Skinny Puppy is a
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
band, formed in
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
in
1982See also:* 1982 in music Record labels established in 1982* list of 'years in music'-Events:*January 15 – K.C. and the Sunshine Band's Harry Wayne Casey is seriously injured in an automobile accident in Miami, Florida....
. Initially envisioned as an experimental side project by
cEvin KeycEvin Key is the pseudonym of Kevin William Crompton , who was a founding member of the industrial music band Skinny Puppy, along with Nivek Ogre. In addition to his work with Skinny Puppy, cEvin Key has had several side projects, including Doubting Thomas, Cyberaktif, and Hilt...
(
bornA given name is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
Kevin Crompton) while he was in the new wave band
Images In VogueImages in Vogue was a Canadian New Wave group in the 1980s.The band was formed in 1981 in Vancouver, and originally consisted of vocalist Dale Martindale, guitarist Don Gordon , synth players Joe Vizvary and Glen Nelson, bassist Gary Smith and percussionist Kevin Crompton...
,
Nivek OgreNivek Ogre born December 5, 1962 is the vocalist best known for his work in the industrial band Skinny Puppy...
(born Kevin Ogilvie) soon joined as vocalist and Skinny Puppy evolved into a full-time project. Over the course of a dozen studio albums and many live tours, Key and Ogre have been the only constant members. Other members have included
Dwayne GoettelDwayne Rudolph Goettel was a member of the industrial band Skinny Puppy. He played keyboards for an early incarnation of the Canadian gothic/synthpop band Psyche, as well as a band called Water, who opened for Skinny Puppy in 1985...
(1986–1995),
Dave "Rave" OgilvieDave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer and musician. He is a producer of industrial music and has been associated with bands such as Skinny Puppy , The Birthday Massacre , Marilyn Manson, Jakalope , Killing Joke, Queensryche, Alexz Johnson, Fake Shark - Real Zombie!...
(long-time associate, producer, and "unofficial" fourth member until 1995, no relation to Ogre),
Mark WalkMark Walk is an American composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and current member of the bands Skinny Puppy and ohGr. He also composes material for film and television under his name or as a ghostwriter. One such piece was for the "Kitchen Confidential" opener, which was a Fox TV show that...
(2003–present), and a number of guests, including
Bill LeebBill Leeb is an electronic musician.He moved to Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada with his family when he was 13...
(1985–1986, under the pseudonym Wilhelm Schroeder),
Al JourgensenAl Jourgensen is a Cuban-American musician best known as the founder and frontman of the industrial metal band Ministry. He is sometimes credited as Alain Jourgensen, Alien Jourgensen, Hypo Luxa , Dog, Alien Dog Star and Buck Satan...
(1989), and many others. The group is widely considered the founders of the
electro-industrialElectro-industrial is a music genre drawing on EBM and industrial music that developed in the mid-1980s. While EBM has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial has a deep and layered sound. The style was pioneered by Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and other groups, either...
subgenre.
Self-releasing their first cassette in
1984This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984.-Events:*January 21 - "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart; it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40....
, Skinny Puppy soon signed to Vancouver label
NettwerkThe Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, as well as Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville and Hamburg...
, anchoring its early roster. From their Nettwerk debut EP
RemissionRemission is a 1984 EP by Skinny Puppy. It was later re-released on CD with extra tracks added to make it a full-length album.-Track listing :#"Smothered Hope" – 5:14#"Glass Houses" – 3:24#"Far Too Frail" – 3:41#"Solvent" – 4:37...
in 1984 to their 1992 album
Last Rights, Skinny Puppy developed into an influential band with a dedicated cult following, fusing elements of
ambientAmbient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
,
noiseNoise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
,
new waveNew Wave is a genre of rock and pop music that emerged in in the middle to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, and...
, electro and
rock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
and making innovative use of
samplingIn music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song. This is typically done with a sampler, which can be a piece of hardware or a computer program on a digital computer. Sampling is also...
. Over the course of several tours of North America and Europe in this period, they became known for theatrical, horror-themed live performances and videos, drawing attention to issues such as
animal testingAnimal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. It is estimated that 50 to 100 million vertebrate animals worldwide — from zebrafish to non-human primates — are used annually...
and
chemical warfareChemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons to kill, injure, or incapacitate an enemy....
.
In 1993, Skinny Puppy left Nettwerk and long-time producer Rave, signing with
American RecordingsAmerican Recordings is a Los Angeles-based record label headed by record producer Rick Rubin. The label's most successful artists include Slayer, The Black Crowes, Danzig, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, and System of a Down.-Company History:...
and relocating to
Malibu, CaliforniaMalibu is an incorporated city in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population is 12,575....
, where drug problems and tension between band members plagued the recording of their next album,
The Process. Ogre quit Skinny Puppy in June 1995, and Goettel died of a heroin overdose two months later. The album was completed with Rave and released in Goettel's memory in 1996. Key and Ogre, already active in
a number of other projects, went their separate ways, reuniting for a one-off Skinny Puppy concert at the
Doomsday FestivalThe Doomsday Festival was a two-day music festival held August 19-20, 2000, at the Ostragehege in Dresden, Germany. The event featured a wide range of bands, but is best known as the occasion of Skinny Puppy's reunion concert, which closed the festival and was recorded for the live album Doomsday:...
in Dresden, Germany, in 2000. Reforming Skinny Puppy in 2003 with Mark Walk, they have since released two albums on the German label
Synthetic SymphonySPV GmbH is an independent German record label founded in 1984 as a German distributor of Roadrunner Records. It has slowly grown to be one of the largest independent distributors and record labels worldwide.It also has several sublabels that it produces and distributes...
, and toured extensively.
History
Back and Forth
Skinny Puppy formed in 1982–1983 from the partnership of
cEvin KeycEvin Key is the pseudonym of Kevin William Crompton , who was a founding member of the industrial music band Skinny Puppy, along with Nivek Ogre. In addition to his work with Skinny Puppy, cEvin Key has had several side projects, including Doubting Thomas, Cyberaktif, and Hilt...
(Kevin Crompton; instruments) and
Nivek OgreNivek Ogre born December 5, 1962 is the vocalist best known for his work in the industrial band Skinny Puppy...
(Kevin Ogilvie; vocals) in
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Key was dissatisfied with the pop direction of his then-current band
Images in VogueImages in Vogue was a Canadian New Wave group in the 1980s.The band was formed in 1981 in Vancouver, and originally consisted of vocalist Dale Martindale, guitarist Don Gordon , synth players Joe Vizvary and Glen Nelson, bassist Gary Smith and percussionist Kevin Crompton...
, and began Skinny Puppy with the intention of doing something more raw and experimental. Initially Key had planned Puppy to be a side project while he continued his work in Images, however, when Images in Vogue relocated to
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
, Key made Skinny Puppy his full time project. Key had already created the name of the project and the concept of music from a "dog's eye view" when Ogre joined, and it was with this idea that they recorded their first cassette
Back and ForthBack and Forth was the self-published debut album of Skinny Puppy, released in 1984. It was supposed to be a limited edition of 50 copies but only 35 were actually made. The first 15 copies were dubbed at a normal speed, while the remaining 20 were dubbed at a high speed, making them slightly...
(self-released, 1984) with help from Dave "Rave" Ogilvie. This was the beginning of a long partnership between Skinny Puppy and Rave, who would serve as their producer until 1993, and again in 1995, and was occasionally listed as a member of the band in album liner notes.
Back and Forth drew the attention of Vancouver startup label
NettwerkThe Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, as well as Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville and Hamburg...
