Review: Skinny Puppy at The Orange Peel
“I’ve got brain matter on my mic!”
Thus exclaimed Nivek Ogre as the enigmatic Skinny Puppy frontman re-emerged onto The Orange Peel’s stage on April 15 to sing “God’s Gift (Maggot)” and “Assimilate” as the final act of the Canadian electro-industrial pioneers’ last ever Asheville concert.
Up until that moment, Ogre’s face had been concealed. During the opening one-two punch of “VX Gas Attack” and “I’mmortal,” the theatrical vocalist stayed behind a well-lit white curtain, projecting shadow forms from behind it. Meanwhile, band co-founder cEvin Key was also obscured by his elevated synth-chamber, where he’d remain for the entirety of the night. And drummer Justin Bennett was positioned stage right behind energetic guitarist Matthew Setzer.
When Ogre finally appeared from behind the curtain for Rabies album standout “Rodent,” he was draped in a dark, hooded cloak which shrouded him within a new realm of shadows. When the cloak was finally removed minutes later, it revealed an alien mask with colorful gleaming eyes that changed hues frequently throughout the rest of the set.
As the legends pummeled their adoring crowd of Skinny Puppy lifers with their sinister brand of deafening mechanical dance music, their comparably famous theatrics likewise continued. The alien-headed Ogre was persistently tormented by a masked figure who struck the vocalist with a shock stick during the appropriately-titled “Tormenter.” Later on, the singer would undergo a lobotomy, with the extracted brain suffering a similar shock treatment during the aggressive, primitive techno highlight “Inquisition.”
As wild as that all sounds, the career-spanning set may have been relatively tame by standards set by the group during its ’80s-’90s heyday. (And it wasn’t nearly as deafeningly loud as when their songs were inhumanely being used to torture inmates at Guantanamo Bay.) Regardless, the concert was a perfectly executed farewell by a forward-thinking act whose lasting impact on music history will likely never fully be appreciated by the general public — or even most critics.
Not to be overlooked, Lead Into Gold — the longtime project of industrial music vet Paul Barker (Ministry; Revolting Cocks) — set the tone for the evening with its opening set. Joining Barker on stage on synths and occasionally keytar was Josh Holley, who co-owns Portland, Ore.-based guitar pedal and synthesizer module maker Malekko alongside Barker. The duo's uncompromisingly noisy set provided a fitting build-up for the headliners, while featuring several songs from its upcoming release The Eternal Present, proving that the 64-year-old Barker is not letting up after over four decades in music.
Ears may still be ringing for many in attendance, but the only feelings of regret should be felt by local industrial fans who sat this one out.
(Photos by Jonny Leather)
Lead Into Gold
