It could easily be argued that One Bad Pig are the godfathers of Christian punk music.

Love You to Death
Artist: One Bad Pig
15/60:00
Porky’s Demise

It could easily be argued that One Bad Pig are the godfathers of Christian punk music. With their first album of new material in twenty-five years, one has to wonder if Carey Womack’s vocals are still there, and if One Bad Pig can still bring the same thrash/punk sound while combining humor with a message. Does Paul Q-Pek still have the same guitar skills?

The answer is a resounding “yes.”  Love You to Death is loud, fast, playful at times, yet completely serious at others. If you pay attention to the lyrics, it’s easy to realize that this is not a joke band. Yes, they have their shtick, and they have fun with a tune like “Sunday School Rawk”, but they also have a commentary on parenting (“Teenage Royalty”), martyrdom (“Heads Will Roll”), and taking the texting acronym “OMG” and turning into something meaningful – “On a Mission From God.”

“Love You to Death” features a call and response punk chorus. “What Does the Fool Say?” is a parody of sorts of the internet fad from a few years ago “Why Does the Fox Say?” It also contains a short guitar solo that briefly reminds me of Eddie Van Halen, believe it or not.  “Footwashin’” sounds like an old Dead Milkmen song.

Living Christianity without a safety net is the subject of “Get Your Hands Dirty”, which features Les Carlsen (Bloodgood) on vocals. The most divisive track on the disc will be the cover version of the 77’s “The Lust, the Flesh, the Pride, and the Eyes of Life”. Done in a Dropkick Murphys/Irish pub style, it will definitely be the song you either love or hate.

While the album flags a bit in the second half, for the most part the album meets every expectation that a fan could have had after twenty-five years away. Love You to Death stands up well next to Swine Flew or I Scream Sunday.  Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait until 2041 for the next one.

Brian A. Smith