Piggy D.

Piggy D. - The Evacuation Plan Review
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 12.29.2007

Rob Zombie bassist steps out front…

My Story
Nearly ever since there have been bands, there have been solo projects. And while the “frontman solo project” is commonly given a high-profile release (Steve Perry, Rob Thomas), the “sideman solo project” is normally as discrete as the players themselves, playing second to their work within a band and on the left and right hand side of the stage. It doesn’t help that the quality of the sideman solo project is traditionally so varied. Who would think that a Joe Perry album would be boring? Or that Albert Hammond Jr. would put together a CD even better than most of The Strokes’ output?

Piggy D. is one of the latest sidemen to throw his hat into the solo project arena. Despite his history in metal, playing for well known rockers Wednesday 13 and Rob Zombie, we don’t know too much about the man behind the bass. The question is, what will Piggy do when he’s let loose in a studio?

His Story
Piggy D. (ne Matt Montgomery) was born in Houston, TX in 1976. He spent most of his teenage years and early 20’s playing guitar in different local bands, including Dementia 13, Spunk and She Demons, for which he also sang. Piggy’s array of bands had a couple of steady gigs, which helped him develop his skills as a metal/punk guitarist, bassist and lead singer.

Piggy left the She Demons and Texas 2000, relocating to Boston, where he began working on a solo career but also hooked up with a group called Woody. Piggy wasn’t long for Boston though, as he packed up again in 2002 and moved to L.A. Once in California, Piggy joined punk act Amen, with whom he toured relentlessly for two years. Unfortunately, the band never reached the potential Piggy saw for it, and when Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13 asked Piggy to join his solo band in 2004, the guitarist left Amen and never looked back.

Wednesday 13’s solo debut, Transylvania 90210: Songs Of Death, Dying & The Dead, came out in April of 2005. It managed to place #34 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart and was followed by a tour. Following the supporting shows, Wednesday 13 headed back to the studio to work on a follow-up, Fang Bang. Unfortunately for Wednesday, it would be without Piggy D. In May of 2006, Piggy was asked to replace bassist Rob “Blasko” Nicholson in Rob Zombie’s band. He made his debut with Zombie on “The Late Show with David Letterman” just two weeks later.

Since joining up with Rob Zombie, Piggy D. has taken part in the lengthy “American Witch Tour” (which produced the live album Zombie Live) and is currently playing with the band on their co-headlining jaunt with Ozzy Osbourne. Piggy has several other irons in the fire. He runs his own horror-themed merchandise company, Batatude, and his own designer clothing company, Black Victory. In 2005 he started a growing online community called The Sunday Fires which allows young artists of all types a place to share their work.

In 2005, Piggy D. went back to Boston to record his first solo album. The material for that record was written during Piggy’s brief time living in a post-Katrina New Orleans. Since then, Piggy has relocated to his home state of Texas. He is currently on tour both solo and with Rob Zombie. Dates are posted on Piggy D.’s official website.

The Album
On July 31, 2007, Black Victory Records released The Evacuation Plan, the debut album by Piggy D. The first pressing of the album was limited to 1000 copies and featured versions and mixes of tracks that are not available on the second pressing, which was due out in September. The album is available on CD through sites like CDBaby.com, as well as digitally, through online retailers like DigStation.




The Band: 7.5
Piggy D. – vocals, guitar, bass, producer

Going into a Piggy D. solo album, it’s a little unclear what to expect. What we know of Piggy until now is only of the bands he’s played in. The pissed off punk of Casey Chaos’ Amen, the cartoonish horror rock of Wednesday 13 and the brute force horror metal of Rob Zombie. Will Piggy somehow amalgamate those influences on his first solo album?

The answer is, surprisingly, no. Instead of trying the “various faces of Piggy D.” route, The Evacuation Plan is grounded solidly in riff heavy rock, not unlike the rock of the 90’s, when the Foo Fighters were first finding their feet and Skid Row was still able to make an interesting record. The Evacuation is a dark record, full of brooding lyrics and singing (not surprising given the impetus for these songs: Hurricane Katrina). And speaking of singing, Piggy D. is actually a strong vocalist. His higher register is pleasing and almost mellow, helping his album play like a candle lit room on a Saturday nigh - just you contemplating your fucked up life.

Piggy wears several hats here. He also plays guitar and bass and, as evident from his time with Zombie and Wednesday, he’s quite skilled at both, churning out riff after riff, fill after fill. Piggy also serves as one of the album’s two producers, and does a fine job there, as The Evacuation Plan sounds anything but cheap or rushed. The fact that Piggy put this together during a time when his home was in shambles could even be beneficiary, as there is an obviously large amount of energy thrown into the CD.

The Evacuation Plan also features some notable contributions from Piggy D.’s extended family. Calico Cooper (daughter of Alice Cooper, who also had a cameo in Rob Zombie’s Halloween [DVD VERSION!]) drops by to lend some vocals and Tommy Clufetos, former Alice Cooper drummer and current Zombie bandmate, lays down the drum tracks on the CD. These appearance do lend a collaborative and special feel to the CD, but its Piggy D. that remains firmly in control.

The Songs: 7.0
1. Brave Or Faithless
2. Mr. Anxiety
3. For My Revenge
4. Roll Call
5. Die Young
6. Last Man On Earth
7. Ladies Night
8. The Dare
9. Smoke And Mirrors
10. 3 Chords
11. No One Knows You’re Alive
12. Chemistry

The Evacuation Plan kicks off with the catchy uptempo rocker “Brave Or Faithless”, which finds Piggy D. challenging listeners to pick a side, and most likely for the brave to follow him through this journey. “Mr. Anxiety” is a similar rock ‘n’ roll punch to the side of the head.

The back-to-back tracks “For My Revenge” and “Roll Call” are the crown jewels of the album. “For My Revenge” is a great rock middle finger to a former friend, delivered with the bounce of a hair band. “Roll Call”, on the other hand, is a moody alt-rocker, reaching out to those who feel unlovable, untouchable, unfuckable and all other manners of bad qualities. It’s the sort of song straight off of the modern rock charts of the 90’s and, although it’s a giant about face from the album’s previous rock cuts (I actually checked to see if I’d accidentally clicked to another CD), it’s the song you’ll be playing again and again.

The Evacuation Plan carries on that way, with big rock riffs, head nodding guitar melodies (“The Dare”) and blaring anthems (“Die Young”). While the CD is bound to go under the radar for most, it does more than prove that Piggy D. is more than the man behind Rob Zombie’s bass. He’s a thinking man’s rocker and a hell of a talent. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another huge disaster to coax another solo album from him. - 411 Mania