Skinny Puppy - Vivisect Vi
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Free Music Notes for Vivisect Vi
Free Music Review: Harsh stone white Eyes behold Bruise baths soak Crying bones
Hit: 4 Stars
In 1988 Skinny Puppy released what is arguably their most popular and oft recommended album. 'Vivisect VI' is undoubtedly an important recording and undeniably contains some of their most memorable, politically confrontational, and utterly dead-serious messages. Despite that, however, I maintain this is a very uneven work. As a deep admirer of SP's output I have to buck the trend and admit that for me this is not their best release.
"Dogsh.." is the rare Puppy album opener that doesn't rank among their best songs. I've tried to enjoy it many, many times, but it's never done much for me. It's really an OK song, with some dramatic guitar based soundscapes and a morose atmosphere... if it were a B-side I'd probably think of it much more favorably.
"VX Gas Attack" on the other hand is a brilliant dance song. The beat is one of the band's grooviest. Also... the fact that Ogre penned a song decrying Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction back when Saddam was considered one of our political allies is bone chilling. "Harsh Stone White" is a personal favorite. It is slow, dark and rather surreal sounding, not quite as morbid as something from the previous album, but definitely more intense and personal with Ogre denouncing his own cocaine addiction (I think). "Human Disease" is a good follow up: vague environmentalist lyrics mixed with the perfect Industrial-dance beat, heavy, metallic and simple. The last third of the song starts to sound a bit silly with its bombastic synth horns and the tenor Opera sample layered in. Sometimes I wonder what they were thinking to end such a great song with such an unfitting addition.
"Who's Laughing Now?" is another song that does nothing for me. The beat is awkward and overall feels like the type of song the band had done better on previous albums (Mind: the Perpetual Intercourse, Bites). It feels... like generic Puppy filler... if I can be forgiven for suggesting such a thing. Fortunately, the next track, "Testure" more than makes up for it with one of their most unique and sympathetic sounding songs. It's a keyboard driven lament for the plight of the victims of animal testing. Not at all dirge like, as many Puppy laments are, this song is just pretty and sad. And catchy as hell.
Unfortunately "State Aid" and "Hospital Waste" are far less enjoyable. Awkward sounding, unfocused and too cryptic to really convey any message, it seems like Key, Goettel and Ogre started to lose focus a little bit. "Fritter" is much better, a very creepy collage of creepy whispers, growls, and hazy samples... it would have fit in well on 'Cleanse, Fold and Manipulate."
This is where the vinyl and tape version of this album ended... the CD version, released later the same year contains bonus tracks. "Yes He Ran," Punk In Park Zoo's" and "The Second Opinion" are all B-sides from this period. "Punk In Park Zoo's" is probably the best of these, though I enjoy them all more on Puppy's B-sides collection. The final track. "Funguss" is a pretty interesting, chaotic instrumental that I'll give the album credit for.
After so many filler tracks mixed with really really good tracks, the bonus material here tries my patience. When I listen to 'Vivisect VI' I tend to skip around a lot. Because of that I have to score this album lower than most.
Free Music Review: Gulf war vets aren't worthy of Puppy
Hit: 4 Stars
Now I know it's politically incorrect to say anything negative about war vets, and I mean no disrespect to them for their service to the country, but they should really learn about music before they comment on it. The entire point of Skinny Puppy's music is to be unique and nihilistic and definately contrary to the simplistic, predictable and uninspiring mainstream attempt at musical artistry such as sellout travesties like Aerosmith or Falco. Lets get real. Ministry's 'Land of Rape and Honey' wasn't meant to appeal to the same crowd as the thumb-sucking, adolescent Goo-Goo Doll fans, and do you really think Einsturzende Neubauten is supposed to sound like the Scorpions? Dude, lets have your sarge throw YOUR music into the latrine. By the way, VivisectVI and Land of Rape and Honey were released in 1988 NOT 1998. Get your inacuracies straight! And please don't give us the displeasure of your insight unless it has something to do with pitching a tent in the desert.Free Music Review: Not one of their best but good
Hit: 4 Stars
This is true industrial. This is a typical Skinny Puppy CD, and as such you must listen to it twice at least before judging whether you like it or not. Perhaps even more.Free Music Review: Great!
Hit: 4 Stars
Has good, loud hard rock music. One of skinyy Puupy's best albumsFree Music Review: Half-Messy, Half-Groundbreaking
Hit: 3 Stars
I am well aware by now that many fans into this genre regard this cd as one of SP's best. I guess I could see what they mean based on certain cuts from this cd. However, there are times in VIVISectVI when the music just goes all over the place. Too many beats and samples happening simultaneously like in Human Disease and State Aid. Other cuts like Hospital Waste and Park's Zoo just sound like total filler.
However, it is in cuts like Harsh Stone White, Who's Laughing Now, and Testure, where the band shines again. All these songs and more employ, more or less, basic musical formulas (lyrics-chorus-bridge-etc.). My favorite here is Censor, nice and short, lean and mean. These songs save the cd from failing completely.
For the most part, VIVISectVI is alright once you get passed the messy, scrambled noise that embodies much of the album. I like noise the way SP does it normally, but this cd sometimes gets to my ears since I feel the noise here isn't among the best pieces they have put out.