, who signed the band later that year. The first live Skinny Puppy show was at Unovis in Vancouver in February 1984.
Remission – Cleanse Fold and Manipulate
The dark electro-pop styles of their debut EP
RemissionRemission is a 1984 EP by Skinny Puppy. It was later re-released on CD with extra tracks added to make it a full-length album.-Track listing :#"Smothered Hope" – 5:14#"Glass Houses" – 3:24#"Far Too Frail" – 3:41#"Solvent" – 4:37...
(1984) and first album
BitesBites is an album by Skinny Puppy released as an LP under Nettwerk in 1985. In 1993, it was reissued on CD with additional material originally performed by Hell-O Death Day, a pseudonym used for the band while they toured as an opener for the electronic act Chris and Cosey.-Track listing...
(1985) earned the band a fan base.
Tom EllardThomas Ellard , is an Australian electronic musician most well known as the founding member of the electronic and industrial music group Severed Heads...
of
Severed HeadsSevered Heads was an Australian electronic music group based and founded in Sydney in 1979 as Mr. and Mrs. No Smoking Sign. The original members were Richard Fielding and Andrew Wright, and were soon joined by Tom Ellard...
lent a hand to the production of the
Bites track "Assimilate", which, with its chorus of "rot and assimilate!", became one of the band's first underground hits. Other popular songs from this period included "Smothered Hope", "The Choke", "Dead Lines", "Last Call", and "Far Too Frail".
Key and Ogre opened for Chris & Cosey on their 1985 Canadian tour as Hell 'O' Death Day; some of this material appeared on later Skinny Puppy releases.
Bill LeebBill Leeb is an electronic musician.He moved to Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada with his family when he was 13...
(working under the pseudonym Wilhelm Schroeder), an early friend of the band, was never listed as a member in album liner notes, but contributed bass synth to a handful of tracks and was a touring member in 1985. By 1986 he had left the band to form
Front Line AssemblyFront Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...
.
Dwayne GoettelDwayne Rudolph Goettel was a member of the industrial band Skinny Puppy. He played keyboards for an early incarnation of the Canadian gothic/synthpop band Psyche, as well as a band called Water, who opened for Skinny Puppy in 1985...
(synthesizers and samplers) joined Skinny Puppy in 1986; his band
WaterWater is a chemical substance.Water may also refer to:*Water , the chemical and physical properties of water*Water , supplementary chemical data for water*Water , one of the four classical elements...
had opened for Skinny Puppy in
EdmontonEdmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. The city is located on the North Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province, an area with some of the most fertile farmland on the prairies...
the previous year. Classically trained as a pianist/keyboardist, Goettel had previously worked with the synth pop band
PsychePsyche are a Canadian dark synthpop band, now based in Germany. They are centered on Darrin C. Huss, who has been the only constant member, with various line-ups including his brother Stephen Huss, later followed by David Kristian, Per-Anders Kurenbach, and Remi Szyszka, all recording albums with...
, among others.
Their audience expanded with a distribution deal with
Capitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States-based record label owned by EMI and located in Los Angeles and New York City as part of Capitol Music Group...
/
EMIThe EMI Group is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major publishing arm- EMI Music Publishing- based in New York City...
, while
Play It Again Sam[PIAS] Recordings is an international record label. The name is an acronym of "Play it Again Sam" and comes from a piece of dialogue often purported to be in the film Casablanca, but which in fact is not spoken in the film...
issued a number of their releases in Europe. Their production values continued to improve with the addition of Goettel on
Mind: The Perpetual IntercourseMind: The Perpetual Intercourse is a 1986 album by Skinny Puppy. It contained the single "Dig It", which inspired several industrial music contemporaries, including Nine Inch Nails....
(1986) and
Cleanse Fold and ManipulateCleanse Fold and Manipulate is a 1987 album by Skinny Puppy.-Track listing:# "First Aid" – 4:30# "Addiction" – 6:01# "Shadow Cast" – 4:18# "Draining Faces" – 5:12# "The Mourn" – 2:41# "Second Tooth" – 4:06# "Tear or Beat" – 4:42...
(1987). Skinny Puppy performed live in-studio on
CBC RadioCBC Radio is the radio division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The division operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language networks....
's
Brave New WavesBrave New Waves was a Canadian radio program, which was aired weeknights from midnight to 4 a.m. on CBC Radio Two from 1984 to 2007. The show profiled alternative and indie music and culture....
program in September 1986, while M:TPIs "Dig It", the band's first single and video, received a fair amount of airplay on Toronto's
CFNY-FMCFNY-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.1 FM. While the station's official city of license is Brampton, Ontario, it targets the entire Greater Toronto Area, with studios located at 228 Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, and its transmitter in the CN Tower...
. Other prominent songs from this period include "Addiction" (remixed by
Adrian SherwoodAdrian Sherwood is an English record producer best known for his work with dub music as well as for remixing a number of popular acts such as Coldcut, Depeche Mode, The Woodentops, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sinéad O'Connor, and Skinny Puppy.He is co-founder of Carib Gems and Pressure...
and released as a single in 1987), "Chainsaw", (released as an EP in 1987), "
Stairs and FlowersStairs and Flowers is a single by the band Skinny Puppy from the album Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse.-Track listing:#"Stairs & Flowers " #"Stairs & Flowers " #"Chainsaw"...
" (released as a 12" single in the US in 1987), "Deep Down Trauma Hounds", and "One Time One Place".
Skinny Puppy toured in 1985 (North America), 1986 (North America and Europe), and 1987 (North America); a live performance at Toronto's Concert Hall in 1987 was released on VHS (1989) and CD (1991) as
Ain't It Dead Yet?Ain't it Dead Yet? is a recording of Canadian electronic group Skinny Puppy's performance at the Toronto Concert Hall on May 31, 1987 during their Cleanse Fold & Manipulate Tour...
.
VIVIsectVI – Rabies
Over time, the band became outspoken advocates for animal rightsAnimal rights, also referred to as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of humans...
, and used the Head Trauma
tour (Europe, 1988) and VIVIsectVI
tour (North America, 1988) to draw attention to the issue. The title of the album VIVIsectVIVIVIsectVI is a 1988 album by Skinny Puppy. The title of the album is a pun associating vivisection with satanism.-Track listing:# "Dogshit" – 3:55# "VX Gas Attack" – 5:36# "Harsh Stone White" – 4:29...
(1988) was a pun intended to associate
vivisectionFrom Latin vivus + sectio , Vivisection is surgery conducted upon a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to directly view living internal structure for purposes other than the health of the subject....
with
SatanismSatanism comprises a number of related beliefs and social phenomena. They share the feature of symbolism, veneration or admiration of Satan . Satan first appeared in the Hebrew Bible and was an Angel who challenged the religious faith of humans. In the Book of Job he is called "the Satan" and...
(ie. the "
666The Number of the Beast is a concept from the Book of Revelation of the New Testament of the Christian Bible, relating to the figure of "The Beast". The number is 666 in most manuscripts of the New Testament, and in modern translations and critical editions of the Greek text...
sect"). The album's lyrics dealt with criticism of
pollutionPollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms . Pollution can take the form of chemical substances, or energy, such as noise, heat, or light...
,
chemical warfareChemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons to kill, injure, or incapacitate an enemy....
,
deforestationDeforestation is the clearance of naturally occurring forests by the processes of logging and/or burning of trees in a forested area. There are several reasons deforestation occurs: trees or derived charcoal can be sold as a commodity and used by humans, while cleared land is used as pasture,...
