Skinny Puppy | hanDover
by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer —
With the 20th anniversary of industrial’s brief stint with mainstream acceptability just around the corner, it’s nice to see one of the most important bands from the genre still clanking noisily along. Having dabbled in everything from dark pop to near metal, hanDover sees Skinny Puppy (now officially a duo) [un]settling into less intense waters than they are generally associated with, but that in no way takes away from the disturbing eeriness at which they excel.
Opening with the somewhat subtle “Cullorblind,” it’s immediately apparent that this album is not nearly the brash assault on the senses delivered by the Skinny Puppy of old. Instead, this is a much more cerebral and cinematic trip into the dark minds of Nivek Ogre and Cevin Key.
Throughout the record, sparse arrangements trickle along under Nivek’s trademark thoughtful (though oftentimes deceptively so) lyrics. The backing tracks certainly appear to be created, as opposed to a slew of newer bands that do nothing but sample others’ hard work. This is thinking man’s industrial.
Standout tracks include “Wavy,” with an acoustic guitar intro somewhat reminiscent of the Hellacopters, and the very creepy, horror-movie-esque “Brownstone.” Songs do tend to blend a meld, not as if one continuous song though, but rather as one unbroken experience.
With the exception of closer “NoiseX,” the tracks represented on hanDover also tend to follow rather standard song structures, which, while not new for Skinny Puppy, does certainly help to make the album more accessible to non-industrial fans.
Breaking down the delicate nuances of a Skinny Puppy record is both difficult and unnecessary. Their work must be heard achieve any understanding (or some reasonable facsimile). So with that in mind, the best option here is to buy hanDover, turn off the lights, and let the music take over.
Genre: Industrial
Band:
Nivek Ogre
Cevin Key
Track Listing:
1. Ovirt
2. Cullorblind
3. Wavy
4. AshAs
5. Gambatte
6. Icktums
7. Point
8. Brownstone
9. Vyrisus
10. Village
11. NoiseX
Label: SPV
Website: www.skinnypuppy.com
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.8/10