Skinny Puppy - Too Dark Park
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Free Music Notes for Too Dark Park
Free Music Review: Cool Industrial Music
Hit: 4 Stars
Whether or not Skinny Puppy is some of the harshest industrial ever made can't be said on me (the closest thing I've ever to industrial before getting this was Nine inch Nails, and you call that industrial?!?!?! Yeah right), but this record owns. Skinny Puppy do sound like industrial music to me, only with a bit more melody. Some elitist industrial people probably have an answer to that, but 'em. A bit of melody is always good because without melody (a bit, even bands like Sunn O))) and the Dillinger Escape Plan have melody, but in ways that probably don't make any sense to you).
Personally, I think industrial areas are quite cool, and while industrial decay sucks, it's strangely beautiful (!!!!!!!!!), the areas can be, that is. Calling me a noob and citing stranger, more "industrial" artists won't hold water with me, because it can't change the sound of Skinny Puppy being extremely cool.
So what does this record sound like? Well for one, it's extremely electronic. The vocals are distorted and growl with an unmistakable sound of static, but they kick! And the beats are pretty punishing at times, not the most punishing in the world, probably, but matter not. There's a variety of rhythms, and many of them are considered to be polyrhythms, though I have no idea how to tell between them and regular rhythms (I just take it as a whole, like I do when listening to Meshuggah). As for the rest of everything on top, there's is many, many samples and whatnot, cool industrial sounds, take my word, it just sounds bad @$$.
While this isn't the greatest album I've heard (which is why it doesn't get an ultra high score), every song is worth listening to and each has it's own personality. Spasmolytic is a tale about a drug dealer, probably in the downtown area where everything is rotting with industrial decay. Relcamation is pretty tight being an instrumental, the intro is the _____! Rash Relfection, while doesn't really conjure up something, has me growling with the sick line "kiss the master's feet...". Nature's Revenge is cool the way it begins, creepy synths that open it. All of them each have their own, but those are some standouts.
This one will take a while to grow on you, at least for me, natural since I know next to nothing about the genre. But I did, and now I am glad I own this fine record. If you like bands like Nine Inch Nails (in fact, this group was a big influence on Trent Reznor), you might like this (it's different, so get ready if your idea of "best industrial ever!" Is Nine Inch Nails).
7.5/10
Free Music Review: Back on track...
Hit: 4 Stars
Too Dark Park came on the heels of Rabies, which in his more charitable moments Cevin Key described as "a big party." When this album came out, I was relieved to hear that SP had backed down from the brink of absolute hardcore and were revisiting the beauty and the depth of the synthesizer. TDP opens with Spasmolytic, which is highly suggestive of orgiastic violence...a staggering march beat buried underneath a maze of the usual samples of movies and television but also gunfire and explosions. TDP then settles into "Tormentor", which is a more danceable number, "Spasmolytic", which is a fast, driving beat but in a dark and highly suggestive manner of urban decay. It is followed by "Rash Reflection", whose repeating musical and lyrical theme ("kiss the master's feet") evokes dark images of corporate power, manipulation and hopeless submission. Guitars are present, but they are drenched in reverb and atmospheric rather than the core elements of the songs.
The album then makes a right turn into "Natures Revenge," which comprises some of the most dark yet gentle music that SP had made since VivisectVI's "Testure", replete with somber pads and fretless bass riffs. This probably highlights some of the best of Dwayne Gottel's sensibilities in songwriting and arrangement. It continues with "Shoreline Poison", another melancholy, dark, slower song, and then loses a bit of focus and atmosphere with the remaining tracks bouncing in and out of different tempos. Nevertheless, a very strong and compelling album, perhaps the most accessible of them all.
I saw this album performed live on their TDP tour and it brought home some serious facts about this group...that this is a band squarely in the horror genre. Between video screens projecting their interpretation of the songs, and Ogre's brilliant stage performance (the first half hour he struggled to escape from a gauze-wrapped, blood-packed, head to toe full body cast with only a hole for his mouth to breathe) the most jaded thugs that had come to deliver bone crushing mosh pit antics were left slack jawed, motionless and silent. I left the concert emotionally distressed and thoroughly intellectually provoked. While this tour was perhaps the most provocative and potentially offensive of their history, their ability to leave the worst of the crowd completely stunned and upset spoke volumes about this group's importance and impact.
Free Music Review: Sleek industrial stomp
Hit: 4 Stars
Skinny Puppy are often lumped into the same crowd as Ministry, but (other than being an influential, innovative industrial band) the two bands really aren't at all alike. Skinny Puppy don't have the metallic edge of Ministry, because when Ministry use guitar riffs, Skinny Puppy use synthesizers. For example, "Tormentor" has spidery synths, and "Spasmolytic" features trippy, reverberating keyboards. If I had to compare Skinny Puppy's sound to anybody else, I'd say they combine the techno-like music of Autechre with the angular rhythms of Meshuggah. Nivek Ogre's sings in a very raspy (if repetitive and sometimes robotic) tone over layers of sleek industrial/dance/electronic music. The final sound is so so futuristic and creepy, it could be the soundtrack to almost any sci-fi movie. "Too Dark Park" is probably the most cold, barren, and mysterious sounding C.D. I own. There are a few nearly danceable/toe tappable moments (like "Rash Reflection" and "Nature's Revenge"), but this album is never typically catchy or (commercially) accessible. "Too Dark Park" is a very unique sound--you'd be hard pressed to find another C.D. that Skinny Puppy ripped off--but there are a few songs (i.e. "Grave Wisdom," which could be the soundtrack to a laser or light show) that are Nine Inch Nails-esque. So, "Too Dark Park" is recommended to fans of NIN and other industrial music. But this C.D. is certainly not for everybody; if you think all industrial music sounds like Ministry, then you'll be in a for a big surprise when you hear this C.D.Free Music Review: In the event that you should forget you are human...
Hit: 4 Stars
you will remember..you are a god. I got into Puppy around 1989 with the release of Rabies (elitist SP fans seem to hate that album but I loved it (and still do) at the time). When "Too Dark Park" came out in '91, I was at first very disappointed. Where was the sonic assault of Tin Omen, the gorgeous soundscape of Worlock, the sinister creep of Choralone? I could not help but be let down by this completely different sound. I recently picked up this album again as I simply knew there had to be more once I could get past the fact that it was not "Rabies". After listening to it thoroughly and intricately, let me tell you that Too Dark Park is a great (but flawed) album. Though it is more chaotic and disarrayed (but not near as "Last Rights" thank god), there are some gems on this album. The lyrics especially are very poignant and not just an array of words that sound cool together. N. Ogres and Cevin's sentiment towards animal rights and the environment is very evident. Check out "The Process" as well as this coda was a great "swan song" for SP.
Free Music Review: Requiem for a Nightmare
Hit: 4 Stars
This was my introduction to Skinny Puppy. Tired of the hair bands of the 80's and tired of the same old trends in music, I delved into a genre altogether different. Although Skinny Puppy had been recording nearly a decade before-hand, this album seemed to break the ice so to speak. Horrific sounds previously thought unattainable were attained as this album defied trends and inspired the evolution of industrial music. True fans will cite this as a quintessential album. Production, artwork and music of course come together in an array of chaotic nightmarish sounds. This Canadian trio (w/ Rave on guitar here and there) continues to disturb those new to the genre and of course, I still go back to this when necessary.
Drug addiction, homelessness and ecological destruction are all central themes of this disturbing cd. Check out Spasmolytic, Grave Wisdom and especially Rash Reflection for a taste. Other Skinny Puppy cds are good but none come close to this album. A wonderful introduction.