Filth Pig

Last updated
Filth Pig
Filth Pig Ministry.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 30, 1996 (1996-01-30)
Recorded1994–95
Genre
Length54:24
Label Warner Bros.
Producer
Ministry chronology
Psalm 69
(1992)
Filth Pig
(1996)
Dark Side of the Spoon
(1999)
Singles from Filth Pig
  1. "The Fall"
    Released: December 1995
  2. "Lay Lady Lay"
    Released: February 1996
  3. "Reload"
    Released: July 1996
  4. "Brick Windows"
    Released: January 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Cash Box favourable [4]
Christgau's Consumer Guide C [5]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 5/10 [6]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
NME 7/10 [8]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Spin 6/10 [11]
Wall of Sound 79/100 [12]

Filth Pig is the sixth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry, released on January 30, 1996, by Warner Bros. Records. The title was allegedly derived from a statement made in the British Houses of Parliament, in which the band's leader Al Jourgensen was described as a "filthy pig" for his onstage theatrics by MP Teddy Taylor. [13]

Contents

Despite being the band's highest-charting album in the US, it was negatively received by reviewers, [14] [15] sharply divided the band's fanbase, and did not live up to the platinum-selling success of Psalm 69. [16] Despite poor sales, the album entered several charts, peaking at the highest positions Ministry has ever achieved. This would be the last Ministry album with Mike Scaccia on guitar until 2004's Houses of the Molé .

Background

Filth Pig marked a major shift artistically for the band from their previous album. Jourgensen said everyone around him wanted him to continue making music similar to Psalm 69. However, he wanted to move away from using samples and focus on a slower, heavier sound. [17] Jourgensen rejected any songs that sounded like their previous work. [18]

"Everyone hated [Filth Pig]. They all wanted Psalm 70, and I gave them an electronic-free record full of gun-in-mouth dirges of nothing but pain. Aside from the cover art, the humour was gone. All that was left was misery. And I still had to tour the fucking thing - which went down in history as the interminable, intolerable, absolutely depraved Sphinctour ."

Al Jourgensen (2013) [19]

The 2002 live album Sphinctour was generally well received by critics. [20] [21]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Reload" Al Jourgensen, Paul Barker 2:26
2."Filth Pig"Jourgensen, Barker6:20
3."Lava"Jourgensen, Barker6:30
4."Crumbs"Jourgensen, Barker, Mike Scaccia, Louis Svitek, Rey Washam 4:15
5."Useless"Jourgensen, Barker, William Rieflin, Scaccia5:55
6."Dead Guy"Jourgensen, Barker, Washam5:15
7."Game Show"Jourgensen, Barker, Scaccia, Svitek, Washam7:46
8."The Fall"Jourgensen, Michael Balch4:55
9."Lay Lady Lay" (Bob Dylan cover) Bob Dylan 5:44
10."Brick Windows"Jourgensen, Barker5:23
Total length:54:24

Personnel

Ministry

Additional personnel

Chart positions

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References

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Filth Pig at Discogs (list of releases)