Skinny Puppy - Mythmaker

I'm very excited to be able to write this review about this album.

I've been a huge fan of Skinny Puppy since Last Rights came out. I love all of their albums with Dwayne Goettel. They are among my favorite albums ever recorded. The thing is, Goettel was such an essential part of the group's later sound and evolution that a LOT was lost when he died. As much as I hate to say it, I haven't cared a whole lot about SP's output since the loss of Goettel. I actually saw Ogre perform with Pigface not long after it happened, and he seemed very very down and depressed and didn't seem into what he was doing.

Anyway.. the point is.. the band is never going to be the same as it was in the Too Dark Park/Last Rights/Process era, which is a very sad thing, but these two guys have finally gotten their own thing going again. This is a VERY solid and listenable album. Cevin has certainly mellowed out, and his arrangements are less busy and noisy, but they are also very beautiful. The layers of sound in almost all these songs are pure Puppy at heart. The approach to the material is a good bit like the Ohgr albums, but the album is much better than that. I don't think a Puppy fan should pass this one up... and new listeners may find a lot to like here as well, which is rare for a SP album. July 26, 2008

A very non-essential album..such a shame

I cannot believe I have to cast aspersions, but this album is merely ok.

It's biggest flaw is that it feels lacking in passion, it has no spark.
This is largely due to the fact it feels like a watered-down OhGr album, the songs here have no sonic rememblence to Skinny Puppy's signature angst.

Buy "The Process" instead, or trust the other reviews. Brap out. April 4, 2008

heavy and innovative electronic music

I can't compare "Mythmaker" to earlier SP material, as this is my first foray into their kind of techno-thrash. Perhaps comparative listens to earlier releases will jaundice my opinion, but as they say, the first impression is a lasting one.
Not that I'm not aware of this outfit that's been around for over a couple of decades; it's simply a matter of my personal eclectic tastes and a lack of exposure to more non-commercial music until I decide to take the plunge, since nobody I know has the musical appetite I do.
Trent Reznor has cited this influential pair, and frankly, I like SP a lot more than NIN. I find Reznor's angst getting old, and his work can get long winded, especially the "Fragile" set. SP on the other hand are more refined and ultimately catchier. The alien vocals help to create a hostile atmosphere, cold and clinical, but yet with melodic flourishes that provide the much needed counterbalance to the slamming attack.
Skinny Puppy use electronica for all it's worth to create non-traditional tones to paint their landscape, which, when applied correctly, opens up unlimited creative doors. Too much synthesizer music has been relegated to insultingly simplistic pop and rap drek, and it's refreshing to hear this medium explored.
"Mythmaker" is heavy - very heavy, enough to satisfy any metal head, but is absent loud guitars, letting the electronics pulverize the cerebral cortex for a change of pace.
This CD was found in the electronica section of the record store I bought it from, but I recommend it take its place in the rock bins, because it's much more than some retarded dance music. Lovers of heavy music should listen to this CD to discover that guitars don't have the market cornered on aggressive music. April 2, 2008

Sweet album

A great album. Has a slow, eerie, atmospheric sort of sound. Nothing on it could really be played on the floor, but it's great to chill to. It's distinctly industrial, but you will hear actual instrumentation, too.

Dal, Jaher, and Haze are the tracks to hear. March 30, 2008

The vanguard becomes the rear-guard

The innovative techniques that made SKINNY PUPPY sound edgy and subversive twenty years ago now sound tired and lo-tech. Clearly, times have changed. The average listener is more sophisticated, having been bombarded with new-wave, techno and trip-hop all within the space of a decade. But the passage of time seems to have had little effect on SKINNY PUPPY, at least if this album is anything to judge by. SKINNY PUPPY was fun to listen to. You could even dance to some of it. The early albums were fun; they were sinister with a hint of camp, like the dopey thrill of watching horror flicks with friends while getting high. The thrill is gone. December 26, 2007

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