Anyone that reads my column knows I often refer to Skinny Puppy as the quintessential industrial band. While not the first, and certainly not the most popular, they are undoubtedly one of the most influential. From Front Line Assembly to Wumpscut to Nine Inch Nails to Ministry, it is hard to tell where industrial—and even electronic music in general—would be without Skinny Puppy.

      What makes their music so interesting is they aren't obsessed with making danceable tunes, but they don't let the avant garde or experimentalism take over so much that the music isn't even listenable. If a song is danceable, so be it, but that isn't the main goal. Even to this day, classic Puppy songs such as "Dig It," "Assimilate," "Smothered Hope" and "Inquisition" are still club favorites.

      The band broke up in 1995 during the recording of The Process. Shortly after the breakup, Dwayne Goettel passed away from a heroin overdose. The album was completed and released in 1996 as a tribute to Goettel, but Skinny Puppy remained broken up.

      Mythmaker is the second new Skinny Puppy CD since their reformation in 2000. In 2004 they released The Greater Wrong of the Right to mostly positive reviews. Greater Wrong included guest appearances from members of bands such as Tool and Static X, giving an indication of the influence Skinny Puppy has on current music.

      Mythmaker is in many ways traditional Skinny Puppy with gloomy synthesized vocals, movie samples and heavy distortion. Right from the first notes of "Magnifishit" the CD starts with an almost anthemic approach, with a dark and haunting electronic orchestra.

      "Politikil" is considered the first actual single from Mythmaker. Fans of KMFDM will definitely dig this, as it is almost a throwback to when Ogre did guest vocals for them. It is almost like an industrial rap track, with a very catchy beat and the signature distorted vocals. Overall, it's a very kick-ass track.

      "Dal" is another upbeat song that utilizes an interesting percussion style and Ogre's vocals. It can easily be a club single despite not being overly aggressive.

      It can be hard for purists and old-time fans to accept new music from a band with as strong a cult following as Skinny Puppy. But I don't see any reason why older fans shouldn't like Mythmaker. It might also bring in some new listeners, but electro fans expecting the familiar BPM dance patterns of VNV Nation, Funker Vogt or Assemblage 23 are in for a surprise. The official website is skinnypuppy.com, but there doesn't seem to be much there, so more information can be obtained from their official Myspace page at myspace.com/skinnypuppy.

New and Upcoming Releases for 2007
Angelspit - Krankhaus
Assemblage 23 - "Binary" (single) March 20
Assemblage 23 - Meta April 24
Client - Heartland April 10
Combichrist - What The Fuck Is Wrong With You People? March 6
The Cruxshadows - DreamCypher
The Dreamside - Pale Blue Lights
Eisbrecher - Antikörper
Faun - Totem March 6
Front Line Assembly - Fallout April 24
God Module - Let's Go Dark April 24
The Last Dance - Now & Forever After
KMFDM - Nihil March 6
KMFDM - Xtort March 6
Neuroticfish - No Instruments
Paralyzed Age - Tragedia Nosferata
Subway To Sally - Nackt (Acoustic Live)
VNV Nation - Judgement April 10
Joachim Witt - Pop
Wumpscut - Body Census April 10
Wumpscut - "Goth Census" (single) March 6