Inspired by the groundbreaking music of Chrome, Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Portion Control, The Legendary Pink Dots, and others, Skinny Puppy experimented with electronic recording techniques and methods. the band composed multi-layered music generally using keyboards, synthesizers, found sounds, drum machines, live percussion, tape splices, samplers, and conventional rock music instruments. Whereas many contemporary remixes and re-edits of songs were created in order to make a song more suitable for dancing or different radio formats, Skinny Puppy approached remixing and re-editing as an artistic process of reinterpreting compositions, often using remixes to push their sound into styles of ambient, dub and techno. 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's first two proper releases, Bites and Remission, fall somewhere between the found-sound chaos of early Cabaret Voltaire and the abrasive, futuristic synthpop of the Units or Crash Course in Science. While the intense synth programming, abstract rhythms, and surreal samples--all Puppy trademarks--are present here, the albums owe as much to new wave as to industrial.
A subsequent EP, Chainsaw, featured a remix of Bites's "Assimilate" that earned the band some attention from club DJs. 1986's Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse earned Skinny Puppy greater attention, as "Dig It" and "Stairs and Flowers" became alternative club and college radio hits; the video for the former was played occasionally on MTV. The album is arguably less club-friendly than its predecessors, as the band continues to refine a claustrophobic, almost surreal sound that buries rhythm and melody. The follow-up, Cleanse, Fold, and Manipulate treads similar territory.
VIVIsectVI was a breakthrough for the band, with "Testure" becoming their biggest club hit to date, and the album itself was received warmly by college radio. The title of the album was a pun intended to associate vivisection with Satanism (ie. the "666 sect"). The album shows SP integrating more political and social themes: "Testure" is an animal rights song; "VX Gas Attack" concerns the use of chemical weapons; "State Aid" promotes sexual abstinence to stop the spread of AIDS/HIV.
Ogre had become very interested in Ministry and Al Jougensen's side projects, and he persuaded the rest of the band to allow Jourgensen to produce Rabies. While "Worlock" (a track Jourgensen didn't produce) remains an industrial club classic, the album was received coolly, as many thought Jourgensen's heavy metal guitar-based signatures did not compliment SP's more complex, intricate sonic sculptures. The band briefly disbanded afterward.
They reformed and returned to their electronic roots with Too Dark Park, a hallucinogenic album that owes as much to psychedelia as industrial music. Two years later, "Last Rights" covered similar territory, culminating in the epic sound sculpture "Download." Although their sound had moved away from industrial dance, these albums expanded the band's audience, and provided the template for many industrial bands of the 1990s.
Following "Last Rights", the band, poised for a major breakthrough in the wake of Nine Inch Nails' commercial success, left their longtime label Nettwerk for American Recordings. Their highly anticipated followup was unfortunately marred by personal tragedy - the death of Dwayne Goettel - and the band's inability to agree on a direction for the record. Numerous producers, including Martyn Atkins (PigFace/Invisible Records founder) and Roli Mosimann (Swans), came and went without success; finally the band regrouped with longtime collaborator Dave "Rave" Ogilvie to finish "The Process". The band expanded their range, working with gothic pop and heavy metal, alongside their familiar electronic textures. While seemingly rushed to completion following Goettel's death (it sounds half-finished in parts), it is an interesting change for the group. Unfortunately American Recordings, tired of waiting for the record, did little to promote it. Skinny Puppy broke up afterward.
With interests in filmmaking, they made a number of music videos, each attempting to further the theme and concept of the composition at hand. Most of these videos received little air play by major music video networks such as MTV (USA) and MuchMusic (Canada) and some were outright banned. For example the video for "Worlock" was universally banned because it is a "non stop gore fest" of clips from various horror movies. Because none of these clips were authorized for usage in the video it has never been commercially available.
Their concerts have been marked by their bizarre and bloody conceptual performance art, which for every concert was planned with the intention of challenging the notions of all who observed. Their music had some acceptance in dance clubs because of its danceable beats, but had little play on commercial radio. Skinny Puppy had little commercial success outside of Canada, but their influence on industrial music is immense.
The band began with the intention of doing something "raw" and "real." Ogre's vocals, one of Skinny Puppy's most recognizable features, are typically roughly growled snarls of half-sentences and fragmented stream of consciousness. Lyrical themes included animal rights, politics, religion, horror, drug abuse, disease, and environmental degradation; these themes were often lyrically and conceptually intertwined. Other core aspects of the Skinny Puppy sound include the mixture of heavy sampling and experimental noise with softer musical styles sometimes approaching synthpop.
Post-punk politics are a recurring theme utilised by Skinny Puppy. Some say the meaning of their name is that their music and lyrics give a view of the world from the eyes of a starving animal. They have long had an interest in animal rights; this is most obvious in their song Testure, which is about vivisection and other animal testing being scientific fraud. During many of their concerts Ogre would take the role of "scientist" and experiment on a stuffed animal. In 1988 they were arrested for their mocked-up vivisections, and found it ironic to be arrested for a parody of what was happening for real across the street from their concert. During their TGWOTR tour, criticism of the Bush regime was a recurring theme, particularly during their performance of VX Gas Attack, a song about atrocities perpetrated by Saddam Hussein, originally released while he was still considered an ally of the United States.
