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Rating: A destabilizing nightmare of infected electronics, contaminated by sound perversions inclined to total nihilism, the wildest and most bizarre experiments that know no boundaries, but are constantly projected towards a raw, pessimistic, and sick vision of a reality represented as a terminally ill patient spending their last hours of life in anguish, delirium, spasms, and convulsions, a cry of alarm against the total indifference of people who do not notice the unhealthy sores that, like chasms, swallow the world day by day. (To remember with what tenacity Skinny Puppy has denounced over the years, with their musical proposal, a message in favor of anti-vivisection).
Pioneers of a music that came to be known in the first half of the 80s as ebm (Electronic Body Music), an often extreme and dark variant of the early techno-pop groups riding the high-chart waves, I'm referring to the whole New Romantic Wave of groups like Depeche Mode, Erasure, Ultravox, Human League, music created entirely with the help of analog Synths and Drum Machines, but decidedly with a melodic and danceable cut. In contrast, ebm was born by incorporating the first industrial experiments of the late '70s emanated by groups like Throbbing Gristle, the dark futuristic technological visions of Clock DVA, Cabaret Voltaire, Suicide that well-matched the Cyber Punk science fiction literature in vogue at the time. Let's not forget Kraftwerk, the first to give a danceable rhythm to these orgies of plastic and cacophonous sounds, the Punk attitude hovering at the time, but above all the Dark aesthetics and decay, the true nerve center of the genre. The first were the Daf, but soon followed by Front 242 and many other important groups mainly European, but the sado-electric impulses of the new music also hit America and strangely that remote island bordering Canada, Vancouver. From this latter earthly location, in my modest opinion, comes the most seminal and interesting group of all, the most complex and sick, Skinny Puppy from which, it should be noted, another great group was born from the defection of a component that still today maintains the primacy of a flagship for the new electro/industrial generations, namely Front Line Assembly.
After this introductory phase and leaving aside the early part of the career still excellent from 1984 to 1989, it reaches a Masterpiece of absolute beauty, the pinnacle of Puppy, an abstract and dark work, innovative and unsettling, corrosive, glacial, seemingly illogical given the tension and atrocious morbidity, the plot twists of music that knows no verse/chorus form, but is free to derail at any moment towards unexpected and disorienting rhythms and litanies.
All this is "Too Dark Park" dated 1990, made even more unhealthy by the troubled drug experiences in which the trio had recently become entangled, the intro "Convulsion" speaks clearly the inner hell has opened the doors, experimentation is free to spread all the frustrations and cruel pain afflicting every man lost among the technological wrecks in an era that has lost color and feelings, a frantic chase of electronic effects, industrial noises, Metal guitars placed in an unusual way and context, but overall a mega filtered and malignant voice expressing all its hatred and despair, as if it were a tortured soul awakened after a state of catalepsy, buried alive and seeking help. The second track, "Tormentor" starts with a hyper-technological ride where the darkness adapts well to an apparent danceability corrupted by that damned ogre voice and constantly disturbed by hot fragments of insane Synth, B Movie voices cut and sewn perfectly to create a threatening chaos always on the verge of collapse and an outburst of anger. The following tracks further highlight the evil disease hovering over these grooves of perverse music, the tension does not yield to the frantic pace of the Drum Machine and the twilight, obsessive, unhealthy, desperate atmosphere envelops in a vicious circle that knows no glimmer of light, pessimism reigns supreme, death is there waiting.
