Yeah, we know. “But this record was supposed to come out last year!!!” Yeah, it was. It didn’t. Get over it because what you have in your hands is well worth the wait and possibly the BEST ohGr record to date. Yeah, I said it.
But I digress.
Seven years since unDeveloped, 17 years since Welt and the legendary Skinny Puppy still sounds as vital and as fresh as when he uttered his first scowl on “Assimilate”. Meticulously crafted with a fine tooth synthetic comb alongside co-conspirator Mark Walk once again, TrickS is the definitive ohGr album combining the electro bliss of earlier works like Welt and the electronic aggression synonymous with later solo ohGr outings, with barely a chugging guitar to be found.
“Get ready for the freaky side of nature…” says Nivek Ogre in his signature monotone and with that we’re off and running in a flurry of bleeps and beats and boops as “FreAky” opens up the latest ohGr masterpiece in perfect fashion. The main take away from this and what follows is how similar the aesthetic overall is to Welt, meaning the album’s stripped down and akin to a delightful synthetic symphony and perhaps the reason the bulk of the sets last fall with KMFDM consisted of so many jams from the solo debut.
The album also moves. As in, there’s nary a dull moment on here. Actually, scratch that. There are NO dull moments on TrickS! We talk a lot about “skippers” on albums and inevitably, most albums have them. “Skippers” being those songs that are just “meh”. Not on TrickS, though! Not a one! All killer, no filler.
The man is also still a wordsmith and has a distinct way with vocal melodies. Like the title track for example with these seemingly simple lines but they manage to burrow deep within your brain because of Ogre’s uncanny ability to imbed them there with his hypnotic and resounding delivery.
“SubjecT” sounds so familiar…in a comfort blanket kind of way, not a retread kind of way while “BlowBy” is so electronically excellent. It’s bouncy yet sinister and manages to be experimental as well hitting all the right notes in a master class of Industrial/Electro 101.
“ToXick” is the only song that could follow “BlowBy” as it’s the ultimate ohGr track on here starting out subtly and becoming a full blown beast then “ResoLuTe” follows THAT and is another one that would fit easily next to “Assimilate” or anywhere on Welt. “Lye” finishes the listeners off with another stroke of genius and these steady, propelling beats easily leaving listeners gagging for more.
It’s beautiful. It’s glorious. Descended from the heavens, even. Listen to it, love it. Bask in its’ unholy excellence. Worth the wait. Worth the teases. Worth the false starts. TrickS is here. ohGr is back.
TrickS is here. Now. You can buy yours by clicking here or here. You can also still head over here to pledge your support and get lots of rare goodies in return via the Pledgemusic campaign. And if that wasn’t enough ohGr for you, the man and the band will be touring this fall with Omniflux opening and Paul Barker’s Lead Into Gold as direct support. A stop at Brighton Music Hall is scheduled for September 12th. For dates and more, head here.
One Response
I think I’m going to have to give this a SERIOUS re-listen. I really respect the MAN Nivek Ogre, especially more so than the hundreds of selfish, cock rock big shot musicians (he however, is more humble than pie).
But at first listen, these songs didn’t add anything ground breaking to the plethora of electronic/industrial/alternative music currently. I was expecting a journey of varied tempos and colorful experimental samples, aggressive yet tasteful, innovative, ingenious etc. So, sonically/audibly (based on composition, arrangement and general “feels”) I give it an honest 3.5/5 BUT I would rather listen to this album than so many other artists. As most underground AND commercial music has been cluttered by self gratifying wankers. I take ohGr over Deathgrips for damn sure.
And, we-ell, the fans in the facebook group started to become dare I say…*gulp*…fanboy/girl fanatics that kinda stopped seeing him realistically as a human being prone to error. Almost reminiscent of Beyoncé’s fan base affectionately called the “Bey-Hive”! It’s weird. I had to leave that group. I’d rather be a realistic supporter of the artist than a fan-addict (fanatic) of entertainment.
The question is: Did he and Mark Walk do their best? Are they satisfied with their creation? Then good! If they feel these songs are exactly what needed to be pulled out of their hearts and souls and accomplished that…then 5/5. We enjoy and move on to the next project. But honestly, 3.5/5 not TERRIFIC but definitely not TERRIBLE.