Mythmaker

On 2007's MYTHMAKER, Skinny Puppy's second studio album since its post-millennial reunion, the veteran Canadian industrial act presents another set of sharp, scathing tunes. As on '04's THE GREATER WRONG OF THE RIGHT, the group--essentially vocalist Nivek Ogre and multi-instrumentalists Cevin Key and Mark Walk--often tempers its harsh sound with atmospheric synth lines and dance-oriented beats, as on the darkly dreamy "Haze" and the burbling "Pasturn." While fans of Skinny Puppy's fierce 1980s material may be reluctant to return to the fold, MYTHMAKER proves that, decades later, the group still stays true to its unapologetically defiant and grim aesthetic.