We've left a little light burning...in memory of "The Duck" ~ Skinny Puppy/Solo Puppies reviews of Skinny Puppy, their side projects, and post-puppy solo albums . . . . . . . . .Scroll Down... . . . Skinny Puppy "vi vi SECT vi" Rating: 10 out of 10 Industrial musik in what is, perhaps, Skinny Puppy's most famous style: less emphasis on melody & structure than on lyrix & sound.  The first 8 tracks R lyrical, the last few tracks R mostly instrumental pieces.  Track 1 ("Dogshit") is very good & happens 2 B the track that interested me N Skinny Puppy.  Track 2 ("VX Gas Attack") is narrative, mostly, and I LOVE narrative songs!  The rest of the album is very good, with vocals that R growled & rasped, a nice haphazardous sound to the musik, & even a very avant-garde track ("Fritter (Stella's Home)").  This is a great album to start out one's exploration of Industrial musik because it sounds just like one would expekt Industrial musik to sound like.  It is available thru CDnow. . Skinny Puppy "Last Rights" Rating: 10 out of 10 Just another brilliant album from Industrial demigods Skinny Puppy!  Approaching "The Process" in style, but with less guitar work.  There are eleven tracks (Number 10 is missing), with "The Killing Game" -- almost a legitimate SONG, and "Download" (Track 11) being VERY abstract, pretty ambient and around 11 minutes long.  Please understand that Track 11 is one of the best trax on this CD.  I could listen to it all day (well, maybe not ALL day).  This is a CD well worth its price, which is fairly low at www.musicblvd.com. . Skinny Puppy "The Process" Rating: 10 out of 10 This album has guitars in it, which is somewhat rare for Skinny Puppy, but they adapt well and manage to retain their Industrial sound, usually avoiding a Metal sound.  Admittedly, the last half of Track 3 ("Candle") does sound Metal to some people...but that's an unfounded accusation & is made, I suspect, only because a guitar is carrying the song at that point.  The album as a whole is not Metal, just heavy Industrial musik.  If you like Rammstein, this will B a breeze 4 U.  In spite of the guitars and near-melodies, Skinny Puppy is still Skinny Puppy!  The lyrix R as good as always, the vocals R diverse in style (Track 3 is almost *gasp* a song, Track 1 finds Dwayne rasping out his lyrix).  There aren't any experimental elements here, but this is a coherent & complete work that deserves much respect.  Furthermore, 'twas their last album together.  You can buy it thru...you guessed it:  CDnow.  It's also available thru Columbia House CD Club. . Download "Microscopic" Rating: 10 out of 10 Yet another Skinny Puppy side project, consisting of Dwayne Goettel and cEvin Key.  If this combination sounds familiar (aside from Skinny Puppy), you probably recognise it from the group Doubting Thomas.  Fear not, however, for Download has a distinctive style apart from either Skinny Puppy or Doubting Thomas.  This may be due to the addition of Philth and Mark Spybey and guests Genesis P Orridge and Tim Olive.  This is a re-mix album, mostly upbeat, comfortingly industrial.  There are some spoken vocals -- and I like spoken vocals! -- and some good samples.  They use a good dichotomy of ethereal sounds and more down-to-earth, industrial sounds.  I am especially fond of Track 1 ("Omni Man (Remix)" and Track 3 ("Mothersonne (Remixed by Newt)".  The latter sometimes maks me dizzy if I listen to it too intently...I think it's the techno beeps in the background with the vocals being set over one another...  You can purchase this album thru CDnow.  Even though it's a re-mix album, it's a good intro to Industrial.  For long time fans of Industrial, this is a good addition to the collection. . Reviews of Download, Doubting Thomas, more Skinny Puppy, etc, R Forthcoming! . Back To Musik