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"I need a surgeon/ Devils inside won't cut me any slack" sings once
(and future?) Skinny Puppy frontman OhGr on "Devil," one of the ace
tracks from Welt, his new solo slice of dark electronica
— and Satan knows he's confronted more demons, in both his art
and his life, than most. His former outfit has perhaps never garnered
the acclaim it deserves — and where would upstarts like The
Prodigy be without the pulsating death-disco stylings of the Puppy
(along with the back catalogue of Ministry/Revolting Cocks leader and
former Puppy collaborator Al Jourgensen)? But OhGr doesn't seek to
exploit his musical past here so much as he tries, expertly aided and
abetted by main collaborator/producer Mark Walk, to evolve from it.
While it still dwells on the darker side of the musical spectrum,
Welt showcases a more eclectic range of emotions — and
more accessible vocals — than OhGr's snarling old outfit ever
did. "Earthworm," for instance, features some psychedelic-sounding
harpsichord and a sprightly, poppy chorus, while "Lusid" pulses with
a hyperdelic dance beat and some mantra-like chanting. Downright
tuneful at times, Welt proves that OhGr's far more than
a one-trick pony — as fine a trick as it might have been.
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