Too Dark Park

Last updated

Al is a fucking great guy, a real cool person. There are things that I admire about him... a lot. But there were a few things that happened between me and him that really made me question our whole friendship and his reason for having me down there. So I decided to bow out of the Revolting Cocks tour. If I hadn't, I would have come back totally addicted to heroin. There were rumors that I was fired, that I was a junkie - I wasn't quite at that point yet, but I was on that sort of final destination. [6]

With Ogre no longer committed to the Revolting Cocks tour and all side projects taken on by Key and Goettel completed, Skinny Puppy reassembled in studio to begin production on a new album. Goettel stated that the intention in making Too Dark Park was, in a way, an effort to reassess "everything" about Skinny Puppy. [7] Key indicated that by fixing the mistakes that had been made on the previous record, there would then be the opportunity to return to the band's original aspirations. [10] The group aimed for their first album of the 1990s to have a new sound and achieved this by taking what had worked well for them in the previous decade and incorporated it with fresh ideas. This also meant hiring a new art director, Jim Cummins, as Goettel had explained that the band's album artwork had been "stagnating". [7]

Nivek Ogre performing on the Too Dark Park tour Nivek Ogre Too Dark Park live 1990.jpg
Nivek Ogre performing on the Too Dark Park tour

On the origins of the album's title, Key has stated that it was meant to be a rhyme on words. He mentions that during the writing process, the band took notice to the fact that the material they were coming up with was becoming "really dark" and thus crafted the title Too Dark Park. [10] The album explores a number of concepts, especially those pertaining to environmental degradation and the self-destruction of humanity. Ogre described the basis for the album's underlying message as the following: "that feeling of going down a road with the knowledge that you're breaking down. Yet you continue to travel down that road." [6] The album also explores more personal territory, particularly Ogre's dealings with heroin. Ogre revealed to Alternative Press how he had nearly been arrested for possession while working in Chicago and how that incident had nearly brought his career to an end. [6]

As is typical for the band, the music contains an array of samples from horror films, television shows, and documentaries. The song "Convulsion" contains samples from the 1967 documentary LSD-25 as well as from the Japanese erotic horror anime Legend of the Overfiend (the sound effects heard at the beginning of the song). "Tormentor" contains a line from the Bob Clark's 1987 film From the Hip . "Natures Revenge" samples the 1989 film Communion while "Shore Lined Poison" samples the 1967 film The Trip . The song "Morpheus Laughing" contains a sample of actor Bruce Willis saying the line "they appeared to me as if in a dream" from a Wayne's World skit on Saturday Night Live . [11] The song "T.F.W.O." features the line "you have to fuck life" from the 1973 horror film Flesh for Frankenstein and "Reclamation" contains samples from the 1988 horror film Hellbound: Hellraiser II and the 1978 animated adaptation of Watership Down . [11] [12]

The album was produced by cEvin Key and Dave Ogilvie, and recorded at Mushroom Studios with the additional aid of Ken Marshall. The album was mixed at Little Mountain Sound Studios by Ken Marshall, Dave Ogilvie, and Greg Reely. [1]

Release

Too Dark Park was released worldwide on October 30, 1990. For its initial release, the CD featured a full color fold out booklet on which the liner notes were printed. Later pressings featured a stapled booklet with only the front cover being colored in. The 1998 and 2004 reissue once again contain the full color fold out booklet, with somewhat reworked artwork and disc design. The initial pressing released in the UK had the same catalogue number as pressings released in the US; "printed in the U.S.A." was digitally edited to read "printed in the U.K.". In the US, Capitol Records promoted the album's release by distributing cardboard masks based on the monsters featured in Jim Cummins' cover artwork. [13]

The song "Tormentor" was released as a single and featured an alternative version of the song "Nature's Revenge" as well as the B-side "Bark". [14] "Spasmolytic" was released as a single in 1991; a music video was produced for commercial airplay. A VHS version of the video was distributed for use in dance clubs and video shows. [13]

Critical reception

Too Dark Park
SkinnyPuppy-TooDarkPark.jpg
Studio album by
Skinny Puppy
ReleasedOctober 30, 1990
Recorded1990
Studio
  • Mushroom Studios
    (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
  • Little Mountain Sound Studios
    (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Genre
Length38:32
Label Nettwerk
Producer Dave Ogilvie, cEvin Key [1]
Skinny Puppy chronology
Rabies
(1989)		Too Dark Park
(1990)		 Last Rights
(1992)
Singles from Too Dark Park
  1. "Tormentor"
    Released: 1990
  2. "Spasmolytic"
    Released: 1991
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [15]
Calgary Herald E [16]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [18]
Tampa Bay Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [19]
The Tampa Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [20]

