WAYNE STATIC

A great deal of explanation is not required in order for a determination to be made concerning whether "Pighammer" — Wayne Static's (STATIC-X) first solo album — is for you. Very little of what's on offer is a departure from the nu-ish, electro/industrial-metal of the first few STATIC-X albums. Consequently, STATIC-X fans should have no problem slipping right in to the "Pighammer" groove. Those expecting some kind of stark musical departure from the work of STATIC-X or the revealing of a musical side to Wayne that he was unable to express in his main band will be at least 90 percent disappointed with the 12 tracks of "Pighammer".

Featuring Static playing all instruments and a concept "about a mad plastic surgeon, with a pig fetish, that likes to convert hot chicks into pig", this dive into the shallow end of the solo pool is quite likeable, if the antithesis of revolutionary. That "Pighammer" is a rawer, even minimalistic version of STATIC-X, albeit with more pronounced electronic effects (and some sampling) is an indication that it contains several catchy movers made of the kind of jagged riffs, chop-rhythms, and Wayne-barks with which you are comfortably familiar. The electronics end up more as window dressing than anything smartly integral, though the incorporation of those elements does add value to dark tunes like "Static Killer". The stiff, mechanical drumming can be moderately annoying upon initial listens, but becomes less of an issue once you settle into the flow.

Outside of the occasional vocal changeup (e.g. softer parts on "Get it Together" and whispers on "The Creatures are Everywhere") and aforementioned effects, what you will hear is an album's worth of industrialized metal tunes. Chances are that outside of diehard STATIC-X circles, most listeners will find "Pighammer" workable, but sort of ho-hum. Spend a little more time with it though and you'll begrudgingly admit to the infecting quality and adrenaline-pumped aggressiveness of songs like "Assassins of Youth", "Thunder Invader", "Around the Turn", and "Shifter". You may even get over your initial disgust at the lifting of the riff from PANTERA's "5 Minutes Alone" for use in "Slave" because of the impossibility of ignoring its righteous tempo. It is hard to get very excited about "Pighammer" from the point of view of artistic expression. It's also hard to ignore its primal effectiveness and hedonistic tones as you constantly catch yourself nodding along to the gnarly beats. The musical model does become tired toward the end, but on balance "Pighammer" offers more good than bad; even the "bad" is a matter of personal taste.