Search - Skinny Puppy :: Greater Wrong of the Right

Strong Music but Too Obvious for Long-time Fans

SandmanVI | Glen Allen, VA United States | 08/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I can understand all of the arguments being made here. It's easy to see how some people really get off on this album with its powerful, hard-charging music. Yet it's also easy to feel the betrayal of older fans who never wanted straightforward rock from their beloved icons. Let's face it - The main knock here is that this music is very, very obvious. This is what Linkin Park would sound like if they were actually any good. This is a more creative White Zombie or KMFDM. However that also implies that it's a far less creative Skinny Puppy.



Dwayne R. Goettel never made such clean dance beats. ceVin Key didn't write basic metal in the old days. And I don't seem to recall the introduction of rap into the fold either. These are all reasonable criticisms. However the biggest gripe for me is that the lyrics too are far to mainstream too. You hate Bush. Greaaaatt. OK, send in the next left-wing band please. This is not new... it's also not interesting. Remember when Puppy songs were deep, multi-layered and let your mind wander to whatever abstract meaning you could attach? It was a backdrop for extreme thinking... this is not. This is a Ministry album (check out another icon gone obvious).



On the positive side, it's far better than most alt-rock out there. The songs are powerful sounding anyway (even if the meanings are 1-dimensional) and get your head bobbing. The guys also craft some remarkable effects... I love the vocals on "Goneja" that sound like a possessed Speak 'n Spell. Most of the songs sound like a continuation of what was started on "The Process". The exception is the future pop influenced "Past Perfect"; this song is the most likely to appeal to fans of VNV Nation or the like.



Disclosure: I have been a huge SP fan since the mid-80s. I own every Puppy album. I consider myself an expert of sorts... I've interviewed the band twice... I was an original writer for Outburn Magazine and wrote for Industrial Nation for years. Given that here's my personal opinion. The album sounds very nice. It's been in regular rotation in the car CD player since it came out. It will never influence my life or my thoughts the way the 'VivisectVI' did. Sorry, but I need more depth than this to call something truly great. 4 stars for how it sounds."

We're Giving It 5 Stars Because It's Good

SomePerson | 01/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is awesome! Great songs and a refreshing alternative to the crap that has been party of Industrial music for years. All of the complaints about this are ridiculous and just show how people want all of their music to stick within the confines of a certain genre or cater to their little club of mascara wearing goth dorks who listen to boring cookie cutter imitations of old Skinny Puppy songs. I'm glad that the members of the group can poke fun at all of you goth losers and release a video with breakdancing. Face it, if Skinny Puppy tried to go retro and create something that sounded like Too Dark Park it would sound completely fake and be a waste of time since everyone in Industrial sounds like that now anyway. oGre had to change his voice because pathetic losers like VAC try to imitate old Skinny Puppy to the point that they have made the entire genre stale and boring. Props to Skinny Puppy for doing something that just shows how people into the Industrial scene are a bunch of racists (You hate rap and anything that has anything to do with black culture), elitist (everything has to be a certain way and everyone has to dress a certain way in order to be part of your little club), losers who resport to shock value in order to scare your parents. I just love how they've turned the tables in order to shock the goths rather than shock everyone else. This album is an outright rebellion against the conformity of the stale Industrial music scene and I applaud Skinny Puppy for having the guts to do it."

It's deeper than it seems..

samosa | Maryland, USA | 09/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From what I've seen over the past few years, Skinny Puppy always draws ire and fire from the "old school" fans when they release a new album. In fact, much of what people are saying about "Greater Wrong of the Right" is very similar to what they were saying about "Rabies." Go look, if you don't believe me! The fact is, Skinny Puppy has never truly repeated a sound, and thankfully so. Instead, they've taken what they've learned and expanded on it, experimented, torn it apart, and rebuilt it into something always better than before. And this is why they have never ceased to impress us.



So it's not the ear-grinding, nightmarish electro-industrial of Too Dark Park or Vivisect VI, or any of that noisy "brap." That has had its chance and was embodied into other great Skinny Puppy albums. This is something new, something more complex, something greater. It's not aggressive and scathing, but dreamlike and hypnotic. Don't let this fool you into thinking it's "not deep," in fact it's almost like stepping on a false floor... Everything is introduced subtly and masterfully, pulling the listener into Puppy's world. But it's not the same world that it was 8-12 years ago; the claustrophobia, the monsters, the nightmares are gone. It's now a tranquil, spacy, yet haunting place. Instead of biting and holding you by the neck with big pointy teeth, this album sucks you into a strange blue light and transports you to a different world, one that you almost feel sad to leave.



If you look beyond the new instrumentation, you will see that our old friends are still there. "Past Present" is a good example...think about it: the lyrics are there, and the old drum beats are there (bum, bam, bu'-dum, bum.. ;-) ). The background sound is new, but I personally love it...again, it's in line with that new dreamy sound. This is one song I simply cannot skip.



My other personal favorites are "Ghostman" for its pure genius, Use Less for the chilling chorus, and Daddyuwarbash simply for its power. And if you are wondering, yes there is an anti-war theme on this album. It is no secret that Skinny Puppy is an anti-war band--just give "VX Gas Attack," "One Time One Place," and "Tin Omen" another listen.



Frankly, I think this album is being underrated. It's not rock-and-roll or trance-techno. It's not "ohGr meets Download" either. It sounds like Skinny Puppy--a Skinny Puppy that has finally put their all into their music, one tired of experimenting and ready to make real music. Ogre and cEvin have taken all their experience from previous projects, from previous Skinny Puppy albums, and torn it apart, rebuilt it, and given us a masterpiece instead of a recycled sound."