Customer Reviews

Greater Wrong of the Right

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Great album. Truly amazing synth work and mind-blowing vocal effects. I've shown this CD to many, many non-industrial fans who enjoyed it very much.

Alot of people reviewing are basing their opinions on odd matters - such as the music not being "evil enough", sounding "different from what SP should be" or "not industrial". These kind of opinions should not be weighed heavily seeing how they have nothing to do with the work itself - these opinions are an odd combination of people getting their hopes up way to high (believing that this cd would change the face of music) or plain stupid elitism (not industrial? so what? jeez.)

Other people point out that it doesn't sound like skinny puppy. Well, if you had listned to anything cEvin Key or Ogre have done in the past ten years, this music is basically a culmination of what they have learned since The Process on their own and brought into an amazing collaboration. This should not have come to a suprise to anyone - You can hear the influence of ohGr and Download all over the disc. Most people who get angry that it sounds "too much like" those side-projects then admit that they love the side-projects.

If anything, this is the BEST cd skinny puppy has ever made. The reasoning behind this is simple - It accomplishes the amazing vocals and drumwork we expect to hear. That should be enough to please any SP fan. On top of that, it is the most direct, polished work ever put out by the boys - It's *actual music* and not just a noisy, immature take on the 80's. This is industrial music with actual melody which is rare and highly underrated by fans of the genre.

This album is one of the most well-produced, talented, and polished releases the industrial genre has ever come up with - While many fans of the genre enjoy solely the sound of power drills and screaming, this album can really reach fans of many different styles of music or anyone looking for a unique musical journey.

To the naysayers, I point out the majestic wonder that is Goneja, the best track on the album and my favorite song since I've heard it. This is exactly the track I wanted to hear for so many years waiting for this disc, that track alone made it completely worth the while. Out of this single song, I became a fan of Otto von Schirach (Who did the percussion treatments). This is by far the best track from 2004 in my humble opinion. This track sounds like it's from ten years in the future - which is exactly the best way to describe what SP has always accomplished - pushing the genre they helped form way beyond the level of current music. They just do it with care, class, and actual song and melody this time around.

This is not Skinny Puppy's full evil potential sound, like they have so perfectly manipulated on their 'VIVIsectVI' album of 1988. Nonetheless, 'GWOR' is an excellent electro/industrial release with a rock/metal type of feel incorporated into the sound. It is on one hand a very accessible cd, yet still containing sounds/breaks/ideas that are too weird to be heard elsewhere. This is without a doubt a good listen, and I have listened to this album quite a few times since I got it. It's definetley not as fast paced as their earlier material, but it works quite well in it's own way. There isn't much that is really wrong with this album, except the vocals on a couple of songs might drive you a bit insane at first, but you get used to it as you listen to it more.
Overall, this ain't as bad as some people claim it to be, but then on the other hand it ain't the best Skinny Puppy album one could buy. First buy 'VIVIsectVI', 'Rabies', 'Cleanse Fold & Manipulate', and 'Bites'. All these SP albums are more beat orientated and have more interesting and mental distorting effects than 'The Greater...' album. But 'The Greater...' is still a good cd to have when you want something more mainstream sounding. It is a cd you will come back to listen to again and again, even if the breaks in between each listen may be a bit longer than other SP albums.

Especially considering just about every single one of their albums in the past had some political songs and they talked about politics in their interviews. If you hate it when a band stands on their soapbox then why did you even bother listening to their older albums like Vivisectvi or Rabies which had a lot of political references? This album is awesome! It has some great songs such as Goneja, Empte, Daddyuwarbash, Ghostman, and Pro-Test. Don't listen to the naysayers. If you actually paid attention to the sideprojects that these two made after The Process you won't be caught offguard and will be right at home with the amalgamation of what they have learned over the years. But also be aware that this is a rebirth of Skinny Puppy and even Ogre has mentioned in an interview that they are going to do exactly what they did after Remission. They are going to experiment with the sound and take it into new experimental territory.

There is no "Assimilate" on this record. No "Warlock", "Testure", "Spamsmolytic", or "Dig It".

If you want to hear the old SP sound, there's a whole catalog of releases waiting for you.

