Compelling, Complex, Surprising
J. Rayne | Salisbury, MD United States | 03/04/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I've had a love-hate relationship with M&TF over the years -- loved "Where Angels Fear to Tread," "Revelations 23," and "Burnt Beyond Recognition," but hated "Vengeance is Mine," "Love is the Law," and "Systematik Ruin." (I think that "Continuum" and "Return to Grimpen Ward" are OK, but nothing exceptional.) So I was truly apprehensive when I decided to ask for this for Christmas. Now that I've had some time to listen to it a couple times, I must say that this is truly a new direction for the band, possibly due to the fact that it was composed minus a Dassing (present in the production but not in the composition). In any event, I could imagine that this is what Skinny Puppy *would* have sounded like if Ogre and everyone else had put down the heroin and picked up lots (LOTS) of LSD. I would be hesitant to draw the Mentallo/SP comparison, but the vocals, the disjointed melodies, the stuttering and rolling beats -- it all screams of early (read: good) SP with modern production techniques. There are times when it seems like it just forays out into nothingness, but at the same time there are parts where it's catchy and immediate. It's not perfect, but it's definitely one of my favorite M&TF releases of all time. I heartily recommend it to all industrial fans."