OHGR WELT ALBUM SPITFIRE, EAGLE, PLAYGROUND RELEASE: MARCH 20, 2001 REVIEW: MAY 4, 2001

This is a surprise. Who would have thought an album by Skinny Puppy singer Ogre, that's been delayed some seven years could be such a poppy affair? That it's produced by Mark Walk, sometime member of chaos-heads Pigface, makes it even more mysterious.
But "Welt" is a sparse, stripped down electro pop album, and probably the most accessible project Ogre has been involved in. Even his two contributions to KMFDM's faux farewell album "Adios" were harder too digest.
But sometimes the music here goes down almost too easily. The simplistic sound gets a bit too singular in the long run. But on the other hand, it's easy to forgive such a flaw with pure pop hits like "Water", eclipsing all silly German EBM that's ever been influenced by Skinny Puppy. And ending track "Minus" is a breath-stopping, crunching exercise in dance noise that leaves you paralysed.
Hardcore Puppy-heads will probably think that Ogre has gone soft. Personally, I find it quite relaxing not having my eardrums split by media chatter, distorted string samples and tortured howls. And it's pretty funny how an album, that most of all sounds like a saner version of the Skinny Puppy debut "Remission", somehow ends up sounding this contemporary. And while we're on the subject of 80's retro, I'll listen to "Welt" before Daft Punk's Van Halen excursions any time.

KRISTOFFER NOHEDEN