No Life Til Metal - CD Gallery

With the band's first official album, after releasing their indie album "A Christian Banned", One Bad Pig begins a crossover from traditional punk to a thrash/punk hybrid. "Swine Flew" is loaded with great anthems and humerous lyrics to sing along too. Songs like "Smash the Guitar" and "Let's Be Frank" are guaranteed to embed themselves permanently in your brain with their infections choruses. However, as fun and silly as this band is, their Christian message is serious as a heart attack. Says vocalist Carey Womack, "God has seen fit to use a very foolish thing to proclaim His message." One Bad Pig are kind of like mixing a carnival, a tent revival and heavy guitars.

One Bad Pig - Swine Flew (Myrrh) 1990

1. "See Me Sweat: (2:38)
2. "Altar Ego" (4:09)
3. "Hey Punk" (1:40)
4. "Red River" (5:04)
5. "Bowl of Wrath" (2:15)
6. "Big Stomach" (3:39)
7. "Christmas Time" (4:15)
8. "Judas' Kiss" (3:24)
9. "Desperation" (4:38)
10. "Thrash Against Sin" (1:31)
11. "Swine Flew" (3:33)
12. "When Your Love Died" (5:29)
13. "We Want You" (3:55)

Autographed One Bad Pig promo photo.

One Bad Pig are a bubbling cauldron of fun. They were typically classified as a punk band, but really their music was a mish-mash of punk, funk, rock and thrash, all rolled into one Sunday School class for juvenile delinquents. No doubt the lyrical themes were all patently Christian, but these guys made learning your Sunday School lessons fun and entertaining. They could take serious topics like the wrath of God, and add some humor to it to bring home the message, without actually diluting the message. "Bowl of Wrath, Breakfast on the crooked path! If you choose to laugh, you can have another "Bowl of Wrath!" Gotta love it! At the same time, they could bring me to my knees in worship like no other band with songs like "When Your Love Died" and "Red River," the later sounding more like a U2 song than anything by a punk band. There is even a thrashing version of Petra's "Judas' Kiss" featuring a guest performance by Petra guitarist Bob Hartman. One other note about this album is that it was one of the first 'heavy' bands to ever be released on Myrrh Records, a label more known for acts like Amy Grant.

I was blessed to see the Pig on this tour at a volleyball court in Albuquerque, NM. They were a lot of fun and even smashed and old acoustic guitar on stage during "Smash The Guitar".

I had an encounter with a pastor of a church I once attended. He preached a message that stated "all Christian metal is incantations." His information was very flawed and not based on facts whatsoever. I approached him and asked him out his claims. He brought up "Swine Flew" as an example of a Christian album that "glorifies sin and sickness". I tried to explain to him that it was a play on words and was about a skateboarding pig, he wouldn't hear it.

A spastic mix of funk, punk and thrash metal all mixed around a message of God, redemption and ice cream. Much in the same mold as 'Swine Flew.' Also similar is that this album was once again produced by Whiteheart's Billy Smilley. This one is just as fun too with a slamdance called "You're a Pagan," and off-the-wall Johnny Cash cover "Man in Black," complete with Johnny sharing lead vocal duties. Of course who wouldn't love a song called 'Up Your Nose'? Once again, amidst all the fun are some emotional worship songs in "For a Good Man" and "Wholly My Lord." Man, that is One Bad Pig!

1. "Predlude: Green Acres Theme" (1:32)
2. "Take A Look At Yourself" (4:47)
3. "Hey Punk" (1:39)
4. "Smash the Guitar" (4:27)
5. "I Scream Sunday" (3:26)
6. "Red River" (5:10)
7. "Judas Kiss" (2:57)
8. "Cut Your Hair" (5:20)
9. "Bowl of Wrath" (2:53)
10. "Isaiah 6" (4:25)
11. "Let's Be Frank" (1:48)
12. "Altar Ego" (2:22)
13. "Swine Flew" (3:12)
14. "Godarchy" (2:44)
15. "Kosher" (3:51)
16. "Ice Cream Sundae" (2:41)
17. "Looney Tune" (1:40)
18. "Rock the Casbah" (3:38)
19. "Never Forget the Cross" (5:21)

Recorded live at Cornerstone 1991, the Pig were large and in charge here. They were wildly popular in the Christian metal and punk subculture at the time. For this show the band went all out. I had seen the Pig several times in concert over the years, and I can say, even if you didn't like their music, you could still enjoy their show and their sense of humor. These guys were funny, energetic, and they gave each show their all. "Blow the House Down" is a testimony of this fact and is also a closing chapter in the life of the Pig, for after this release their popularity began to slide and the band began to go through some radical changes. They haven't really released any new material since this cd. Picked this disc up for $4.99 from Second Spin.