,
rapeRape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or without sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
, cocaine addiction, and the promotion of
sexual abstinenceSexual abstinence is the practice of voluntarily refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity.Common reasons for practicing sexual abstinence include:*religious or philosophical reasons...
to stop the spread of AIDS/HIV. Lead track "Dogshit" was released as a single in 1988 under the name "Censor", while the single "
Testure"Testure" is a single by the band Skinny Puppy, taken from their 1988 album VIVIsectVI. The phrase is most likely a play on words of the words 'Test' and 'Torture' and equates medical experimentation on live animals as being akin to torture.-Track listing :#"Testure" #"Testure" "Testure" is a...
", which denounced the
vivisectionFrom Latin vivus + sectio , Vivisection is surgery conducted upon a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to directly view living internal structure for purposes other than the health of the subject....
of animals for research purposes, reached #19 on
BillboardBillboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1989. A music video was produced for "Testure", featuring footage of a man being tortured by monstrous-looking surgeons, augmented with clips from
The Plague DogsThe Plague Dogs is a 1982 animated film based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Richard Adams. The film was written for screen, directed and produced by Martin Rosen, who also directed Watership Down, the film version of another novel by Adams, produced by Nepenthe Productions and released by...
and Unnecessary FussUnnecessary Fuss is a film produced by Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals , showing footage shot inside the University of Pennsylvania's Head Injury Clinic in Philadelphia....
, and included a statement denouncing vivisection. Key and Ogre were arrested for "disorderly conduct" at a 1988 concert in
Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. The municipality is located north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border. The population within city limits was estimated to be 333,336 in 2008, making it the state's third largest city...
after an audience member, believing the
stuffed animalA stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw, beans, plastic pellets, cotton, synthetic fibers, or other similar materials. Stuffed toys are also known as plush toys from plush, the outer material used, and soft toys or cuddly toys...
Ogre was "vivisecting" to be a real dog, called the police.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band members also worked on
various side projects. Key and Goettel were involved with
The Tear GardenThe Tear Garden is a psychedelic/gothic/electronic band, formed by Edward Ka-Spel of The Legendary Pink Dots and cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy in 1985 after Key served Ka-Spel on tour in Canada as a sound engineer...
(a collaboration with
The Legendary Pink DotsThe Legendary Pink Dots are an Anglo-Dutch experimental rock band formed in London in August 1980. Although far outside the mainstream , LPD have released more than 40 albums, have a devoted worldwide following, and tour frequently.-Overview:The Legendary Pink Dots formed in August 1980 in London...
), Doubting Thomas (an outlet for their non-Skinny Puppy instrumentals), and the rock band
HiltHilt was a collective group of Vancouver musicians, usually referred to as a side project of the group Skinny Puppy. The group comprised Alan Nelson, a seminal member of many local Vancouver rock & punk groups, on vocals, with cEvin Key and D.R...
. Ogre struck up a friendship with
MinistryMinistry was an American industrial metal band founded by frontman Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed...
's
Al JourgensenAl Jourgensen is a Cuban-American musician best known as the founder and frontman of the industrial metal band Ministry. He is sometimes credited as Alain Jourgensen, Alien Jourgensen, Hypo Luxa , Dog, Alien Dog Star and Buck Satan...
, and joined Ministry and some of its side projects on their live tours. For the next Skinny Puppy album, Rabies (1989), Jourgensen joined Rave as producer. The album, featuring Jourgensen's electric guitar work on several tracks, drew mixed reviews, although the singles "Tin Omen" and "Worlock" (which paired a riff sampled from The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" with a clip of
Charles MansonCharles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi -commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders, carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
singing the song) became enduring favorites among many fans. A video produced for "Worlock", featuring spliced-together footage from dozens of horror films, and a statement denouncing censorship of the genre by the MPAA, was circulated widely as a promotional and bootleg item.
This period marked the beginning of divisions within the band, as rather than tour in support of Rabies
, Ogre joined Ministry's The Mind is a Terrible Thing to TasteThe Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste is the fourth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 1989 through Sire/Warner Bros. Records. The music took a more hardcore, aggressively guitar-driven direction...
tour as an additional vocalist. Key was later quoted as saying of Ogre's involvement with Ministry and
Martin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins , is a drummer and session musician best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke.-Biography:...
'
PigfacePigface is an industrial rock supergroup formed in 1990 by Martin Atkins and William Rieflin.Pigface was formed from Ministry's The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste tour, which produced the In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up live album and video. For the tour, Al Jourgensen brought Atkins,...
during this period that he sometimes felt "like a wife that's been cheated on".
Too Dark Park – Last Rights
Their next album
Too Dark ParkToo Dark Park is a 1990 music album by the industrial music group Skinny Puppy.-Track listing:# "Convulsion" – 3:20# "Tormentor" – 4:33# "Spasmolytic" – 3:53# "Rash Reflection" – 3:28# "Nature's Revenge" – 3:57# "Shore Lined Poison" – 4:49...
(1990) built on the harsh electronic rock of previous albums, yielding the spastic singles "Tormentor" and "Spasmolytic". Environmental degradation was a major theme on songs such as "Nature's Revenge" and "Shore Lined Poison", while layers of background noise grew to a crescendo on the album's closer "Reclamation". The Too Dark Park tour (North America, 1990) included the band's most graphic backing film to date, featuring everything from
Budd DwyerRobert "Budd" Dwyer was an American politician who, on the morning of January 22, 1987, committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth with a revolver during a televised press conference.- Career :...
's televised suicide, to animal experimentation, to nerve gas attacks in the Iran–Iraq War. Ogre was restrained in a stage piece called "The Chair of No Cares" and injected with various substances, then prowled the stage on large metal
stiltStilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates....
s. Similar sequences were featured in the "Spasmolytic" music video, directed by
Jim Van BebberJim Van Bebber is an American film director. Van Bebber attended Wright State University where he studied cinema. Instead of using a bank loan to pay for a second year of college, he used the money to finance Deadbeat at Dawn, and founded the indie film company Asmodeus Productions with several...
.
The next album Last Rights
(1992) pushed the dark noise of Too Dark Park further into experimental territory. The stage show of its accompanying tour (North America, 1992) was built around a detailed narrative that involved Ogre interacting with a backing film, a "virtual reality" machine, a bleeding
crucifixA crucifix is a cross with a representation of Jesus' body, or corpus. It is a principal symbol of the Christian religion...
, and a large, rotating device called "The Tree of No Cares" from which dangled severed heads and pornographic magazines. The 1992 single "Inquisition" included the b-side "Lahuman8", one of several pieces commissioned by the
contemporary danceContemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs systems and methods found in modern dance and postmodern dance. Contemporary dance draws on modern dance techniques as well as newer philosophies of movement that depart from classical dance techniques by altogether omitting structured...
group
La La La Human StepsLa La La Human Steps is a leading Québécois contemporary dance group in Canada, known for its energetic, acrobatic style that often involves fast-paced and athletic physical contact...
for their 1991 production Infante C'est Destroy
. A second single, "Love In VeinLove in Vein was a planned single by the band Skinny Puppy, taken from their 1992 album Last Rights. It was prepared for release, complete with remixes and b-sides, but was cancelled and not released...
", was never released, although some of the remix and b-side material intended for it later appeared on Brap: Back and Forth Series 3 & 4Brap: Back & Forth Series 3 & 4 is a compilation album by industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released as a double-CD in 1996. This album reached to #9 in Billboard chart's Top Heatseekers...
(1996). The "Killing Game" video and tour backing film were directed by William MorrisonWilliam Morrison , is a Canadian born Juno Award-nominated music video director, documentary film director, and musician...