Too Dark Park was well received upon its release in 1990, [21] with critics like Spin magazine's Staci Bonner declaring the record to be the band's "return to the bloodbath". Bonner gave the most praise to the album's sampling, calling the technique's use "artful", and concluded that "you can be a 'spun web deluded of life' or a 'crushed velvet corpse' because with Skinny Puppy, everyday is Halloween." [22] Jean Carey of the Tampa Bay Times praised the album, describing it as the band's "watershed moment", and calling attention to the "vaguely central theme" of environmental destruction. [19] Steven Perez of the Tampa Tribune also took note of the album's "environmental kick", saying Too Dark Park's "impressiveness lies beyond the mirage of its droning industrial instrumentation". [20] Sandra A. Garcia of B-Side magazine also spoke highly of the record, calling it "superb" and a "step regained" following Rabies. Garcia described the album as "dark and dense", and declared that the band was once again in full control of their music. [23]

Alex Henderson of AllMusic gave the album four and a half stars, describing it a "forceful and consistently abrasive", but at the same time danceable. Henderson approved of the album's "twisted" sampling, distorted synth work, and use of guitar, and concluded that while the album was a must have for fans of industrial music, newcomers may be put off by its chaotic sound and would find it best to start off with the genre's more accessible offerings. [15] Daniel Lukes of Kerrang! described the album as "controlled chaos at its most unsettling" and that it reflected Skinny Puppy at the height of their creativity. [24] Trouser Press magazine described Too Dark Park as "environmentally minded" and likened the gloomy musical style employed on the songs "Nature's Revenge" and "Morpheus Laughing" to those of new wave acts such as Joy Division and Gary Numan. [25] Martin Aston in Q Magazine noted that the album "quakes with the usual quotient of fury and frustration (...) matched only by the relentlessly crushing beats of their electronic hardcore throb". [18]

In a mixed review for The Morning Call , Diana Valois said the album was "harsher in parts" than the band's previous releases, and approved of the songs "Nature's Revenge" and "Rash Reflection" for "rising above the muddled, angry morass". [26] Billboard also gave the album a mixed review, stating that while fans of alternative music would enjoy it, there was not much to offer that couldn't be found in other, more accessible groups such as Ministry. [27]

Not all critics were as receptive to Too Dark Park. In a negative review for the Calgary Herald , Mark Tremblay likened the band to an "environmental punk version of Hawkwind". Mitchell May of the Chicago Tribune awarded the album two out of four stars, saying that "not only do they apparently care very little about actually selling records, but they openly defy the listener to like them." [17] Gigen Mammoser of Vice noted that Too Dark Park was "the rejection of a genre headed increasingly towards mainstream acceptance." Mammoser described the album as "frightening" and likened it to a mental disorder. Though he had mixed feelings towards the album, Mammoser admitted to "dusting it off" for a listen on certain occasions. [28]

In 2013, Francois Marchand of the Vancouver Sun named Too Dark Park one of the best albums to come out of Mushroom Studios, describing it as a "nightmarish vortex of hard-hitting electronic rock". [29] Metal Hammer placed Too Dark Park on their list of the best 10 industrial metal albums [30] as well as the 10 best industrial music albums, describing its "dance-floor beats" and "raw screaming noise" as the antithesis of the techno scene. [31]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ogre/Key/Goettel

No.TitleSample(s) [11] [12] Length
1."Convulsion"
Contains samples of:
3:20
2."Tormentor"
Contains samples of:
4:33
3."Spasmolytic" 3:53
4."Rash Reflection" 3:28
5."Nature's Revenge"
Contains samples of:
3:57
6."Shore Lined Poison"
Contains samples of:
4:49
7."Grave Wisdom" 3:45
8."T.F.W.O."
Contains samples of:
3:47
9."Morpheus Laughing"
Contains samples of:
4:00
10."Reclamation"
Contains samples of:
3:00
Total length:38:32

Personnel

All information from Too Dark Park's liner notes. [1]

Musicians

Additional personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skinny Puppy</span> Canadian industrial band

Skinny Puppy was a Canadian electro-industrial band formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group was among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key while he was in the new wave band Images in Vogue, Skinny Puppy evolved into a full-time project with the addition of vocalist Nivek Ogre. Over the course of 13 studio albums and many live tours, Key and Ogre were the only constant members. Other members have included Dwayne Goettel, Dave "Rave" Ogilvie, Bill Leeb, Mark Walk (2003–2023), and a number of guests, including Al Jourgensen (1989), Danny Carey (2004), and many others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nivek Ogre</span> Canadian musician, artist and actor

