Infidel

This is a diverse collection of intense and dreamy instrumental tracks by Cevin Key and Dwayne Goettel, the gifted musician-programmers of Skinny Puppy. Fully exploiting their vast reserves of sound-creation methods and material, Key and Goettel make every piece an intriguing experience for the ears and emotions alike. Moods range from eerie and haunting ("Whitewax," "Clocks") to darkly upbeat ("Saved," "Come in Piece"). Tracks such as "Pressurehead" and "The Moodswing" are more atmospheric in nature, while "Hiding" and "I.D.L." reveal non-Western musical influences. The most consistent technical feature from one track to another is the extensive use of arcane spoken-word fragments. --Mark McCleerey