.
A track titled "Left Handshake" was excluded from Last Rights
, leaving a blank track 10 on some copies of the album. Clearance for a lengthy vocal sample from Timothy LearyDr. Timothy Francis Leary was an American writer, psychologist, futurist, advocate of psychedelic drug research, and one of the first people whose remains have been sent into space. An icon of 1960s counterculture, Leary is most famous as a proponent of the therapeutic, spiritual and emotional...
's Turn On, Tune In, Drop OutTurn On, Tune In, Drop Out is an album credited to Timothy Leary. It consists of a narrated meditation mixed with freeform psychedelic rock music.-Track listing:Side A#"The Turn On" - 2:23#"The Tune In" - 3:34...
(1967) was approved by Leary, but denied by the copyright holder. The song, in which a crazed Ogre responds to Leary's instructions for avoiding a "bad tripBad trip is a slang term for a psychedelic crisis, a disturbing experience sometimes associated with use of a psychedelic drug such as LSD, Salvinorin A, mescaline, psilocybin or DMT....
", was eventually released on the initial European edition of Brap
(1996) and on a limited edition single called "Track 10"Left Handshake" - Limited to 1000 copies.-Notes:Track 10, "Left Handshake", was omitted from Last Rights because the band was unable to get clearance for the Timothy Leary samples taken from Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out, a recording for recreational background settings during LSD parties...
" sold at the Skinny Puppy reunion concert in Dresden (2000).
The Process – breakup
Ogre, Key, and Goettel signed a contract with American RecordingsAmerican Recordings is a Los Angeles-based record label headed by record producer Rick Rubin. The label's most successful artists include Slayer, The Black Crowes, Danzig, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, and System of a Down.-Company History:...
and moved to Malibu, CaliforniaMalibu is an incorporated city in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population is 12,575....
, in 1993 to record The Process, a concept album inspired by 1960s cult
The Process Church of The Final JudgmentThe Process, or in full, The Process Church of the Final Judgment, commonly known by non-members as the Process Church, was a religious group that flourished in the 1960s and 1970s, founded by the Englishman Robert DeGrimston and Mary Anne MacLean...
, with
Roli MosimannRoli Mosimann is a drummer, electronic musician and record producer whose contributions range from industrial to pop. Originally from Switzerland, Mosimann first made his mark in the New York City no wave band Swans and later collaborated with Foetus mastermind J. G...
producing. The recording sessions were beset by everything from fires to the
Northridge earthquakeThe Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, lasting for about 20 seconds. The earthquake had a "strong" moment magnitude of 6.7, but the ground acceleration was one of the highest ever...
, and Mosimann was eventually replaced with
Martin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins , is a drummer and session musician best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke.-Biography:...
. Atkins' presence exacerbated the rift that was forming between Ogre on the one hand, and Key and Goettel on the other. The band's bickering and excessive drug use made the recording process so long and costly that American reduced Skinny Puppy's contract from three albums to one. In 1994, Key and Goettel returned to Vancouver with the master tapes, but Ogre remained in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
and quit Skinny Puppy in June 1995. Goettel was found dead of a heroin overdose in his parents' home two months later. The Process was eventually completed with Rave, released in 1996, and dedicated to the memory of Goettel. It was an overall stylistic departure from their previous albums, prominently featuring untreated vocals, guitar, and more accessible song structures. The liner notes that accompanied the CD included thank-yous to "Electronic Music Lovers" and "Puppy People", followed by the words "The End" in bold type.
During the Process
era, a loose-knit art/philosophy collective also known as The ProcessThe Process is an art and philosophy collective formed in the early 1990s. The idea was initially birthed at the same time as, and with a subset of the same people from, the studio work for the Skinny Puppy album The Process, though the direct interrelation ends there. Some of the early...
was formed, with early contributions from Ogre and Genesis P-OrridgeGenesis Breyer P-Orridge is an English performer, musician, writer and artist. His early confrontational performance work in COUM Transmissions in the late 1960s and early 1970s along with the industrial band Throbbing Gristle, which dealt with subjects such as prostitution, pornography, serial...
, among others. P-Orridge and Larry ThrasherLarry Thrasher is an American experimental musician. Thrasher was an important member of Psychic TV, Thee Majesty and Splinter Test. In addition, Thrasher is in collaboration with Kim Cascone on the project Thessalonians. He is credited under the aliases DJ Cheb I Sabbah Wa Mektoub and Baba Larry...
of Psychic TVPsychic TV or PTV, is a video art and music group that primarily performs psychedelic, punk, electronic and experimental music...
jammed with Skinny Puppy during this period, a recording of which was eventually released as Puppy GristlePuppy Gristle is an album released as a part of cEvin Key's subscription-service "From the Vault" in 2002, under the Skinny Puppy name. This was planned to be a limited-edition, subscription-only release of 1,000 copies available exclusively through the label's mailorder. It was eventually...
in a limited edition in 2002. These jams partly inspired the creation of the
DownloadDownload is an electronic music group formed by Dwayne Goettel and cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy during 1994. The initial lineup also included Off & Gone's Phil Western and Mark Spybey of Dead Voices On Air, but has since been particularly fluid, with Key and Western being the only constant members...
project, which Key and Goettel formed with Mark Spybey and
Phil WesternPhil Western is a Vancouver-based musician who is a founding member of the bands Download, PlatEAU, Frozen Rabbit, and Off And Gone. Having started his career as a drummer and eventually as a programmer, he became a sought after remix engineer starting in the mid 90's...
in 1994. Download explored everything from electronic improvisation with spoken vocals to
minimal technoMinimal is a form of electronic dance music that is considered a minimalist derivate of techno. It is characterized by a stripped-down aesthetic that exploits the use of repetition, and understated development...
and
IDMIntelligent dance music is a term that describes an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s at the end of the British rave era. The genre is influenced by a wide range of musical styles particularly electronic dance music such as Detroit Techno...
, and toured in 1996. Earlier, in 1993, Goettel and Western had issued a
breakbeat hardcoreBreakbeat hardcore is a derivate of acid house that combines 4-to-the-floor rhythms with breakbeats, and is associated with UK Rave scene.-The rave scene:...
single on their own Subconscious Records, and after Goettel's death in 1995, Subconscious evolved into a recording studio and record label imprint that Key used to release a number of his own and Skinny Puppy's recordings. Key also continued to work with
The Tear GardenThe Tear Garden is a psychedelic/gothic/electronic band, formed by Edward Ka-Spel of The Legendary Pink Dots and cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy in 1985 after Key served Ka-Spel on tour in Canada as a sound engineer...
, produced ambient techno and
chill out musicChill out , a term derived from a slang injunction to relax, emerged in the early and mid-1990s as a catch-all term for various styles of relatively mellow, slow-tempo music made by contemporary producers in the electronic music scene...
with Western in the side project
platEAUPlatEAU is an electronic music project featuring cEvin Key and Phil Western. The project resembles a very loose approach to the Download project featuring the same members. The song names and album titles refer to the coffeeshop culture of Amsterdam in The Netherlands implying a "trip" throughtheir...
, and released his first solo album in 1998.
Ogre had toured extensively with Martin Atkins' industrial
supergroupIn the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups." Supergroups tend to be short-lived, often lasting only for an album or two...
