SKINNY PUPPY. Why beat around the bush? This album is a love poem to the early sound of the Canadian industrial pioneers whose influence, it could be argued, overshadows even that of Nine Inch Nails. Crude, cold, monotonous, metallic drum machine beats underpinning vast layers of atmospheric synth that provide crepuscular harmonies, interwoven with short melodic mantras, looping samples or chord stabs, while barked/growled vocals seethe in the middle of this desolation like Cerberus warding off intruders at the gates of Hades.
I think this is the first time I praise the vocals in one of my reviews on this site, but Digital Djinn absolutely nails Nivek Ogre's style of vocal delivery, both in the slow, raspy growls and the snarling, twangy, staccato shouts of anguish. In true Skinny Puppy tradition, the vocals are not in front but rather lurking among the synths and drums like a panther in the underbrush, blending in with their surroundings by means of short, metallic reverbs and/or rhythmic echoes. The lyrics, rich with images of despair and cyberpunk alienation, puns and alliterations do differ from Ogre's in a significant way: they consist of full sentences, with a regular rhyming structure, which I certainly don't mind. Great sense of rhythm, too.
If there is one thing about this release that leaves to be desired, it's the artwork and typography, which really do not do justice to the music. I almost skipped this little gem just on the basis of the artwork. This is a rather widespread issue among DIY musicians I find: the visual presentation often feels like it was rushed, or poorly executed, with a cluttered layout and conflicting colors. It's a shame when musicians miss the opportunity to tell a more complete story by adding pictures that flesh out their mental universe.
I couldn't find much information about Digital Djinn, zero album credits, no band page outside BandCamp and SoundCloud, so my gut feeling tells me that we are dealing with a one-man project, which seems to have gone quiet since 2022, but there is a lot of talent manifest here and I'm sure this would work well live, too.
Bondage To
Binary
Betting On
Machinery
Mass Connection
No Correction
Wonder What is Real