Back in the ë80s, Marilyn Manson was just Brian Warner, Trent Reznorís nails were only two inches long, and bands like Skinny Puppy ruled the underworld. Skinny Puppy helped pave the way and establish a sound that was both brutal and in your face, using machines to create a nihilistic sound that would become the template for modern industrial and electronic music. Eight years after their last record and assumed break up, Skinny Puppy returned to their blood soaked pulpit for a night of snarling rants and over the top performance in support of their timely new record The Greater Wrong of The Right.
Ogre was in top form, entering the stage first as a masked creature from Middle Earth, later morphing into a bloody zombie marionette that would lead the crowd through a two-hour set. The relentless and pulverizing show came to a crescendo when Ogre introduced former producer and cohort, Al Jourgensen of MINISTRY. Al helped the band rip through a hard-edged version of ìTin Omenî and bring the night to a gritty and exuberant climax. From there out, Ogre was up to his old tricks, involving their elaborate visual stage set and his bloody, bruised persona – Ogre exemplified an artist and frontman that is dark, shocking and interesting without looking silly or hokey. Skinny Puppy were always able to exist below the mainstream radar – staying cool and relevant without ever having to compromise. Tonight was no different, the second of two sold out shows in NYC, and it was clear that the world is ripe for bands like Skinny Puppy and that the spewing venom of their sound will always have an audience with the disenchanted, affected and downright twisted.
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