PigfacePigface is an industrial rock supergroup formed in 1990 by Martin Atkins and William Rieflin.Pigface was formed from Ministry's The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste tour, which produced the In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up live album and video. For the tour, Al Jourgensen brought Atkins,...
since 1991, and toured with them again in 1995 after leaving Skinny Puppy. He recorded material for his side project W.E.L.T. with Ruby's
Mark WalkMark Walk is an American composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and current member of the bands Skinny Puppy and ohGr. He also composes material for film and television under his name or as a ghostwriter. One such piece was for the "Kitchen Confidential" opener, which was a Fox TV show that...
before quitting Skinny Puppy, but due to legal issues with American Recordings, this would not see release until 2001 under the new name
ohGrohGr is a band formed by Nivek Ogre, of Skinny Puppy, and musician/engineer Mark Walk. Although the pedigree of the group's members might suggest otherwise, ohGr is not strictly an industrial group, as it draws heavily from elements of electro-pop and metal...
. In the meantime, he guested with
KMFDMKMFDM is a German industrial rock band led by founding member Sascha Konietzko. They have sold over 2 million records worldwide.KMFDM was founded in Germany on February 29, 1984 as a joint effort between Konietzko and German painter/multi-media performer Udo Sturm to perform for the opening of an...
in 1997 and 1999, and released an album with Martin Atkins under the name
Rx℞ or Rx was a one-off side project by Skinny Puppy band member Nivek Ogre, in collaboration with Invisible Records founder Martin Atkins. The project was originally called Ritalin, but the name was changed for legal reasons.- See also :...
(also known as Ritalin). The ohGr and Rx releases included some of Ogre's most pop-oriented songwriting to date. Ogre and Mark Walk also contributed several tracks to the
Descent IIDescent II is a 3D first-person shooter video game noted for popularizing the use of true 3D rendering technology and providing the player with six full degrees of freedom to move and to look around....
game soundtrack.
Several collections were released while Skinny Puppy was dormant, including Brap: Back and Forth Series 3 & 4Brap: Back & Forth Series 3 & 4 is a compilation album by industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released as a double-CD in 1996. This album reached to #9 in Billboard chart's Top Heatseekers...
in 1996 and The Singles CollectThe Singles Collect is a compilation album by Skinny Puppy, released in 1999. The collection serves as a singles-collection release, with a few assorted promo singles and alternate mixes used instead. Not all singles are represented, due to time and label restrictions...
and B-Sides CollectB-Sides Collect is a compilation album by Skinny Puppy, released in 1999. The album serves as a collection of several B-sides from earlier singles that went out of print around the time of its release. With the exception of "Serpents", this collection compliments Twelve Inch Anthology which...
in 1999. Nettwerk commissioned a remix albumA remix album is an album consisting mostly of remixes or re-recorded versions of a music artists' earlier released material.Sly & The Family Stone's 1979 release 10 Years Too Soon featured disco remixes of the 1960s Family Stone hits...
in 1998; titled remix dystemperRemix dystemper is a 1998 remix album of Skinny Puppy tracks, by various artists. The album met with generally low critical acclaim.-Track listing:# "Rodent " – 7:12...
, it featured classic Skinny Puppy tracks re-worked by a diverse range of artists, including IDM pioneers AutechreAutechre are an English electronic music group consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both natives of Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, the duo are one of the most prominent acts signed with London-based Warp Records, a label known for its pioneering electronic music...
, alt-metal band DeftonesDeftones is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 1988. Consisting of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham .-Early years: 1989-1993:When Carpenter was 15 years old he was hit by a car while skateboarding...
, rapper/hip hop producer GuruGuru , in the Boston neighborhood of Roxbury, is an American rapper and the lyrical half of the former hip-hop duo Gang Starr, together with DJ Premier. With his Jazzmatazz album series, he is also considered to be one of the pioneers of hiphop/jazz crossover...
and Industrial mainstay KMFDMKMFDM is a German industrial rock band led by founding member Sascha Konietzko. They have sold over 2 million records worldwide.KMFDM was founded in Germany on February 29, 1984 as a joint effort between Konietzko and German painter/multi-media performer Udo Sturm to perform for the opening of an...
. Ogre and Mark Walk also took part, contributing a breakcoreBreakcore is a style of electronic dance music largely influenced by hardcore techno, drum and bass and industrial music that is characterized by its use of heavy kick drums, breaks and a wide pallet of sampling sources, played at high tempos....
remix of "Dig It" and an updated version of Remissions "Smothered Hope" with new vocals by Ogre.
Dresden reunion – Present
In
2000See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January - Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
, Ogre and Key reunited and performed live as Skinny Puppy for the first time since 1992 at the
Doomsday FestivalThe Doomsday Festival was a two-day music festival held August 19-20, 2000, at the Ostragehege in Dresden, Germany. The event featured a wide range of bands, but is best known as the occasion of Skinny Puppy's reunion concert, which closed the festival and was recorded for the live album Doomsday:...
in
DresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. This unique concert was professionally filmed and recorded, and while a DVD never materialized, live clips of "Testure" and "Worlock" were broadcast on the
Crazy Clip Show in Germany and "Worlock" was included on a VCD compilation by German magazine
Sonic Seducer in 2002. The live album
Doomsday: Back and Forth Series 5: Live in DresdenDoomsday: Back and Forth, Vol. 5: Live in Dresden is a live CD from the band, Skinny Puppy. The album was recorded at an August 20, 2000 performance at the Doomsday Festival in Dresden, Germany. This performance marked the reunion of former bandmates, cEvin Key and Nivek Ogre...
was released in 2001.
Key joined
ohGrohGr is a band formed by Nivek Ogre, of Skinny Puppy, and musician/engineer Mark Walk. Although the pedigree of the group's members might suggest otherwise, ohGr is not strictly an industrial group, as it draws heavily from elements of electro-pop and metal...
on drums for its
2001See also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 - Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band....
tour, while Ogre appeared on the track "Frozen Sky" on Key's 2001 album
The Ghost of Each RoomThe Ghost of Each Room is the second solo album by cEvin Key released in 2001.- Track listing :# "Bobs Shadow" – 4:59# "Tatayama" – 5:52# "Horopter" – 6:01# "15th Shade" – 3:42# "Sklang" – 3:10# "Frozen Sky" – 3:52# "Aphasia" – 5:13...
. The first new Skinny Puppy track in several years, "Optimissed", appeared on the
Underworld soundtrackUnderworld is the original soundtrack album released for the 2003 film of the same name.-Track listing:...
in 2003. Ogre, Key,
Mark WalkMark Walk is an American composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and current member of the bands Skinny Puppy and ohGr. He also composes material for film and television under his name or as a ghostwriter. One such piece was for the "Kitchen Confidential" opener, which was a Fox TV show that...
and various guests, including
Danny CareyDaniel Edwin "Danny" Carey is an American drummer, best known as his place as the drummer for American Grammy Award-winning progressive metal band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as ZAUM, Green Jellÿ, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew of King Crimson, Carole King,...
(
ToolTool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1990. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The current bassist is Justin Chancellor, who has been with the band since 1995...
) and
Wayne StaticWayne Static is an American musician, and the lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and programmer for the industrial metal band Static-X.- Early life :...
(
Static-XStatic-X is an American metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. They are signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released six albums, their most recent being Cult of Static, which was released on March 17, 2009....
) recorded the new Skinny Puppy album,
The Greater Wrong of the RightThe Greater Wrong of the Right is a 2004 album by Skinny Puppy. It was their first new full-length LP since 1996's The Process. It was also their first album since 1985's Bites without the support of deceased keyboardist Dwayne Goettel....
, released in 2004 on Synthetic Symphony (a sub-label of
SPVSPV GmbH is an independent German record label founded in 1984 as a German distributor of Roadrunner Records. It has slowly grown to be one of the largest independent distributors and record labels worldwide.It also has several sublabels that it produces and distributes...
