Salambo - 9/10 - Bordering on Tango, this industrial Mariachi mix might turn hardcore Industrial fans from listening to it, but it's quite a treat. You'll be in a for a pleasant surprise.

4. Whore - 9/10 - Basically, the lyrics are just a lot of Pig's songs/album titles thrown together. The music is very slow and low-key, but it builds up to a rocking electronic chorus.

5. Flesh Fest - 10/10 - Mainly a rock song, but with some Jazz elements, and a Tango-like keyboard near the end. Watch out of the lyrics, some of them are quite offensive.

6. Black Brothel - 9/10 - A really short instrumental, somewhat of a rehash of Transceration from Sinsation, with some piano added in.

7. Disrupt, Degrade, and Devastate - 10/10 - Probably the most famous song off here, this had its own single. With lyrics attacking religion, awesome guitars, and skillfully placed electronic work, you can't go wrong.

8. F.O.M. - 10/10 - Just so you know, the guitar is SUPPOSED TO SKIP in the beginning. There's nothing wrong with your CD player. Anyway, most of the music is very quiet techno, but the chorus has some of the best heavy guitar on the album. Like most of the songs on this album, the chorus is amazing.

9. A Fete Worse Than Death - 9/10 - This and Salambo are the catchiest songs on the album. The cool thing about this song is that samples from a movie are used, and they actually don't sound out of sync with the chorus. This has the best electronic and guitar work on the album. The only reason it doesn't get a perfect 10 is because Raymond Watts doesn't sing the chorus. Also, a female singer gets a solo near the end of the song, and her singing is terrible. She sounds like a horrible knock-off of Patti LaBelle.

10. Cry Baby - 2/10 - It has good percussion near the beginning, but that's the only good point about this song. The vocals are done by Raymond Watts, they're spoken word vocals done by some random guy talking in Spanish. The song is very creepy, don't play this with the lights out.

11. Inside - 9/10 - A very long instrumental, it also has a New Age feel to it like Transceration from Sinsation or Watt from A Stroll in the Pork. It also has some jungle-like drums near the end. The only downside is that it's too long, clocking in at over 10 minutes.

12. Saved (Locust Remix) - 10/10 - A remix of Save Me from Wrecked, this is the U.S.-only bonus track, although it's also on Prime Evil. It's just as good as the original, although the vocals are distorted, they sound cool that way. The vocals are also chopped up and re-sequenced to actually create a rhythm. The main lyrics and chorus are still sung normally, though.

OVERALL SCORE: 8.9/10

CONCLUSION: Sadly, this is Pig's last album. Raymond Watts is now in a band called Watts. However, this is fairly recent, and won't go out of print anytime soon (hopefully). Still, you should get a copy to add to your collection.