The last two studio albums are points of contention for old school Puppy fans. During the recording of The Process, the band broke up. Even more tragically, Dwayne Rudolph Goettel died, from an apparent heroin overdose at his parent's home, soon afterwards. Some people say that cEvin, Nivek, and Dwayne didn't connect as well on this album as they had earlier because their respective musical interests were diverging at the time, others claim it was the heroin.
Key and Ogre later reunited as Skinny Puppy for a one-off concert in Germany in 2003. Afterwards, they decided Skinny Puppy should continue as an ongoing project. The newly reconstituted Skinny Puppy released The Greater Wrong of the Right in 2004, their first studio album in 8 years, and have been continuing since, constantly evolving their sound.
There have been a number of Skinny Puppy side projects, both before, and after the breakup in 1995. The Tear Garden is a collaboration between cEvin and Edward Ka-Spel (and later most band members) of The Legendary Pink Dots. Other noteable side projects include Download, Hilt, Plateau, Cyberaktif (a collaboration between Key & Goettel and Bill Leeb, a.k.a. Wilhelm Schroeder), Rx (one-off collaboration between Ogre and Martin Atkins), ADuck (Goettel's side project), A CHUD Convention (one-off collaboration with a;GRUHM...), Ogre's contributions to Pigface, Ogre and Mark Walk's band ohGr and solo releases from cEvin Key.
Dal
Skinny Puppy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nowhere. Because there's no one like you left." -Bodysnatchers
Find
Words fade above the snow
The carved out somebody stitch
The carver's all who waves surrender
Through all tempers looking back
Those ever double jointed blamers
Fine
Closed off no power the wheel inside no peace
No feeling all disease around security
Eyes
Devised the cycles find
A call that's never caught
Beneath the locusts timed decision
Find
The vice grips never freed
A crease upon one's debt
And never paying forward
Hate
What will we won't be late
What will be left today
When nothing left to beg the moral
Fate
What is it left can't you say
Who will be left to pay
When ugly crippled eyes remain
Fine
Closed off devoured the meat inside of me
In freeing all afraid of life eternity
Eyes
Burning of sorrow deep craving inside no teeth
Holding on nothing left to be believed
Fear
What will we want with fear
The time of bombing near
With nothing left to have or hope for
Pain
What is there left to say
An ancient plan to pay
With blood and shit tomorrow
Shame
We will be learning shame
Until we play the game
That in the end will bring disorder
Race
What will be left to say
When nothing is the same
And all this shit goes over
"Where you...nowhere...like you left...go...where you "
Stepping out behind mask
Kiss the mercantile abscess
Run behind (teach fertile?) blood
The fingernails are dirty
Face the combination loss
And go toward the final cost
A cripple's desk, a lost foothold
Suffering at the end scene
Fine
Closed off devoured the meat inside of me
In freeing all afraid of life eternity
"Get in line...no you can't, my my....happily remove one body...nearly knew.
It's not dead...every way it's not lice laden where you going to go."
The Skinny Puppy song "Dal" is a dark and disconcerting blend of intense lyrics, haunting melodies and industrial electronic beats. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the track, as they speak of a sense of hopelessness, powerlessness, and inevitability. The lyrics "Where you gonna go? Where you gonna run? Where you gonna hide? Nowhere. Because there's no one like you left" suggest a sense of dread and impending doom that permeates the song.
The rest of the lyrics explore themes of loss, fear, pain, and shame, while also touching on issues of powerlessness in the face of societal pressure and conformity. The lyrics are filled with stark and unsettling images, with references to blood, dirt, and decaying flesh. The song also deals with issues of mortality, as the lyricist sings of "going toward the final cost" and "suffering at the end scene".
Taken together, these lyrics create a haunting and almost apocalyptic atmosphere, one that is fitting for the industrial electronic music that accompanies them. "Dal" is a song that is intended to unsettle, to disturb, and to provoke thought about the darker aspects of the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna run? Where you gonna hide?
There's nowhere to escape from the problems and struggles of life.
Nowhere. Because there's no one like you left.
You are unique, and once you're gone, you can never truly be replaced or replicated.
Words fade above the snow
Speech can be forgettable, like words written on melting snow.
The carved out somebody stitch
Someone has fashioned and created you from scratch.
The carver's all who waves surrender
You are the product of everyone who has influenced you and the choices you've made.
Through all tempers looking back
Reflecting on the ups and downs of life and the emotions experienced therein.
The skin begins to crack
As time passes, the body ages and becomes more fragile.
Those ever double jointed blamers
People who point fingers and shift blame can twist and contort their arguments easily.
