Drawing from the pioneering work of artists like
Throbbing Gristle,
Cabaret Voltaire, and
Suicide, the dark avant-
industrial group
Skinny Puppy formed in 1982 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Originally a duo comprised of former Images in Vogue drummer
cEvin Key (born Kevin Crompton) and Nivek Ogre (aka Kevin Ogilvie),
Skinny Puppy followed their debut cassette, Back and Forth, with the EP
Remission, the first of many recordings with producer David "Rave" Ogilvie, in 1984.
Keyboardist Wilhelm Schroeder joined the group for 1985's full-length debut,
Bites, but was replaced the next year by Dwayne Goettel, whose sampling and synth work proved significant in the development of the
Skinny Puppy aesthetic from ominous
dance music into a distinct fusion of
industrial, goth, and
electronic sounds.
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Drawing from the pioneering work of artists like
Throbbing Gristle,
Cabaret Voltaire, and
Suicide, the dark avant-
industrial group
Skinny Puppy formed in 1982 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Originally a duo comprised of former Images in Vogue drummer
cEvin Key (born Kevin Crompton) and Nivek Ogre (aka Kevin Ogilvie),
Skinny Puppy followed their debut cassette, Back and Forth, with the EP
Remission, the first of many recordings with producer David "Rave" Ogilvie, in 1984.
Keyboardist Wilhelm Schroeder joined the group for 1985's full-length debut,
Bites, but was replaced the next year by Dwayne Goettel, whose sampling and synth work proved significant in the development of the
Skinny Puppy aesthetic from ominous
dance music into a distinct fusion of
industrial, goth, and
electronic sounds. Subsequent releases like 1986's Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse, 1987's
Cleanse, Fold and Manipulate, and 1988's VIVIsectVI further honed the trio's style, as well as introducing the outspoken lyrical agenda that remained a thematic constant throughout much of the group's work.
In 1989,
Ministry's Al Jourgensen added vocals, guitars, and production work to
Rabies; later, he joined Ogre in the side project
Pigface. Ultimately, the members' interest in pursuing similar outside projects began to unravel
Skinny Puppy: in 1987,
Key and Edward Ka-Spel of
the Legendary Pink Dots recorded the album Their Eyes Slowly Burning under the name Tear Garden, and in 1990, he and friend Alan Nelson worked as
Hilt. A major rift began splitting the band apart, and
Key and Goettel often sided against Ogre, whom they felt was more interested in pursuing solo work than in keeping the trio intact; drugs had also become a serious problem, but
Skinny Puppy nonetheless signed to American Recordings in 1993 and relocated to Los Angeles to begin production work.
The sessions for the album, titled
The Process, proved disastrous; for the first time in nearly a decade, David Ogilvie did not oversee production duties, and the group went through several producers, including former
Swan Roli Mosimann and Martin Atkins. Flooding and earthquakes further hampered the sessions, and
Key was severely injured in a film shoot. After months of recording,
Key and Goettel, dissatisfied with Atkins' work, absconded with the master tapes and returned to Vancouver in mid-1994 to finish production. Ogre remained in California, and later announced he was leaving
Skinny Puppy to form W.E.L.T. A few months later, on August 23, 1995, Goettel was found dead of a heroin overdose in his parents' home; in his honor,
Key and Ogilvie finally completed the album, and
The Process was released in 1996. A multimedia history of the band, Brap: Back and Forth, Series 3 & 4, followed a few months later, while
Key returned to his new project, Download. Released in 1998, Remix Dys Temper featured
Skinny Puppy reworkings by
Autechre,
Neotropic, and
Adrian Sherwood in addition to
industrial groups like
KMFDM and God Lives Underwater.
By 2000 the word was out that
Key and Ogre had buried the hatchet, reactivated
Skinny Puppy, and recording was underway. A 1994 jam between
Skinny Puppy and
Throbbing Gristle/
Psychic TV member Genesis P-Orridge was released under the title Puppy Gristle in 2002 on
Key's subCON label. The SPV label (which had long been the distributor of the band's albums in Europe) signed the band in late 2003.
Skinny Puppy's Greater Wrong of the Right hit the streets in 2004 with members of
Tool,
Collide, and
Static-X making guest appearances. It was followed in 2007 by
Mythmaker. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
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