No fear, so to speak, an apparent calm tinged with disarming melancholy arrives with "Nature’s Revenge", a sad and resigned reflection on the crime of being born into this world, with Nivek magnificent in interpreting with his tormented voice a thousand days spent in the utmost anguish and paranoia. And here we are at my favorite track, "Shore Lined Poison", a continuous cataclysm, a volcanic explosion where you don't know where the incandescent lapilli will land, constant rhythmic changes, pure malaise, chaos, disorder, destruction, resignation, regret, insane screams that don't know where to go anymore, where to find a safe refuge from a nuclear winter that leaves irremediably signs of chronic deformation. The only concession to a song with an almost human appearance is represented by Grave Wisdom, a fairly linear rhythm, albeit always an evil singing, but overall in favor of an almost danceable sound condition. To conclude (I think I'm done), I would mention after the electro/guitar hybrid "T.F.W.O.", the wonderful "Morpheus Laughing", Horror keyboards that would have suited well the famous Horror movie "Phenomena", anguish and hate seeping from the usual voice crucified in distortion, resigned to weeping, directly from a zombie claiming injustices suffered in life. Drum roll and industrial finale for a soundtrack with a horrendous alien Nivek Ogre wishing everyone a good night. A masterpiece regardless of the different musical tastes of each individual.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Convulsion (03:20)
heavens trash fixation turning mass direction having a relationship without guilt mass
direction off and away hazy circles round the eyes so long how long hate disease heavens
thrash its a vacant scathing vapor ancient role play downward shores of pluto heavens
thrash dusty crircles flys the by ways of the mind mass direction flower cauldren answer
brew to mystify hate disease downward shores of pluto sure all right
02 Tormentor (04:33)
walls trapped within yellow eyes the cutters drooling face rips apart cuts to the heart
disease shown let it out movement crosses crimson light washes darkened corners gently
forces open wide and lingering awhile pouring thoughts electric fingers blinding
pressure sockets stream matter grey the nerve free fall safely buried out behind a face
let it out be carefull watching living mask misshapen tumors ride the pressing tinted
nightmare breeze mental shock disturbed thoughts rotting long lasting reaction make it
stop stir up the pot taking away means nothing distorted moodswing smile altered music
shadow covers melted honey bitter pie she utters tasting quite lovely motion on towards
a truthful state mincing with words align order form to multiply mental shock relentless
and leaning compiling the list alone at the top before before it was not this way i
thought...it did
03 Spasmolytic (03:53)
Making time in a low rent highrise
No place to go downtown
Crushing crucifixion
Particles aching
Harmful descent
Take a shot and hide
Subway slam dance
Stale mattress
Slow throb bloating
Freshly open grave
Barefoot beggar
Barefoot beggar
Freshly open grave
Knotted finger
Turning pages in a book descending
No noise
The great trees fall
Calmly through the window see
Backward elevation
Faded spirit of the gold toothed whore
Moon dances wondering how could this ever be
Kicking the habit
Kicking the habit
Kicking the habit
Kicking the habit
Possession in the flesh
Loves made up melancholy
Kicking the habit
Kicking the habit
Trip back and unleash all anger
Emerging from the waterfall
Branch fork horse rear
Snorted downward a vulgar desire
Playing cards conjured on
Fly blown dimly lit
Round a room of shadows
Claw the side phantom pinches
Waking from a dream
Half eaten candy from some disordered heaven
Swirling tastes
Fornicate
Rotted meat
Swirling tastes
Fornicate
Rotted meat
A nested virus feels eating dish aging
She sits alone in the worry shes created
More time in the sides sorting un-fucked up inside ''(Accuracy questioned)''
Holy hatred
Kicking the habit
Kicking the habit
Kicking the habit
Kicking the habit
Kicking the habit
04 Rash Reflection (03:28)
notice that phrase thorough vileness of his delivery ninty seven cars and free love kiss
the masters feet poor soul searching all this seen deeper stillness tranquility eat the
food drug passive response spoiled putty in the masters hand all this seen is obscure
enough kiss the masters feet sure that vision is a vagrant holiday redlective silence
chooses one stance hidden behimd throne of freedom in the field of the black sheep all
this seen is obscure enough confess all the truth seekers see for the first time cult
grows from a rolls royce dream preach from the back of a limosine feel the rash burn
notice that phrase through the vileness how sweet feel the rash start to burn
07 Grave Wisdom (03:45)
dry wind chars human storm lies barren
wasted greed taints water thirst dream
the asphalt burial daylight meltdown long
gone death grabs at stillborn child another
low test pesticide not until they are dead
believe in words ataching dread no meaning
color world of different levels no chance
to rectify nightmare running races skyward
tower boil black water tea contagious
waste disposal growing blind faith a tragedy
propigate safe history
creatures running underground all the
cages rusted displaced food bowls empty now
fit for the licking faces form memory
blind faith stupidity races run secretly
blind faith a tragedy not until they are
dead stop breathing fleas attach themselves
biting bits of flesh consuming ???
once hated words are shit contract ??? we disease
09 Morpheus Laughing (04:00)
an extreme solution no fossil fuel mimicking exhaust rattles troublesome a madmans vast
direct iron grooved world primary state average distance closer to the sun draws a comet
nearer to a complex distruction a spectre so violent in its views lies impervious
altitude has a tendancy under pressure to reveal its identity gaping hole bright star
penetration blindfold reliance wrinkles in the cloth of time unity among such a poor
existance in this third world resistanceshould be used civil disobedience central pivot
revolving heated combustion back to the origin of it all all of it no unwarranted fear
courage shown the white line on the ball we live on deserted streets hallucinated the
bursted species abnormal conditions deep sentiment for repulsive power nations knows
immense populace ingenuity and progress never progressed out of the sun all experiments
prove not need the established greed and pain inflicted on the animal model still
nothing no cure the ravaged instinct silent waking to a chemical perversion wartime
underground imperfect plotting grows the seeds of time
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