Closed off no power the wheel inside no peace
Closing oneself off from the world and others leads to a lack of personal power and inner turmoil.
No feeling all disease around security
A sense of security can be like a disease, numbing one's emotions and sense of adventure in life.
Devised the cycles find
The never-ending cycles of life and history unfold.
A call that's never caught
A message or plea goes unheard or ignored by others.
Beneath the locusts timed decision
As the swarm of locusts moves in, the clock ticks and time runs out to make a decision.
The vice grips never freed
Holding on too tightly to something can be suffocating and imprisoning, even if it feels secure.
A crease upon one's debt
A burden or obligation that one must carry, whether due to one's choices or circumstance.
And never paying forward
Failing to pass on kindness, compassion, or good deeds to others to continue a positive cycle.
What will we won't be late
The time is short, and we must act to avoid missing opportunities.
What will be left today
What legacy or impact will we leave behind today?
When nothing left to beg the moral
When all seems lost, and values or principles are being questioned or abandoned.
What is it left can't you say
What is there to do or say when nothing goes right?
Who will be left to pay
Who will bear the consequences or cost of the actions or events that have unfolded?
When ugly crippled eyes remain
When the aftermath of a tragedy or disaster leaves destruction and despair in its wake.
Closed off devoured the meat inside of me
Retreating inward and consuming one's own emotional and mental resources can be detrimental.
In freeing all afraid of life eternity
Accepting life and death, as well as the unknowns of the future, can be liberating.
Burning of sorrow deep craving inside no teeth
Feeling powerless or helpless in the face of intense grief or longing.
Holding on nothing left to be believed
Clutching to a belief or hope that is dwindling in the face of reality.
What will we want with fear
What's the use in lingering in fear or anxiety?
The time of bombing near
Amidst the threat of impending violence or destruction.
With nothing left to have or hope for
When all seems bleak and hopeless, what is there to hold onto?
What is there left to say
What more can be said when all is lost or broken?
An ancient plan to pay
Karma or fate may be at work, and someone must bear the price.
With blood and shit tomorrow
A bleak and grim future awaits, filled with suffering and hardship.
We will be learning shame
We'll face the humiliation or embarrassment of our choices or transgressions.
Until we play the game
Until we jump through the hoops or follow others' rules to fit in and succeed.
That in the end will bring disorder
Ultimately, such a system or way of life will lead to chaos and instability.
What will be left to say
What will be said once everything has been torn apart or upheaved?
When nothing is the same
When everything has changed, and nothing is familiar or recognizable anymore.
And all this shit goes over
And everything that we deemed so critical or imperative fades into oblivion.
Stepping out behind mask
Breaking free from an insincere or inauthentic façade or persona.
Kiss the mercantile abscess
Acknowledging and embracing the painful wounds that society and capitalism have inflicted upon people.
Run behind (teach fertile?) blood
Pursuing and striving for a noble or meaningful cause or passion.
The fingernails are dirty
Working hard and getting one's hands dirty in pursuit of one's goals or ideals.
Face the combination loss
Confronting the compounded and overwhelming losses that life can bring.
And go toward the final cost
Accepting and embracing the inevitability of death.
A cripple's desk, a lost foothold
Feeling stuck or hopeless due to a disability or a dire situation that's hard to get out of.
Suffering at the end scene
Enduring hardship or adversity in the closing chapter of one's life or story.
Get in line...no you can't, my my...
The system or society may want and expect you to conform, but you can't and won't.
Happily remove one body...nearly knew.
Joyously celebrating the demise or failure of someone who was almost a threat or an obstacle to one's success.
It's not dead...every way it's not lice laden where you going to go.
The issue or problem isn't gone or forgotten, and there's nowhere else to turn or hide.
Contributed by Declan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mattyboyanderson
Awesome Body Snatchers sample
"Where you gonna run? Where you gonna go? Nowhere. Because there is no one left like you."
@cringyweeaboo9690
thanks was wondering for years what they sampled...... sigh now I know
@rgbreeding
I love how Skinny Puppy really utilizes subharmonics. I have never heard another band that uses those low frequencies with such amazing results like their later albums. A subwoofer is a must.
@ericwilley7981
RGB Reading thank ya. I always respect a true Puppy fan.
@ViolenceIsPC
Most definitely thanks to the addition of Mr. Mark Walk. Great addition.
@raimundochwa7226
SKP underated band every album is catchy not the same lame guitar rock vocals repeat in every album
@user-zx2xr9vi4d
FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY - ЭТО ПРОВИДЦЫ МИРА!
@maxmatson1578
If anybody is wondering the beginning and end sample is from invasion of Body Snatchers from early 90s with Meg Tilly
@rleeroberts6350
No such thing.
There was the original with james robards...then the late 70s remake starring donald sutherland.
@maxmatson1578
@@rleeroberts6350 Yeah, there was. I seen the movie multiple times.