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Rating: Anno Domini 1991.
While "Nevermind" by Nirvana crosses the airwaves worldwide, taking mainstream rock to a level at least less idiotic than the embarrassing hair metal of the same period, the legendary post-industrial underground trio "Cuccioli Malnutriti," led by the charismatic yet neurotic Nivek Ogre (aka Kevin Ogilvie) and accompanied by cEvin Key (aka Kevin Crompton) and the late, highly underrated Dwayne Goettel, with legendary Dave "Rave" Ogilvie at the mixing desk, give birth to a masterpiece, perhaps THE masterpiece of Skinny Puppy, on all fronts, namely the full-length called "Last Rights."
An album created with the entire Puppy "Family" in the grip of heavy drugs (Goettel and Ogre were primarily heroin supporters, and unfortunately, the poor and talented Dwayne will be the official cause of the breakup at the release of "The Process," a Puppy album released in '96, as he would die of an overdose in August '95), hating each other throughout the album, with screams, resignations from the band retracted after an hour, and real nervous breakdowns occurred during the recording of the album, this "Last Rights" paradoxically represents the peak of unity, creativity, and artistic/musical integrity of the trio.
Today's Puppy have little or nothing to do (a light version without good songwriting of OhGr, bastardized by the omnipresent control freak that cEvin Key has become) compared to the certainly more challenging but a hundred times more intriguing Puppies of this album 21 years ago, which even today remains avant-garde: heavy yet constantly varying rhythmic patterns between real drums and an arsenal of synthetic basslines and drum machines by Key, a hell of schizophrenic samples, movie snippets, and Goettel's unhealthy melodies, lyrics halfway between visionary and Burroughsian cut-up nature spat out from Ogre's hoarse and devastated voice, this album is a massive personal drama of the three and their lives set to music.
It already starts with an unhealthy atmosphere with the disturbing "Love In Vein" where Ogre's voice screams shamelessly, distorted or not, it gives chills, the music evolves to crumple into the thoughtfulness of the beautiful "Killing Game," and then explodes with episodes so violent they make no logical sense for us who listen perhaps sitting down or trying to dance to music that doesn't want us to dance but just wants to lay us down on the ground and possibly kick us in the teeth: "Knowhere?" and "Scrapyard," the two examples of a senseless white-hot sonic assault, like those aforementioned malnourished puppies suffering from rabies, give us a hit like "Inquisition" and a reflective moment like "Riverz End," to completely implode with the long and dangerous suite of artfully created electroacoustic noises in "Download," the name of a project Goettel and Key founded together with Mark Spybey of Dead Voices On Air and Genesis P-Orridge (the early albums with Goettel in the lineup up to "The Eyes Of Stanley Pain" are crucial), the entire album is one of the absolute undisputed peaks if we have to talk about high-quality electronic music in every respect (even the graphics, particularly curated, resemble a sort of complex puzzle to immerse oneself in during listening).
It's a pity for me that the Puppy have gone back to resurrecting their band without Goettel, creating well-made albums, but in fact, always with that sad void left by the absence of one of the three, which has definitively lowered the standards of an otherwise unattainable band, thanks precisely to that lineup.
Historic album, don't miss it.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Love in Vein (05:35)
Dreams not waking creeping down inside the quiet urns
listen to the sound crashing down crashing into it
the needle is warm in the arm throat burns illusion pain pain pain
walk out in the street see the vacant eyes dreaming of the dream unbroken economic
repression plays a part i wonder what im going through ....pain..... wasted away island
body on a darkened see to avoid chattering taped tape taping human muttering warning
flicker lights the candle burnsinside..... a pain that never dies crawls up the back and
waits for the lies tall climb edges edges exhausts no night climbing higher ......
crawls wicked wire cut throat explodes singing of the the vein no desire .........great
fate...... human heart explodes attacking pointed sticks in sores the arms wheres the
warning warning shot the lights out wheres the warning ........ needle is warm in the
arm travels to the heart human heart flags the blood ........ a halo of fire scarring
made of flame the flower flavor find its worth calls the tripping strings supporting the
game of life ......the pain...... broken chair that horror tray of fear wheres the
warning warning killing me .......aking human heart except my patience is giving up on
me....... river of track mark volcano upon the arm open sores allowing ants to crawl in
and i wonder if i missed the warning missed the warning casting away varnish crack ants
symbolize decay missed the warning missed the vein reaching out crying for where is the
warning .......heart exploding human heart attack.
