PIG – Dum Dum Bullet – Skylight Webzine

“Dum Dum Bullet,” an interesting tune from Raymond Watts, a.k.a. PIG’s new album Red Room, is a dramatic exploration of industrial soundscapes that strikes with both force and style. Watts co-wrote much of ‘Red Room’ with Pitchshifter guitarist Jim Davies, who is best known for his caustic and sardonic guitar riffs on several of The Prodigy’s smash successes. Other guests include Watts’ old KMFDM bandmate Günther Schulz (a.k.a. ‘The Czar of Guitar’), who appears on the anthemic ‘Dirty Mercy’, and the great jazz trumpeter Enrico Tomasso. This tune is the ideal preview of Pig’ s coming ‘Heroin For The Damned’ tour. The song begins with distorted voice samples that quickly establish a frightening tone, bringing the listener into its dark, industrial universe. As the song progresses, the heartbeat-like rhythm takes over, hammering with an almost tangible feeling of desperation and grief. This beat, along with the experimental guitar work, produces an anxious and dramatic atmosphere that is alarming. The vocal performance in “Dum Dum Bullet” is quite impressive. Watts delivers his words with a cryptic, dark intensity similar to Rammstein’s Till Lindemann, while maintaining a distinct edge. The lyrics, filled with harsh imagery and cruel commentary, add to the track’s grim tone, making it feel like a war cry against a dark society. The production quality of the music is excellent. Every element—from the distorted samples to the complicated guitar rhythms—has been expertly mixed, letting each component stand out. Listening to “Dum Dum Bullet” on headphones is an immersive experience; the sounds are so beautifully mixed and dynamic that it feels as if they are coming from the outside world, only to discover that they are part of the track’s sophisticated sound design. In an unexpected and strange twist, the song concludes with an acapella vocal passage by PIG himself, removing the strong instruments and leaving only his voice vibrating in the listener’s mind. This unexpected finale increases the song’s structure and emphasizes its dark, cathartic themes.