Skinny Puppy's Sonic Masochistic Masterpiece

Skinny Puppy's eighth studio album is something of a masterpiece. So dense are the sonic tapestries that it is nearly impenetrable.

Produced by cEvin Key and Dave 'Rave' Ogilvie, it is a choking mix of harsh filtered guitar, layers of keyboards, thick sequenced beats and horror movie samples. The mix is intoxicating. However under the expert guidance of Key and Ogilvie it never spins out of control or into an opaque fog of noise. Each layer is so finely crafted, so beautifully balanced that it hangs together in perfect mid-air suspension.

Too Dark Park is an album of absolute extremes; from searing white noise to almost melodic ambience. For the uninitiated the relentless and abrasive twisted collage of samples, imagery, electronics, scarred guitars and ragged distortion can be overwhelming but for the industrial devotee it is an absolute must.

It is their Abramelin ritual, a call to arms, unleashing convulsive demons into our dimension to cause mayhem. 

It could be described as sonic masochism. There are points in the album that enter such dark and dense forests of sound that it is advisable to leave a trail of breadcrumbs to find your way back out.

Highlights are ‘Nature's Revenge’, ‘Shore Lined Poison’ and opening track ‘Convulsion.’ Each is full of searing and intense layers of explosive force with moments of melodic ambience.

Too Dark Park pulses with nervous rage. ‘Spasmolytic’ roars with queasy textures and stabbing beats. "Kicking the habit" growls Nivek Ogre inside the cacophonous death noise.

It is a work of feral brilliance and offers up more of itself with each listen. Simply spellbinding.