Skinny Puppy Albums (13)
What The Critics Say
Nine Inch Nails and Ministry usually get all the credit for introducing industrial music to the masses during the early '90s. But another group that had been championing the style for just as long -- actually, longer -- was Skinny Puppy. While the two aforementioned bands had obvious hard rock leanings, Skinny Puppy always aligned themselves more with electro-dance, and they continue to do so on their 13th release overall, 2007's Mythmaker. Longtime leaders Nivek Ogre and cEvin Key obviously know what their following wants to hear, as synth clicks/blips and processed vocals remain the group's main sonic ingredients, especially on such selections as the album-opening "magnifishit," "daL," and "politikiL." Not a lot has changed in the world of Skinny Puppy circa Mythmaker, but that's just the way Ogre and Key like it. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'The Greater Wrong of the Right'
Release Date 5/25/2004
Tracks 10
Label SPV
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
At one point it looked like it would never happen, but Nivek Ogre and cEvin Key made nice and put Skinny Puppy back together again. The first thing to know about Greater Wrong of the Right is that it's their last album, The Process, done right. Not an innovative album, not a visceral album, but there are bits of the old Pup here -- more scary-movie samples than The Process had, and a lot more of the stuttering beats of yore. Ogre is still singing rather than barking, while Key has just exploded when it comes to expansive production. Key's given Ogre a lush and dark world to deliver his serviceable lyrics over, but it's not always menacing and that's where old fans might cry "sellout." With freaky vocal manipulation "Ghostman" recalls the band's earlier work for the better, while Ogre's passé chant of "New World Order" on "Neuwerld" recalls it for the worse. Too bad they're done making Matrix movies, because the driven and melodic "I'mmortal" would have fit on the soundtrack and the memorable "EmpTe" is just as poppy. Odd to think that Skinny Puppy now sound more inspired when playing it straight -- or at least as straight as a band that wears pancake makeup and stage blood to its photo shoots can be -- but the album really comes alive when Ogre croons. "Use Less" -- with thunderous drumming from Tool's Danny Carey -- is Ogre's great moment and the best evidence he can keep up with Key's evolution. Get ready for the hardcore fan backlash, but Greater Wrong of the Right at least makes up for The Process, and with stunning structure from Key, it beats most of the current industrial music competition. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Skinny Puppy's final album as a band, The Process took three years to complete thanks to a series of minor and major catastrophes -- cEvin Key's acting-related injury, Nivek Ogre's departure from the group, Dwayne Goettel's fatal heroin overdose, and several producer changes (David Ogilvie is the only one officially credited, but Martin Atkins, Roli Mosimann, and Greg Reely all took their turns). With all the turmoil surrounding the various recording sessions, it's little wonder that the end result is a muddled affair. It's not for lack of trying, though -- The Process does attempt to broaden Skinny Puppy's sound beyond the usual industrial abrasion, leaning in a more melodic, straightforward direction and employing a fairly basic, stripped-down mix. Unfortunately, the group can't quite pull it off consistently, whether it's because melody just isn't Ogre's vocal strength, or whether because they couldn't quite find the focus required to push their sound to a different level. The latter certainly plays a part in the failed attempt to make The Process a concept album about a 1960s psychotherapy cult; the thematic unity just isn't there, and the concept winds up indecipherable. Still, credit must be given to the band for having finished the record at all, and in its own way, the confusion of The Process speaks volumes. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Last Rights, Skinny Puppy's final album before a five-year hiatus, and their second to last overall, is a hailstorm of electro-distortion ten years ahead of its time. Even while industrial pop stars like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry were strutting their way across the charts and media outlets trumpeting the industrial revolution, Dave Ogilvie and cEvin Key's ambitious production talents reached what is easily a technical peak (and, arguably, an artistic peak). "Inquisition" is the pinnacle, a heart-stopping single whose production contributed just as much to the air of menace as Ogre's vocals. Skinny Puppy even attempts a ballad on "Killing Game," with surprising success. Though the dense production occasionally masks Ogre's vocals and songwriting, Last Rights is a sonic masterpiece that undoubtedly influenced sound manipulators from Autechre to White Zombie. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Somewhat notorious for the curious and sometimes botched nature of its presentations -- CD releases as one track straight through, incorrect song titles, and more -- Ain't It Dead Yet is still a solid enough live recording of Skinny Puppy from an enthusiastic Toronto crowd in 1987. Drawing on songs up through Cleanse, Fold and Manipulate, it's sort of a greatest-hits on-stage, but while the audio version can't show the theatrics which helped the band achieve its notoriety, the thick collage of noise, beats, and seething emotion doesn't hold back. Nivek Ogre treated his voice live just as thoroughly as he did in studio, with distorted snarls on "Anger" and "Assimilate." The overall arrangements from cEvin Key and R. Dwayne Goettel, meanwhile, showed just how much of a live proposition Skinny Puppy was from the start -- for all of their studio ability and emphasis on electronics, there was something truly visceral that the band could easily bring out live. The live drums often cut through the textures with brutal force, as do the often thick, distorted guitar parts, while on "Draining Faces" (mislabeled as "Brap") free-form metallic collages call to mind a factory gearing up to tear everything apart. Ogre, though sometimes not as harrowing as in the studio, still provides an essential voice of humanity pushed to the edge. Yet for all this, there's also the surprising and often underrated delicacy from the studio work audible as well -- it can be heard in the almost soothing keyboards on the chorus behind Ogre for "Addiction" and "Dig It," a touch of beauty amid horror. Notable tracks include a fantastic rip through "One Time One Place" (mis-credited as "God's Gift Maggot" on earlier printings), and a solid take on the already established early classic "Smothered Hope" as the closer. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