, their European distributor since the mid-1990s). The new Skinny Puppy sound was in a similar vein as
The Process, with a somewhat more rock-oriented style. "Pro-Test", the band's first music video since 1996, was rather different than any of their previous video work, featuring a showdown between rival breakdancing/
krumpingKrumping is an urban street dance form characterized by free, expressive, and highly energetic moves involving the arms, head, legs, chest, and feet. The root word, Krump, is an acronym for Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise...
crews.
Skinny Puppy toured North America and Europe in support of the album in 2004, joined by
William MorrisonWilliam Morrison , is a Canadian born Juno Award-nominated music video director, documentary film director, and musician...
on guitar and Justin Bennett (ex-
Professional Murder MusicProfessional Murder Music is a Alternative Rock band, from Los Angeles, California.They are currently signed and own indie label, Wormhole Records. Their music has been used for such film soundtracks as End of Days, Ginger Snaps, Valentine, and even a video game for Sega Dreamcast called Jet Grind...
) on drums. Shows in Toronto and Montreal were filmed for the live DVD
Greater Wrong of the Right LiveThe Greater Wrong of the Right LIVE is a 2-DVD set from Skinny Puppy. Disc one is live footage from their 2004 fall tour shot in Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec...
, which was released in September 2005. The DVD included
Information Warfare, a documentary about the U.S.-led wars in Iraq made by Morrison. The anti-
Bush administrationThe Presidency of George W. Bush began on his inauguration on January 20, 2001 as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
stance taken by the band at their live shows drew the ire of PABAAH (Patriotic Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood), which attempted a boycott of college radio stations that played Skinny Puppy. Skinny Puppy toured Europe again in 2005, and returned to the studio to complete their next album,
MythmakerMythmaker is the latest album by the industrial group Skinny Puppy. It was released on January 29, 2007, in Europe and on January 30, 2007, in North America. The album and individual songs were available for purchase via download from Napster as of January 27, 2007...
, which was released in January 2007. While some fans longed for the sounds of their earlier days, the band stated their intention to move forward rather than dwell in the past, and played a mixture of new and old material at their shows, including material from the back catalog that had never been performed live before. The band's 2007 North American and European tour, titled
Mythrus, began in May 2007. Skinny Puppy will begin a North American tour, titled the "In Solvent See" tour, on October 30th 2009.
Influence
Despite little mainstream airplay, several Skinny Puppy releases have charted in North America and Europe, and their influence on
industrialIndustrial music is an experimental music style, often including electronic music, that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s to describe Industrial Records artists...
and
electronic musicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
is considerable. Widely considered originators of a unique sound and live performance style, Skinny Puppy are also known as pioneers of
industrial rockIndustrial rock is a musical genre that fuses electro-industrial and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
and
electro-industrialElectro-industrial is a music genre drawing on EBM and industrial music that developed in the mid-1980s. While EBM has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial has a deep and layered sound. The style was pioneered by Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and other groups, either...
, genres in which they may be seen to have spawned "a litter of like-minded bands". Their influence extends from independent acts like
Tin OmenTin Omen are a U.K.-based band who describe themselves as "industrial-electro" in style. Their sound is a mix of powerful beats, dirty guitars and melodic keyboards topped with female vocals....
, to mainstream stars
Nine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
, who opened for Skinny Puppy for a short time on their 1988 North American tour.
Trent ReznorMichael Trent Reznor is an American songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist and founder of the industrial rock musical project known as Nine Inch Nails; he was previously associated with the bands Option 30, Exotic Birds, and Tapeworm, among others. As of 2007, Reznor split his ties with...
also acknowledged that Skinny Puppy's "Dig It" inspired the very first Nine Inch Nails track written that became the first hit song, "
Down in It"Down in It" is a single by Nine Inch Nails, released in 1989. It was released as a teaser single prior to the group's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine.-Song information:...
". The band inspired two
tribute albumA tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
s,
Hymns of the Worlock published by
Cleopatra RecordsCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by long-time music fan Brian Perera and, it specialises in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
and
ReMix Dys Temper published by Nettwerk Productions, both released in 1998.
Other projects
Key and Ogre are active in a number of other projects. Key has released several solo albums, and major side projects include
Doubting ThomasDoubting Thomas is an industrial band formed by two members of Skinny Puppy: cEvin Key and the late Dwayne Goettel. It is considered a Skinny Puppy side project. The band shares its name with an American roots band, to whom they have no relation....
,
DownloadDownload is an electronic music group formed by Dwayne Goettel and cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy during 1994. The initial lineup also included Off & Gone's Phil Western and Mark Spybey of Dead Voices On Air, but has since been particularly fluid, with Key and Western being the only constant members...
,
platEAUPlatEAU is an electronic music project featuring cEvin Key and Phil Western. The project resembles a very loose approach to the Download project featuring the same members. The song names and album titles refer to the coffeeshop culture of Amsterdam in The Netherlands implying a "trip" throughtheir...
, and
The Tear GardenThe Tear Garden is a psychedelic/gothic/electronic band, formed by Edward Ka-Spel of The Legendary Pink Dots and cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy in 1985 after Key served Ka-Spel on tour in Canada as a sound engineer...
. Key also works as
Scaremeister, his film scoring alter ego, having previously contributed to
John DebneyJohn Debney is an American film composer. He received an Academy Award nomination for his score for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ...
's score for
End of Days (1999).
Ogre's main project outside Skinny Puppy is
ohGrohGr is a band formed by Nivek Ogre, of Skinny Puppy, and musician/engineer Mark Walk. Although the pedigree of the group's members might suggest otherwise, ohGr is not strictly an industrial group, as it draws heavily from elements of electro-pop and metal...
, which released three albums,
WeltWelt is the first album by the band ohGr, formed by Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy, and musician/engineer Mark Walk.-Track listing:All songs written by Nivek Ogre and Mark Walk.# "wAteR" – 4:27# "dEVIl" – 4:37# "kettLE" – 3:50# "EARTHwORm" – 3:21...
(2001),
SunnyPsyOpSunnyPsyOp is the second album by industrial band ohGr.-Track listing:All songs written by Ogre and Mark Walk.# "HiLO" – 4:56# "maJiK" – 3:41# "JaKO" – 3:55# "ChemTale" – 4:27# "WaTergaTe" – 3:29# "DoG" – 4:26# "iOvNoW" – 7:16...
(2003) and
Devils in my DetailsDevils in my Details is the third album by electro-industrial band ohGr.-Track listing:# "Shhh" - 04:40# "Eyecandy" - 06:04# "Three" - 02:53# "Feelin' Chicken" - 03:48# "Pepper" - 03:18# "D.Angel" - 01:23# "Psychoreal" - 03:20...
(2008). Ogre toured with
KMFDMKMFDM is a German industrial rock band led by founding member Sascha Konietzko. They have sold over 2 million records worldwide.KMFDM was founded in Germany on February 29, 1984 as a joint effort between Konietzko and German painter/multi-media performer Udo Sturm to perform for the opening of an...
in 1997 and contributed vocals to their albums
SymbolsThe tenth KMFDM album is titled with a string of five unpronounceable , non-alphabetic symbols , but usually cataloged as Symbols. It has also been referred to as KMFDM . Another title used on the KMFDM website, circa 2001 was Anger...
(1997) and
Adios (1999). He also toured extensively with
PigfacePigface is an industrial rock supergroup formed in 1990 by Martin Atkins and William Rieflin.Pigface was formed from Ministry's The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste tour, which produced the In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up live album and video. For the tour, Al Jourgensen brought Atkins,...
