Skinny Puppy

The Greater Wrong of the Right (SPV)
by Wa

The presidency of George W. Bush has probably pissed off no one more than the seminal industrial group Skinny Puppy. The Greater Wrong of the Right, their first release since 1996’s The Process, is a revelation of the illusionary comforts we call freedom and liberty. Each song is presented by a dreamlike spectre who dispenses wisdom and ominous warnings from another once proud, but now extinct nation, the Native Americans. This figure peels away the layers of deception revealing the various puppeteers who hold the real power in our lives. The villainy of social justice, the presidency of George W. Bush, the United States’ dependency on oil, and world corporate malfeasance.

Mark Walk (longtime producer of Nivek Ogre’s various Oghr albums) and Ken Marshall (Tool) assisted cEvin Key in turning the Skinny Puppy sound upside down to form a new prism with which to illuminate themselves. This new evolutionary sound is most evident on the tracks “I’mmortal,” “Pro-test,” “dOwnsizer,” and “Use Less,” which all feature the synth mastery and guitar manipulation of guest artist Statik (Collide, Tool). Statik, after the producers, is probably the most significant influence on the album. Songs on TGWOTR are driven less by the abstract padded noise and electronic blips of cEvin Key’s past, and more by well-crafted song structures featuring effected guitar hooks that come at you from new directions.

The fine tuned manifestoes of Nivek Ogre (aka Kevin Ogilvie) exemplify the rebirth of a band that’s found a new social and political bite to match their bark. A soundtrack for Fahrenheit 9/11 if there ever was one.
(www.spvusa.com)