I like it Jeff.Admittedly not as much as Rabies,Vivisect but you would be hard pushed to find many albums that I enjoy as much as those two.

As a new album it's most enjoyable and bears more resemblance to Ohgrs solo material than older Puppy (IMHO)

Rivetmike

I’ve only heard 30 second track previews. From these I’d agree with Rivetmike that it sounds more like Ohgrs solo stuff than older Skinny Puppy, maybe due to the vocal style.


Personally, I was hoping that the new SP would be a lot darker than both Ohgrs and Keys solo stuff.

I’ll still be buying it. I’m going to treat it with caution by not expecting it to sound too much like Vivisect, Rabies, or Last Rights.

Time has moved on and bands like Hocico (the undisputed No.1 of Dark Electro) have filled the dark industrial gap. SP have moved on!

At least give them a link, AM

30-second soundclips for all songs can be found at http://www.spv.de/scripts/kcover_e.asp?nummer=63722&label=ss

The full track for the song "I'mmortal" has also been made available if you hang around at http://spv.de/eng/skinnypuppy/default.html for a few seconds.

The vocals are definitely more OhGr-ish than anything else, but is anyone surprised? I'm certainly not. The music, while definitely more accessible than earlier releases, at times feels like the natural progression from "The Process", especially on songs like "Daddyuwarbash" and "Past Present", at least judging from the clips alone. Once we hear the full songs perhaps the similarities will be more (or less) pronounced. Everyone seems to be complaining about the change in style, but honestly, when has Skinny Puppy ever repeated themselves? I can't think of two albums by them that have the exact same feel. It would be unrealistic to expect another "Too Dark Park". I'm glad they're moving ahead and not trying to rehash the days of old.

And how can you possibly say Hocico has filled the dark industrial gap that Skinny Puppy left? Skinny Puppy transcended industrial music and forged new grounds. Hocico is simply doing exactly the same thing artists like Leaether Strip and Wumpscut had already set down a decade earlier. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Hocico, I just think that's a really poor comparison.

So wait...what if I don't like the new Skinny Puppy disc...?

Does that mean I'm wrong and closed minded?

Isn't it possible that the new disc could...be bad? Hmmm....or is it not possible that Skinny Puppy could put out a bad album....maybe, by changing direction, they assure themselves of less criticism because those that don't like the "new direction" just don't get it. Interesting.

Hmmm...well regardless...I welcome any new Skinny Puppy disc with an open mind. They've always broken new ground and thrilled me for years.

It'll probably suck.

I love it! It has elements of old Skinny Puppy, so I think most Skinny Puppy fans will like it. There are new influences as well, but nothing overwhelming. There is some guitar, like in the Process, but it is used tastefully. Oghr's vocals are not as processed at times, reminding one of his solo releases. Track 3 has killer beats, but I think tracks 5 and 7 are my favorites. This album really grew on me. I was apprehensive when I first got the promo, because I have been a big SP fan for over 10 years and I was afraid of being disappointed. No way! It's new, yet nostalgic, updated Skinny Puppy! You can't go wrong!

AM:

It is definitely darker sounding than their solo efforts.

I think it's excellent. 100% Puppy.

cool album, especially "Ghostman", hold some really nice moments. For those that have questions for the band, tonight I'll have an interview with cEvin, so do not hesitate to drop a question at info@side-line.com but be quick!

Cheers

Lrigtac - I know what you mean. I've never understood the obsession with Puppy. I've tried but I only liked Remission and Bites, possibly because they sound like early FLA. :)

@ Skinpack:
EXCELLENT, that's indeed the word I was looking for!

I've ordered the album, it's gonna be great

and tomorrow I will buy my tickets for the festival they're playing at this summer, I really can't wait to see them live!

I checked the previews!
I think it sounds really great!!
They still teach us how great alternative and fresh electronic music has to sound like!!
They start sounding very "catchy" so it seems...
Super!!

Hey, it's Skinny Puppy....bands grow every now and then....Some for the worst, some for the better and their sound has definately grown for the better....All I have to say is I can't wait to see them in Houston, Techxas.....YEE HAWW!!!!!

There's a SP 'The Great Wrong of Right' review in this months 'Future Music' magazine if anyone is interested.

Release Magazine gave it an 8/10. No one expects it to be the best album they've done, but I think it'll be pretty solid.

What's weird is that I always used to describe Front Line Assembly as "a more accessible Skinny Puppy" as a dumbed-down way of letting people know what they're in for (assuming they know SP but not FLA). Now...it seems Skinny Puppy is becoming the more accessible one, and has a greater chance of appealing to the mainstream (also thanks to guest spots by members of Static X and Tool). Strange.