(1991–1995) and
MinistryMinistry was an American industrial metal band founded by frontman Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed...
(1987–1990) and appeared on a number of Pigface and Ministry-related recordings during this period.
Style and themes
Inspired by the music of
Nocturnal EmissionsNocturnal Emissions is a sound art project that has released numerous records and CDs in music styles ranging from electro-acoustic, musique concrete, hybridised beats, sound collage, post-industrial music, ambient and noise music....
, Portion Control, and
The Legendary Pink DotsThe Legendary Pink Dots are an Anglo-Dutch experimental rock band formed in London in August 1980. Although far outside the mainstream , LPD have released more than 40 albums, have a devoted worldwide following, and tour frequently.-Overview:The Legendary Pink Dots formed in August 1980 in London...
, music which had been accessible to the band primarily via
tape exchangeCassette culture refers to the trading of home-made audio cassettes, usually of rock or alternative music. The culture was in part an offshoot of the mail art movement of the 1970s and 1980s. In both the United States and the United Kingdom, it owed a lot to the DIY ethic of punk...
, Skinny Puppy experimented with analog and digital recording techniques, composing multi-layered music with
synthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument that is capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequencies...
s,
drum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. Drum machines are very useful instruments for a wide variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s, acoustic percussion, tape-splices, found sounds, distortion, samplers, and conventional rock music instruments. They also incorporated samples from films and radio broadcasts into their songs, and applied liberal amounts of distortion and other effects to Ogre's vocals, which were often delivered in the stream of consciousness style. Lyrical themes included
animal rightsAnimal rights, also referred to as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of humans...
,
politicsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic and religious institutions...
,
religionA religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth...
,
horrorThe distinction between horror and terror is a standard literary and psychological concept applied especially to Gothic literature and film . Horror is the feeling of revulsion that usually occurs after something frightening is seen, heard, or otherwise experienced...
,
drug abuseDrug abuse has a huge range of definitions related to taking a psychoactive drug or performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect. All of these definitions imply a negative judgement of the drug use in question...
,
diseaseA disease or medical condition isan abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and signs...
, and
environmental degradationEnvironmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife....
; these themes were often lyrically and conceptually intertwined. Skinny Puppy's often informal, improvisational approach to musical composition is indicated by use of the term
brap, coined by them and defined as a verb meaning "to get together, hook up electronic instruments, get high, and record".
Skinny Puppy were noted for theatrical and controversial live performances that blended
performance artPerformance art is art in which the actions of an individual or a group at a particular place and in a particular time constitute the work. It can happen anywhere, at any time, or for any length of time. Performance art can be any situation that involves four basic elements: time, space, the...
with music, especially in an ambitious period that spanned their
Head Trauma (1988),
VIVIsectVI (1988),
Too Dark Park (1990), and
Last Rights (1992) tours. Live performances involved periods of
musical improvisationMusical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians...
, film projections, and elaborate stage props and machines. On-stage theatrics included Ogre being suspended from racks and cables, play with a hangman's noose, Key cutting steel with an
angle grinderAn angle grinder, also known as a side grinder, is a handheld power tool used for cutting, grinding and polishing.Angle grinders can be powered by an electric motor, petrol engine or compressed air. The motor drives a geared head at a right-angle on which is mounted an abrasive disc that can be...
, and
mock executionA mock execution is a method of psychological torture, whereby the subject is made to believe that he is being led to his execution. This usually involves blindfolding the subject, making him recount last wishes, or making him dig his own grave, and sometimes it can go as far as forcing the victim...
s of Ogre and George H.W. Bush. The band also worked with directors such as
William MorrisonWilliam Morrison , is a Canadian born Juno Award-nominated music video director, documentary film director, and musician...
and
Jim Van BebberJim Van Bebber is an American film director. Van Bebber attended Wright State University where he studied cinema. Instead of using a bank loan to pay for a second year of college, he used the money to finance Deadbeat at Dawn, and founded the indie film company Asmodeus Productions with several...
on a number of
music videoA music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music/song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos go back much further, they came into their own in the...
s, the themes and style of which typically mirrored their live performances.
Discography
Albums
- Back and Forth (1984)
- Bites
Bites is an album by Skinny Puppy released as an LP under Nettwerk in 1985. In 1993, it was reissued on CD with additional material originally performed by Hell-O Death Day, a pseudonym used for the band while they toured as an opener for the electronic act Chris and Cosey.-Track listing...
(1985)
- Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse
Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse is a 1986 album by Skinny Puppy. It contained the single "Dig It", which inspired several industrial music contemporaries, including Nine Inch Nails....
(1986)
- Cleanse Fold and Manipulate
Cleanse Fold and Manipulate is a 1987 album by Skinny Puppy.-Track listing:# "First Aid" – 4:30# "Addiction" – 6:01# "Shadow Cast" – 4:18# "Draining Faces" – 5:12# "The Mourn" – 2:41# "Second Tooth" – 4:06# "Tear or Beat" – 4:42...
(1987)
- VIVIsectVI
VIVIsectVI is a 1988 album by Skinny Puppy. The title of the album is a pun associating vivisection with satanism.-Track listing:# "Dogshit" – 3:55# "VX Gas Attack" – 5:36# "Harsh Stone White" – 4:29...
(1988)
- Rabies (1989)
- Too Dark Park
Too Dark Park is a 1990 music album by the industrial music group Skinny Puppy.-Track listing:# "Convulsion" – 3:20# "Tormentor" – 4:33# "Spasmolytic" – 3:53# "Rash Reflection" – 3:28# "Nature's Revenge" – 3:57# "Shore Lined Poison" – 4:49...
(1990)
- Last Rights (1992)
- Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers is a weekly albums chart introduced by Billboard in 1993 whose purpose is to highlight sales by new and developing musical recording artists. Albums appearing on Top Heatseekers may also concurrently appear on the Billboard 200....
#10
- The Billboard 200 #193
- The Process (1996)
- Top Heatseekers #1
- The Billboard 200 #102
- Puppy Gristle
Puppy Gristle is an album released as a part of cEvin Key's subscription-service "From the Vault" in 2002, under the Skinny Puppy name. This was planned to be a limited-edition, subscription-only release of 1,000 copies available exclusively through the label's mailorder. It was eventually...
(2002)
- The Greater Wrong of the Right
The Greater Wrong of the Right is a 2004 album by Skinny Puppy. It was their first new full-length LP since 1996's The Process. It was also their first album since 1985's Bites without the support of deceased keyboardist Dwayne Goettel....
(2004)
- DAC
The Deutsche Alternative Charts is the primary record chart for Germany's alternative music scene. The charts cover genres ranging nu metal to Britpop, from rock music to alternative electronic. Established in 1997, the DAC rankings are generated by a weekly poll of 350 representatively selected...
Top 50 Albums #1
- Top Heatseekers #7
- Top Independent Albums #9
- The Billboard 200 #176
- Mythmaker
Mythmaker is the latest album by the industrial group Skinny Puppy. It was released on January 29, 2007, in Europe and on January 30, 2007, in North America. The album and individual songs were available for purchase via download from Napster as of January 27, 2007...
(2007)
- Top Heatseekers #4
- Top Electronic Albums #5
- Top Independent Albums #17
- The Billboard 200 #200
EPs
- Remission
Remission is a 1984 EP by Skinny Puppy. It was later re-released on CD with extra tracks added to make it a full-length album.-Track listing :#"Smothered Hope" – 5:14#"Glass Houses" – 3:24#"Far Too Frail" – 3:41#"Solvent" – 4:37...