The new SP sound is a mix of Ohgr and Download - guitars and new distortions from the O-man, with a slew of admittedly self-indulgent electronics from Mr. Key. It is danceable, moreso than any other Puppy release thus far. It uses guitars on most tracks, but not in a Rabies/Process-thrash sort of way. Ogre's hellish distortion pedal has been replaced with a boatload of new effects (think Ohgr for vocals). As a fan who has his roots in rock and electronic music, I know good "electronica" (whatever the hell that means) when I hear it - and this is just that.

Personally, I do prefer the Too Dark Parks and Last Rights of the world to this disc, but it has plenty of merits. Great moods, some fantastic songs.

Honestly, anyone who didn't see this coming was kidding himself. These guys have worked on Tear Garden, Download, Ohgr and a bunch of other electronic-ish projects for the past 10 years. You expect them - minus a key band member, no less - to rehash the late 1980's? This is a great album, but it isn't your daddy's Skinny Puppy. If it helps, just forget the name on the jacket and give it a good listen, THEN come up with an opinion.

I got this cd when it came out, and it's taken me this long to feel comfortable giving it a 5 star review. Now here's my rationalization:

I feel a lot of tension over this record, in that the pain has run out. Misery's the bread and butter for artists, and the really tormented ones make awesome music, and either they die or their lives get much easier. Now, the kevins never said they were about pain. SP was more like the journey through it, the working out of problems. I point you to the song 'one day' on bites. I digress.

My point is, these guys have gotten over their big problems, and suddenly, they're in utterly new territory. If the record sounds boring, it's only that they are not in agony. They tried to leave some angst in to appease the fanbase, but this is a thin veneer. This is a very uncomfortable place to be, and it shows through the music.

However, i have the inane feeling that these men are the friends i never met, and this is how they are doing. Their happiness and honesty matters more than the continuation of a theme and mood. In this album i hear the birth of a new paradigm, a reformation of an old monolith. Key seems unsure of what to do. He's holding out, i've heard what he can do in tear garden. Melody, despite its simplicity, has finally found its way into ogre's singing. They are poised at the edge of something new, and i long for them to complete the crossing.

This record reminds me very much of summer. The songs are all vibrant and alive, and for the first time, they are all listenable. However, the 'guitar' in Pro test is irritatingly monotonous.

I love this record like an old friend, but listening to it makes me wish that they had gone farther. If they had committed themselves to a melody, if ogre were more confident in his singing. They come very close to this in use less and goneja.

Alright first off let's get one thing straight: This is Skinny Puppy NOW. This isn't Last Rights or Too Dark Park. Skinny Puppy have changed as they always have and this cd proves that. I mean just take the Last 3 cd's that they have released and listen to each one, they sound nothing alike. If you want a band that never changes and keeps putting out the same bland crap with every album then why don't you turn on the new Head Bangers Ball and pick as many randon bands as you like because they all sound the same anyway. On the other hand if you wnat to listen to a a band that has always been ahed of the times and the trends and necer repeats themselves you have come to the right place. With that said let's talk about the music.
The new Skinny Puppy sound isn't as hard or as dark as before. Also Nivek's vocals arn't nearly as distorted as on previous releases. Despite these things this cd has some of there best songs yet which include Empte, Ghostman and my personal favorite DaddyUwarbash. All in all I a very good release and I'm sure the next one will be even better.!

I have been waiting for this album for a long time, ever since the rumors started floating around that a reunion was in the making, and it didn't disappoint. The album starts off with a few guitar heavy tracks, picking up where "The Process" left off, but with a much more developed sound than "The Process" (admittedly, my least favorite Puppy album). The highlight of the album, for me, is Ghostman (track 5), and from this point untill the end of the record, I think Puppy is most in their element. The overall sound is a bit different, and maybe a bit less experimental (as expected, since Dwayne Goettel is no longer contributing), but it is a really well honed sound for this new incarnation of the band. The major differences from "The Greater Wrong..." & their past albums are Ogre's varied vocal treatments (which often find him :gasp: singing on this one!), and a bit of more commercial sound in the more dance oriented tracks - some of which have almost a trancey feel. As alwys, Cevin Key's production is top notch. I can't wait to see how some of this material translates live, as the bass & beats seem to be made for a large P.A. Definitely worth picking up for Puppy fans old, and new, and any fan of electronic music in general.