1. "People Cry Out" (4:02)
2. "Lust" (4:00)
3. "I Am The Chief" (2:50)
4. "Let´s Be Frank" (3:43)
5. "I´m Not Getting Any Older" (4:28)
6. "The Man In Black" (4:14)
7. "Life´s A Bomb" (2:24)
8. "Sleepin´ With The World" (1:56)
9. "Isaiah 6" (2:38)
10. "Red River" (5:55)
11. "Be Not Alarmed" (3:03)

'Quientessential" is a greatest hits CD. (Did the Pig actually have a 'hit'?) The initial reason I picked up this CD was because it features a few songs from albums I hadn't yet picked up on CD, including several songs from 'Smash' and two songs from 'A Christian Banned' ('Sleepin' With the World' & 'Life's A Bomb'). This demo was finally released by the band and sold on their website, although I still don't own it. Besides these tracks, 'Lust' and 'I Am the Chief' are songs exclusive to this compilation, making it essential to my Pig collection. Track 11 is an unlisted song titled "Be Not Alarmed". Overall, not a bad career retrospective and a good collection of songs from the Pig. Oink!

Yet another fun romp through the Pigsty at Cornerstone. This time around the sound quality isn't as good, but the show is just as good. The band is a little looser here, sounding like they were having more fun than they did back in the day. The dialogue between songs is pretty goofy as usual, but then what can you expect from these guys. They were all about fun and goofiness, yet at the same time they are serious as a heart attack when it comes to sharing their faith in Jesus Christ. This disc is actually part of a series of cds that were released from Cornerstone 2000. However, of the 11 different live discs, this is the only one I have any interest in at all.

One Bad Pig - Love You To Death (independent) 2016

1. Love You To Death (2:48)
2. What Does The Fool Say (4:17)
3. The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes & The Pride of Life (2:35)
4. Get Your Hands Dirty (3:20)
5. Footwashin' (2:42)
6. Sunday Skool Rawk (3:05)
7. Teenage Royalty (2:12)
8. Heads Will Roll (4:58)
9. It's Not Pig Latin (Itsay Otnay) (3:21)
10. Judgement Stick (:17)
11. Straitjacket (2:58)
12. Ben Moors (3:10)
13. Red, White, or Blue (Colour Me) (3:10)
14. Tumbleweed (3:02)
15. OMG (3:22)

The last time we saw the Pig release a new studio album was way back in '91. The band has played a few shows since that time, release a couple live albums and a few compilations, so the band has obviously continued to commune with each other and finally we get something new in 2016. Unbelievably it's been a quarter of a century since we've seen anything new from these fun-loving, Bible-thumping rockers.

This new album continues where the band left off for the most part. Are they punk? Are they metal? Are they rock? What is rawk? Are they insane? Yes, I believe it is all of the above. The recording this time around is a bit more raw and the delivery is slightly more punk than the two Myrrh Records releases. This time around there is no spit & polish to the production, which only adds to the overall appeal.

Kosher's vocals sound much like they did 25 years ago, delivered with a punk like fury at times, others times with an honest passion. "Heads Will Roll" is a good example of his more "passionate" delivery reminding me of past songs such as "Red River" and "Wholly My Lord". The song respectfully deals with the persecuted side of martyrdom. "What Does The Fool Say" features a more snarky, question-and-response style vocals delivery and recalls early Pig tracks such as, "Let's Be Frank" and "Don't Be Fooled".

Another trait from the band's past is them taking a cover and putting it through the pig grinder? (Is that a real thing?) This time around the band records "The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes, and the Pride of Life", originally performed by the 77's. The Pig give the song some new life and, as usual, make it their own adding in some fun sing-along "hey, hey, hey's". Another tradition from their past is the addition of well know guests. This time around we have Les Carlsen of Bloodwood lending his voice to the metal-isa "Get Your Hands Dirty", a song about putting faith into action. Of course there are the ever-youthful, ever fun-loving moments as well, such as "It's Not Pig Latin (Itsay Otnay)" and the punk 'raw' take on some old Sunday School classics. The medley of songs are given a speedy punk delivery with a short Spanish interlude, complete with Spanish lyrics and Q-pek on trumpet. Speaking of Q-Peck It must also be noted that guitarist Paul Q-pek hasn't lost his chops. He still unleashes some killer guitar solos, proving that just because your punk doesn't mean you can't play your instrument.

It's always risky when a band reunites after such a long hiatus to put out something new. What's the prognosis this round? The Pig are still fun! This album is every bit as enjoyable and over-the-top as they ever were.