(1984)
Singles
- "Dig It" (1986)
- "Chainsaw" (1987)
- "Stairs and Flowers
Stairs and Flowers is a single by the band Skinny Puppy from the album Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse.-Track listing:#"Stairs & Flowers " #"Stairs & Flowers " #"Chainsaw"...
" (1987)
- "Addiction" (1987)
- "Censor" (1988)
- "Testure
"Testure" is a single by the band Skinny Puppy, taken from their 1988 album VIVIsectVI. The phrase is most likely a play on words of the words 'Test' and 'Torture' and equates medical experimentation on live animals as being akin to torture.-Track listing :#"Testure" #"Testure" "Testure" is a...
" (1989)
- Hot Dance Music/Club Play #19
- "Tin Omen" (1989)
- "Worlock" (1990)
- "Tormentor" (1990)
- "Spasmolytic" (1991)
- "Inquisition" (1992)
- "Love In Vein
Love in Vein was a planned single by the band Skinny Puppy, taken from their 1992 album Last Rights. It was prepared for release, complete with remixes and b-sides, but was cancelled and not released...
" (1992) cancelled
- "Candle" (1996) promo
- "Track 10
"Left Handshake" - Limited to 1000 copies.-Notes:Track 10, "Left Handshake", was omitted from Last Rights because the band was unable to get clearance for the Timothy Leary samples taken from Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out, a recording for recreational background settings during LSD parties...
" (2000) limited
- "Politikil
"Politikil" is a single by the band Skinny Puppy from the album Mythmaker.-Single:* at Discogs...
" (2007) promo
Collections
- Bites and Remission
Bites and Remission is a compilation by Skinny Puppy released on Nettwerk in 1987. The release of this compilation coincides with that of Remission & Bites and contains many of the same songs, albeit in a different context...
(1987)
- Remission and Bites
Remission & Bites is a compilation by Skinny Puppy released on Play It Again Sam in 1987. The release of this compilation coincides with that of Bites and Remission and contains many of the same songs, albeit in a different context. This release is, to date, the only CD pressing of Skinny...
(1987)
- Twelve Inch Anthology
Twelve Inch Anthology is a compilation album by Skinny Puppy. It contains most of the band's early singles and B-sides. The CD is currently out of print but still available for download.-Track listing:#"Dig It" – 7:28#"The Choke " – 6:15...
(1990)
- Back and Forth Series 2
Back and Forth Series 2 is a compilation album by industrial band Skinny Puppy. It consists of the entire Back and Forth release remixed from the original four-track tapes, including raw live recordings and studio rarities.-Track listing:...
(1992)
- Brap: Back and Forth Series 3 & 4
Brap: Back & Forth Series 3 & 4 is a compilation album by industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released as a double-CD in 1996. This album reached to #9 in Billboard chart's Top Heatseekers...
(1996)
- remix dystemper
Remix dystemper is a 1998 remix album of Skinny Puppy tracks, by various artists. The album met with generally low critical acclaim.-Track listing:# "Rodent " – 7:12...
(1998)
- The Singles Collect
The Singles Collect is a compilation album by Skinny Puppy, released in 1999. The collection serves as a singles-collection release, with a few assorted promo singles and alternate mixes used instead. Not all singles are represented, due to time and label restrictions...
(1999)
- The B-Sides Collect
B-Sides Collect is a compilation album by Skinny Puppy, released in 1999. The album serves as a collection of several B-sides from earlier singles that went out of print around the time of its release. With the exception of "Serpents", this collection compliments Twelve Inch Anthology which...
(1999)
- Back and Forth Series 6
Back and Forth Series 6 is an album of previously unavailable Skinny Puppy material released through cEvin Key's Subconscious Communications in early 2003. The CD had two releases, each with different artwork and cases though the audio content was the same...
(2003)
- Back and Forth Series 7
Back and Forth Series 7 is an album of outtakes from Last Rights and The Process, released through cEvin Key's Subconscious Communications in 2007.- Track listing :# "First Night in Malibu" - 1:07# "Wrong Rip Fixin" - 5:25...
(2007)
Live albums
- Ain't It Dead Yet?
Ain't it Dead Yet? is a recording of Canadian electronic group Skinny Puppy's performance at the Toronto Concert Hall on May 31, 1987 during their Cleanse Fold & Manipulate Tour...
(1987)
- Doomsday: Back and Forth Series 5: Live in Dresden
Doomsday: Back and Forth, Vol. 5: Live in Dresden is a live CD from the band, Skinny Puppy. The album was recorded at an August 20, 2000 performance at the Doomsday Festival in Dresden, Germany. This performance marked the reunion of former bandmates, cEvin Key and Nivek Ogre...
(2001)
- DAC
The Deutsche Alternative Charts is the primary record chart for Germany's alternative music scene. The charts cover genres ranging nu metal to Britpop, from rock music to alternative electronic. Established in 1997, the DAC rankings are generated by a weekly poll of 350 representatively selected...
Top 50 Albums #15
Videography
- Ain't It Dead Yet?
Ain't it Dead Yet? is a recording of Canadian electronic group Skinny Puppy's performance at the Toronto Concert Hall on May 31, 1987 during their Cleanse Fold & Manipulate Tour...
, 1991, VHS/DVD
- Live performance at The Concert Hall, Toronto, Ontario, May 31 and June 1, 1987.
- Video Collection (1984-1992)
Video Collection is a collection of music videos by the band Skinny Puppy, first released on VHS in 1996, and DVD in 2001. It contains most of the band's Nettwerk-era videos, a prominent exception being "Worlock"...
, 1996, VHS/DVD
- Includes videos for "Dig It", "Stairs and Flowers
Stairs and Flowers is a single by the band Skinny Puppy from the album Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse.-Track listing:#"Stairs & Flowers " #"Stairs & Flowers " #"Chainsaw"...
", "Far Too Frail" (live footage 1985), "Smothered Hope" (live footage 1985), "Deep Down Trauma Hounds" (live footage from the 1987 Ain't It Dead Yet? performance), "Testure"Testure" is a single by the band Skinny Puppy, taken from their 1988 album VIVIsectVI. The phrase is most likely a play on words of the words 'Test' and 'Torture' and equates medical experimentation on live animals as being akin to torture.-Track listing :#"Testure" #"Testure" "Testure" is a...
", "Spasmolytic", and "Killing Game".
- Brap: Back and Forth Series 3 & 4
Brap: Back & Forth Series 3 & 4 is a compilation album by industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released as a double-CD in 1996. This album reached to #9 in Billboard chart's Top Heatseekers...
, 1996, 2-CD
- Includes a number of video clips on those editions which included a CD-ROM portion.
- Greater Wrong of the Right LIVE
The Greater Wrong of the Right LIVE is a 2-DVD set from Skinny Puppy. Disc one is live footage from their 2004 fall tour shot in Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec...
, 2005, 2-DVD
- Live performances in Toronto, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec in late 2004. Also includes videos for "Pro-Test", "Spasmolytic" (live footage 1990), and "Love In Vein
Love in Vein was a planned single by the band Skinny Puppy, taken from their 1992 album Last Rights. It was prepared for release, complete with remixes and b-sides, but was cancelled and not released...
" (live footage 1992).
- A number of other, promo-only videos were released, including "State Aid" (live footage 1988), "Worlock" (1990), "Candle" (1996), "Curcible" (1996), "Hardset Head" (1996), and "Haze" (2007).
External links