When Ministry and the Revolting Cocks were offering what could be described as industrial noise for people who weren't industrial fans, Skinny Puppy continued to thrive on the extreme and remained far to the left of rock's center. Employing more bass than Puppy's previous albums, Too Dark Park has a bit of a funk element. But make no mistake: The industrial agitators (who had influenced Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, RevCo, Godflesh, and numerous others) were hardly going after rock's mainstream. Forceful and consistently abrasive, these twisted and disturbing collages of samples, electronics, distortion, and heavy guitars push the limits of rock and are about as hardcore as it gets. Those who have only a slight interest in industrial would probably be better off starting out with the more accessible Ministry, but this is a CD that the more seasoned industrial aficionados shouldn't miss. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
There's much to like about Skinny Puppy's first album. Right away, it's clear that Nivek Ogre, cEvin Key, and producer Dave Ogilvie are surfing through a sea of influences, demonic as their own take on these influences might be. Key member R. Dwayne Goettel wouldn't be joining the band until their next album, so his trademark demented keyboards and effects are absent, and in their place is a kind of film score minimalism. Indeed, many of the songs are reminiscent of the more mysterious cinematic moments of Popul Vuh and Jack Nitzsche. Hints of Depeche Mode and the Human League are all over "Assimilate," unmistakable Joy Division/New Order rhythm motifs crop up on "Dead Lines" and "Icebreaker," and fragmented and flanged Cabaret Voltaire experimentation is everywhere. But the band's sinister signature underbelly is already fully intact. Splattering sound effects, gurling gushing synths, piercing keyboards, and loads of spooky samples from The Legend of Hell House paint the songs in the traditional industrial horror fashion for which the band is known. "The Choke" is perhaps most indicative of the band's later sound, with its creepy samples from Roman Polanski's "The Tenant" (a source the band would return to on VIVISect VI) and Ogre's gruff vocals mingling under an abrasive chug of machine-gun guitar dynamics. "Social Deception," another standout, is an artsy collage that sees the band twiddling with distorted electronics. Wicked, deviant voices and a twitchy electro pulse make for a frightening experience. Most surprising about this early peek into the band's bag of tricks is how delicate and pristine they sound without the more elaborate layers of samples and effects that would become their bread and butter. Bites is a fascinating look at Skinny Puppy in embryonic form, full of beautiful keyboard sounds and brimming with youthful experimentation. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Despite the presence of Ministry's Al Jourgensen and his brutal guitar riffs, Skinny Puppy sounds as if they're at a loss for ideas on their fifth album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse'
Release Date 6/15/1988
Tracks 13
Label Capitol
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse is a departure from the minimalism of Bites. Its unsettling, aggressive songs are constructed from countless layers of punishing samples and sounds. Mind marks the first appearance of R. Dwayne Goettel, and it's fair to say that his keyboard and effects contributions throttle the band toward their chaotic future masterworks. Album-opener "One Time One Place" gets things started with demonic glee. Its bubbling and festering stew of crunchy bass sounds and weird high-pitched synths is a sign of the disturbing riches to come over later albums. Many of the remaining tracks get mired in cacophony when compared against cuts from Too Dark Park and Last Rights, and Nivek Ogre screeches and wails like an ambient devil in places where he'd later sing/snarl to melodies. But even if the songs aren't as darkly catchy as those on the band's next albums, there's some truly inspired experimentation at play. "Stairs and Flowers" is a particularly unsettling noise accomplishment, as distorted sounds mesh and battle with voice samples from a Canadian radio play and then clash further with Ogre's spoken-word delivery and bizarre cackling. The subject matter is about as dark as it could possibly be, with "God's Gift (Maggot)" perhaps taking home the Most Twisted trophy, and that's how things should be with a Skinny Puppy album. If the Exorcist dialogue in "Burnt With Water" falls flatter than it should, at least the creepy Twilight Zone samples in "200 Years" display the band's trademark wicked artistry and perfectionist craftsmanship. The addition of "Deep Down Trauma Hounds" and "Addiction" needlessly complicates the Skinny Puppy discography, as both of the songs make more sense on Cleanse, Fold and Manipulate. The weak dub remix of "Stairs and Flowers" is a near aberration. Like Rabies, Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse isn't the sound of Skinny Puppy at their peak, but it's another brutal cog and vital detail in the band's overall blueprint. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Music Guide
