Reviews list for Stuck Mojo - Pigwalk (1996)

"My gun control is a steady hand".

With lyrics like that, you know this album will pull no punches while hitting harder than a steel toe-capped kick to the testicles. Mental meltdown indeed. Rich Ward, Bonz, and the crew are back with this follow-up to the 1995 cult classic 'Snappin' Necks', and every aspect of this record improves upon its predecessor.

The guitars sound heavier, the riffs are groovier, the drums pound harder and the rapping cuts deeper than before. Everything here is a step up. This album just sounds so complete and so confident. It's a young band with a lot of anger, set to explode, lashing out at celebrity culture, a stagnant music scene and politics. All the makings of a great metal album.

Produced by the legendary (?) Devin Townsend, it's certainly no surprise this album has an almost "industrial" feel to it, musically similar to bands like White Zombie or Ministry. Townsend himself lends some backing vocals to the record, with his trademark high-pitched screams being heard on a number of tracks. And with bassist Corey Lowery and drummer Frank Fontsere (the beginnings of a life-long musical partnership with Ward), this album ushered in what many consider Mojo's "golden era".

'Pigwalk', 'Mental Meltdown', '(Here Comes the) Monster', 'Only the Strong Survive' and 'Violated' are all some of the finest examples of why hip hop and metal go so well together, and this album is a testament to why Stuck Mojo are one of the most underrated metal bands ever.

Only the strong survive.