Now I'm not gonna lie to you, I had expected this release to be good but not great. Skinny Puppy's re-formation so far has been good. And that's getting back together, not some sort of political or religious reform, though I suppose it is a reformation of the sound too.. Hmmm. The Greater Right Of Wrong was a damn good album, now not great, but good. I had expected the same from Mythmaker. Thoroughly enjoyable. But I had kind've expected it to be a few more years before the chemistry would be fully together again.
One of the things that I think has really impressed me with the new incarnation of Skinny Puppy is that it hasn't fallen into the trap of just making a regurgitated album, or else going on tour playing greatest hits. So many bands are willing to just rest on their laurels and make money off recycled material, but this is all new , and it sounds like they have been listening and enjoining changes and innovations in music.
Now a lot of people are gonna disagree with this, but I think Mythmaker picks up where Skinny Puppy left off initially. Took them an album to get back to it but it really pushes the direction they were moving in when they broke up. New adventures into IDM styled techno, while retaining the distinct Puppy sound and industrial mayhem. Refreshingly innovative electronics, bust based in a rock song structure rather than techno; Making it a bit of any easier listen, as there is a good song/lyric structure to captivate your imagination if you were so inclined.
This album is the kind of album that should make Industrial bands go, "shit, our sound is becoming increasingly derivative" and strive to break new grounds. It won't of course, but it should. Ogre continues down his path of gloomy doomsday lyrics, which we well expect by now. I suppose some people might find them trite, but hell there is a bunch of anti-government topics. Some great diatribes about America so not too intolerable. Overall it's a great listening experience, a truly worthy release.
