PIGGY D. – The Evacuation Plan

Hard Rocker Piggy D. (real name Matt Montgomery) is a bassist and guitar player who despite his fairly young age, has been around the music business for a while, having played with the likes of Amen, Wednesday 13, and a few other minor bands; currently he is handling bass chores for Rob Zombie. The Evacuation Plan is Piggy D’s first solo album, which also sees him doing the singing (along with Calico Cooper — Alice’s daughter for those keeping score) and co-production duties.

The Evacuation Plan has some extra meaning for Piggy D., who wrote the songs for the album after Hurricane Katrina forced him to evacuate his New Orleans-area home. A dozen of the over thirty songs he originally wrote ended up on the disc.

Don’t worry though: Piggy D. doesn’t want to depress you with this album; he wants to rock. And rock is just what he and his band decide to do, and they do it pretty well. The Evacuation Plan has lots of angry – but not angsty – energy and drive as it motors along from one song to the next. Rather than be demoralized and sad with the topical subject matter, Piggy D. chooses to be defiant and determined instead: he may have been down and out for a bit and affected by tragedy, but he’s picked himself up off the mat and is coming back with a vengeance, letting nothing stand in his way. He doesn’t have time to feel sorry for himself.

The Evacuation Plan is basically a Hard Rock album with a bit of Modern Rock vibe to it. While the songs are catchy and melodic, there’s a heavy, gritty feel to them too. The riffs are well-done and rock nicely, and the vocals suit the style of the music: Piggy D. has something of a raspy voice, but he can carry a tune decently enough, and he has some nice emotive lyrics on the album’s two respectable ballads, “Roll Call” and “Ladies Night.” His lyrics are often clever and humorous too, as heard on the song “3 Chords.”

With most of the songs on The Evacuation Plan being solid, it shouldn’t be too hard to pick out a favorite or two. Best of the bunch are probably the hard-hitting, energetic opener “Brave Or Faithless” and the catchy, crunch-infused “The Dare,” which comes near the conclusion of the album. “3 Chords” is a fun stomper, and even if ballads aren’t your thing, “Roll Call” and “Ladies Night” are well-done and worth your attention.

Piggy D. and his bandmates have put out a strong album in The Evacuation Plan. Give it a listen.