Puscifer, Donkey Punch the Night
Featured Album
Pushing the boundaries of what they're capable of
For the follow-up to 2011′s quirky but compelling Conditions of my Parole, Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle) and his revolving door of band mates have assembled a seven-song EP featuring two new tunes and two covers, with remixes of all but Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which opens the release in grand style. The song is faithful to the original and brilliantly executed, from the multi-part vocal harmony to the melancholy piano. Those expecting Keenan to burst into parody mode will be sorely disappointed; even the “Skaramoosh, Skaramoosh, will you do the fandango” section is rendered with the utmost reverence, and the solos channel both the tone and talent of Brian May.
The rest of Donkey Punch is more experimental, but no less serious. “Breathe” begins like a Joy Division pop song, but quickly branches off into a haunted, sedated miasma of trip-hop and electronica urging us to “surrender to the hunger/ don’t forget to breathe.” The remix of the song, by Drumcell, removes some of the bounce from the tune, but keeps it spiraling forward until it climaxes in a supernova of harrowing screams. Unlike Puscifer’s sillier output, Donkey Punch seems like a concerted effort to demonstrate that the group is as gifted, sincere and intoxicating as Tool, A Perfect Circle or Keenan’s Caduceus brand wine. The only tongue-in-cheek moment on Donkey Punch is a cover of metal band Accept’s 1983 anthem “Balls to the Wall,” which converts the forceful, testosterone-pumped original into a vulnerable, ethereal number that replaces manly chants of “God bless you!” and “Hey!” into wispy tendrils of female vocals. The vocal-free “Silent Servant El Guapo” mix of “Balls” is satire in name only, sounding like Nine Inch Nails grappling with The Orb. With Donkey Punch the Night, Keenan continues to push boundaries of what Puscifer are capable of — which at this point includes just about anything.
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EMUSIC-005F7A89on March 1, 2013 at 10:28 pm said: Um, Scaramouche. Not "Skaramoosh." Geez.
