Skinny Puppy

For twenty years, Skinny Puppy has combined horror-film samples, dark synthesizers and dance-floor-friendly beats to produce some of the most terrifying electronic music to come out of North America. Albums such as 1988's VIVISect VIand 1990's Too Dark Parkare the apotheosis of the group's sinister vision. Originally the ambient gothic duo of cEvin Key and nivek Ogre, Skinny Puppy evolved into a fierce industrial powerhouse by adding the sampling madness of Dwayne Goettel. The band quickly developed a reputation for brutal live shows that underscored lyrical themes of ecological horrors, animal cruelty and political tyranny. In 1995, Ogre left; Goettel died of a heroin overdose, and the deteriorating Skinny Puppy was put to sleep. Since then, Key and Ogre have been estranged and busy with multiple projects of their own. In 2000, however, the two agreed to perform a single show in Dresden and soon began work on The Greater Wrong of the Right -- and while rabid Puppy fans will miss Goettel's wizardry, Key's soundscapes and Ogre's incisive lyrics make the new record a compelling listen. Built around Ogre's anger over the current global situation, Greater Wrongopens with the aggressive dance number "I'mmortal" and recedes into the mournful "Use Less." The pair has mounted a U.S. tour in support of the album that promises to assault the senses. Expect Key's trademark compositions -- at once lush and punishing -- and Ogre's whispered/growled/whined/crooned vocals and pantomimes of self-evisceration. The Puppy has been reanimated.