02 Killing Game (03:49)
Fallen angel head crashes dead out of control
Lost memories staircase twists
Darker rooms lit with left out toys
After playing mean changes toys into tools
Twisted playthings on the staircase fools
Fools weapons represents the killing game
Who taught the killing game
Who taught the killing game
Awaken eyes sewn wearing glasses dripping tap tap temple door
Locked inside scream inner scraping tooth and nail nowhere to go
Quiet retraces forcing light tears then pretend nothing blinds
Blinds closed in sanctuary closed in sanctuary
Padded walls not quiet storm's fury burnt out killing time
Who taught the killing game
Time's taught the killing game herself
No I taught the killing game first
Passing words distant pain remember trains of thought collide
No one view window
Pushing faces through shards cold glass poke bloody holes exposed
I taught the killing game first
I taught the killing game first
Tongue lash spewing red tortured animals wake up time
Beckons death upon myself eyes travelled harden
Strange no stronger feeling
Tempting motion slows to a crawl
Places his own foot in its own trap
Let go the springs snap shut
Crazy sharper teeth giving in to the jaws of death
I taught the killing game
I taught the killing game first
I taught I taught I taught the game first
03 Knowhere? (04:19)
a leech passing unseen
kicked in mouth firm will prove sex slave
all encomapsses high gets you by
broken glass in a crystal blown problem room
and one day you will have no one to run to
self- self satisfier burns the genitals down no sensation
promise your heart to the [?slut who last slept?] in your bed
in her head
in your head
in my head
in my head
where it must have some reason
in my head
in all I said
in his head
all I said
all I said
[???]
[layered in the background throught the rest of the track ogre repeats: nowhere to run to]
one of two looks back wonder which is real
and the naked arm that heals the jaw
you will see the truth so what
your gift is misused your gift is misused
your gift your gift is a curse of it all
[???...curse when did this moon call underlaying towards the door underlaying ???...]
when it is done you will have no one to run to
no one to run to
04 Mirror Saw (03:49)
[whispered]: Whirlwind blow blowing in ??? the ??? message ensured
park within car passes terminal empty
cracks started showing through unlisted mystery
a dead child was thrown through a window
wind opens windows
whirlwinds carry promises truth
will unleash us little dogs
bite flesh biting exposing freezing the soul
whirlwind blowing through the soul
guilt crashes ceiling now fantasies gone ages ago
messed up guilt crashes through the privacy gone ages ago
??? chest freezes hands pale lighter frozen paintings illumination gone (not wrong)
??? chest
sides heaving chest boxed in I will find the real you
writer hand in smokes (thieves/speaks?) my treasures (hand?)
I write a note tossed aside
tossed aside word shines through a powder baby the real you
love shines through a powder feeds the real you
love shines through a powder feel the real you
love shines through a powder final curtain what's become of me and you
05 Inquisition (05:17)
blatant manner speak parting bonding cement no longer holds
parting [lips?] too young to grow old
addicted romance love tested [feeling?/ailing?/healing?] from substance abuse
wicked resenting never faces itself
torturer taints animal waits
no evironment torturer loving
[???*]
righteous real realtime intrusion
fears filtered for reasons unknown
cancer attack leaching desserts so sweet
leaves bitter taste in her mouth forever
torturer taints animal waits
corners creeping fear
tasting force fed lies of the wicked
acting out fears false truths turned around
wicked torture wicked wicked
the wicked words of the torturer
abusing and controlling anyone thats useful to him
wicked waiting of the torturer
wicked waits the torturer
[???]*
reads story truth seething
believed poison eaten swallows turning away
torturer taints animal with hate
enlightenment turned away
no change the wicked not facing himself
controls turning away
wicked torturer
force fed torment
animal torture
torturer turning away
wicked torturer
wicked not facing himself
wicked turning away
wicked turning away
turning away disappears from himself
tortures the animal
(tortures the animal)
*Slowed down vocal
06 Scrapyard (03:52)
“I'm a skate- I'm a skate-…�?
One must believe in
Alter their image
Turn against ripping poles
In a tatter you shivered cold
No longer feeling
“this is my s-“
Accosted raising funds
from the son of time
Crawls to the corner
I want face and mind
One thing I look
Up at you leaks from the head
Nothing sheets plug (???) Dread
Leave it alone
Best left unsaid
Words
Misused
There's tension
to destroy
Die infernal demon
Presenting
Nervous nails
(never deliver them?)
(raising matters?)
(why don't we?)
(don't let it?)
Torture myself
[whispered: tortures himself]
Please believe
Dirty daylight
Expression reveals
Best left unsaid
Cold and indifferent
Otherwise
Adjust the attitude
That the compass
Can confuse
Wherever shackle
Looks for refuge
Wherever falls the stone
Best left unsaid
this is (going by?) Oh, we all had to be addicted to one thing or another
09 Circustance (04:37)
[whispering:…?Never trusted?…]
(Kaiser?/Crazy?)
(Black time?)
I looked upon the circus in the sky
(…steaming?) colorized ceiling paranoia
Make it go away
Make it go away
(unclean?)
They're for use
Until tirade is used
Four ring
Four crap-hole
Listen to the circus
Listen now
Make it go away
Violent (teases/Jesus?) wet in mouth
Repromoting ecstasy escape
No self respected
Lies desperate
Lies pattern
Lies inside
Lies pattern
Lies inside
Lies pattern
Lies inside
(So let's spew?)
Set it in
Let 'em know how it feels
In gaping hole holding
Head explode
Cream drip bucket
Oversold
Washes dirt
Washing lies
Blaming cunt
Who won't realize
Tackle this reaper
Breeze rocking
Burning paper
(???)
pattern word
pattern lies
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