"So wait...what if I don't like the new Skinny Puppy disc...?
Does that mean I'm wrong and closed minded?"

As long as there are no followup questions whatsoever...yes. (just kidding :) )

All I can say about the "mysterious attraction" to SP is that, for me, they were the first band that truly inspired me to try and make music of my own. I have enjoyed the solo Ohgr releases, was disappointed in Music Fur Cats (haven't heard Key's latest solo effort), but felt that Eyes of Stanley Pain was the last thing I've heard that had the same energy as SP.

As for the new disc, I am extremely anxious to hear it, and interested to see if the absence of Goettel's influence will be very apparent or not.

On a side note, I got my ticket this morning for their Denver show.

:)

Listerned to the CD in full and I have to say it's very good. Very much worth buying!

Good enoghf for me!

I really like the new album.

More than The Process.

I for one am *glad* they didn't try to rehash the stuff they've already done. If I want to listen to Too Dark Park I'll listen to Too Dark Park.

I know some people don't really like the new album, they feel it's too different. Though I find it odd a Skinny Puppy fan would fault them for being different.

Still I understand some of their issues with the new album.

It's certainly one of their most melodic albums.

I find it ironic that Ogre was concerned that Dwayne was turning The Process into a "techno" album, when The Greater Wrong Of The Right is more electronic than The Process.

blah. my fav was last rights.

Got the new CD a few days ago...

There are a few stand out tracks for me, primarily track one, but I find that my reasons for enjoying them have nothing to do with the reasons why I usually enjoy puppy so much. (Does that make sense?) It's more of an ear-candy fix, than the sublime yet haphazardly human feeling that I loved so much.

Ogre's choppy vocal effects and Mark Walk's production work gives it more of an Ohgr feel than I was expecting. (I really like Ohgr for it's own style, but I didn't think it would be so prevalent on this new SP album.)

For the first time in my SP-collecting career, there are a few tracks that I just don't like right off the bat. I consider myself a longtime SP fan, but I have to admit that I am a bit disappointed in the album overall. It is still a strong album, and if it were some other band without the history of SP, it would be a great accomplishment. But to me, Eyes of Stanley Pain was still the last effort that retained the puppy feel.

And no - I'm not some "dark and retro" goof who can't enjoy anything modern and new. In fact, I listen to lots of modern and new artists these days (most of which, unfortunately, don't fall under the "industrial" genre). I wasn't expecting another Too Dark park or rehash of an older SP album, either. I guess I was hoping for an extremely refined more modern continuation of where Last Rights or even the Process left off. Maybe my expectations were too high...

Nessus: You mention fans faulting them for this disc sounding different. I feel that it's just the opposite - I fault them for making it sound the same. The production tactics sound cliche, the writing style sounds typical. Sure, there are still some of the trademark organic puppy elements in the mix, but it's missing the experimentation factor so prevalent in earlier works (even in some places on the Process). It's like they took a limited dose of their signature composition ideas, and combined them with Mark Walk's production style, and voila - called it SP.

In my opinion, Goettel's absence is obvious, and they should have just called it Ohgr & Key. Or, even better : Ohgr feat. Key

Again, it's not a bad album, but it doesn't quite have the magic of a SP album, either. I'll still be at the show - maybe the older material will still shine with "virtual Dwayne" on backing keys.

testube: Interesting observation. I've actually never heard anyone level that complaint before.

y'know I already started one of these threads but thats neither here no there. I love this new cd. It has definately grown on me after countless listens. I find this disc even more intriguing when I listen to it with head phones. There is so much going on in the background, some of these wonderful sounds are easy to miss. It's not Too Dark Park but then again nothing else is either. It's already a masterpiece, why do a duplicate? The new Skinny Puppy goes back and forth from download sounding elements to ohgr to skinny puppy, walk and ogre bring Ohgr to the table and Cey brings his solo stuff and download and it all mixes together quite nicely. The most Ohgr sounding track has to be track one, but otherwise I think its brilliance.

I've been a Skinny Puppy fan for a loooooooooong time. I think each new album release has sounded very different from the last (a good thing IMHO as churning out samey sounding albums gets old real quick). The new album continues the wonderful experimentation that Skinny Puppy excel at. Yes, it sounds like ogHr in places... but surely that's because Nivek Ogre is a driving force in both projects. I love the new album and think it's one of their most consistant to date. I couldn't get to see the group play live on their only UK date and am keeping my fingers crossed that more dates are added later in the year... <sigh>. Welcome back Skinny Puppy... you were sorely missed.