Kevin Graham Ogilvie, known professionally as Nivek Ogre, is a Canadian musician, performance artist and actor, best known for his work with the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded with cEvin Key. Since 1982, he has served as Skinny Puppy's primary lyricist and vocalist, occasionally providing instrumentation and samples. Ogre's charismatic personality, guttural vocals and use of costumes, props, and fake blood on stage helped widen Skinny Puppy's fanbase and has inspired numerous other musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwayne Goettel</span> Canadian musician

Dwayne Rudolph Goettel was a Canadian electronic musician, best known for his work in the industrial music group Skinny Puppy. Starting his career playing for a variety of acts around Edmonton, he joined Skinny Puppy in 1986 following the departure of keyboardist Bill Leeb. A classically trained pianist, he helped to broaden Skinny Puppy's sound with his extensive knowledge of equipment and sampling. He assisted bandmate cEvin Key on a number of side projects such as The Tear Garden and Doubting Thomas, and helped form the experimental electronic group Download. He also created the independent record label Subconscious Communications with friend and colleague Phil Western as a means to release his solo work.

<i>Rabies</i> (Skinny Puppy album) 1989 studio album by Skinny Puppy

Rabies is the fifth studio album by Skinny Puppy. It was released on November 21, 1989 through Nettwerk. The album notably features Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen who performed electric guitar and vocals on several songs. The album spawned two singles, "Tin Omen" and "Worlock", the latter of which becoming one of the band's most recognizable songs. The cover art was made by longtime Skinny Puppy collaborator Steven R. Gilmore. In 1993 the CD edition was reissued by Nettwerk to correct mastering errors in the original release.

cEvin Key Canadian musician and producer

Kevin William Crompton, known professionally as cEvin Key, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer, and composer. He is best known as a member of the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded in 1982 with singer Nivek Ogre. Initially a side project while he was with the new wave band Images in Vogue, Skinny Puppy quickly became his primary musical outlet after landing a record deal with Nettwerk Records in 1984.

<i>Cleanse Fold and Manipulate</i> 1987 studio album by Skinny Puppy

Cleanse Fold and Manipulate is the third studio album by Canadian electro-industrial group Skinny Puppy. The album was released in 1987 and was supported by a single, "Addiction". The album was further supported by the Head Trauma tour, which spanned across North America and Europe. Ain't it Dead Yet?, a recording of the group performing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was released on video in 1989 and CD in 1991.

<i>VIVIsectVI</i> Album by Skinny Puppy

VIVIsectVI is the fourth studio album by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released on September 12, 1988 through Nettwerk. Despite tackling controversial topics like animal rights, chemical warfare, and environmental waste, VIVIsectVI was well-received. It spawned two singles, "Censor", which was released on the album as "Dogshit", and "Testure", which was Skinny Puppy's only song to chart on Billboard's Dance Club Songs. VIVIsectVI was followed by a theatrically involved tour with Nine Inch Nails as the opening act.

<i>Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse</i> 1986 studio album by Skinny Puppy

Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse is the second studio album by Skinny Puppy, released on September 5, 1986. It contained the single "Dig It", which inspired several industrial music contemporaries, including Nine Inch Nails. "Dig It" received extensive airplay on MTV and was listed by Billboard as a recommended dance track. The song "Stairs and Flowers" was also released as a single.

<i>The Greater Wrong of the Right</i> 2004 studio album by Skinny Puppy

The Greater Wrong of the Right is the ninth studio album by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy, released by SPV on May 25, 2004. It is their first full-length record since 1996's The Process. It is also their first album since 1985's Bites without the support of keyboardist Dwayne Goettel, who died in 1995, and their first album since the departure of producer Dave "Rave" Ogilvie. It was produced by Cevin Key and is Ohgr-collaborator Mark Walk's first appearance as an official member of the band. The album's artwork was created by longtime collaborator Steven R. Gilmore.

<i>Last Rights</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Skinny Puppy

Last Rights is the seventh studio album by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released in March 1992 as the group's final record distributed through Nettwerk. Last Rights saw the band experimenting with two opposite extremes: cacophonous heavy music and gloomy melodies, resulting in moments of industrial weight as well as moments of uncharacteristic softness. Along with containing some of the band's most impenetrable walls of sound and an eleven-minute track composed almost entirely of manipulated and distorted samples, Last Rights also features Skinny Puppy's first ballad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skinny Puppy discography</span> Discography of Canadian band

The Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy has released twelve studio albums and two extended plays along with a number of live albums, compilations, and singles. The group formed in 1982 and released its debut EP, Back & Forth, in 1984. Later that year, Skinny Puppy was picked up by Nettwerk and released another EP, Remission, in December 1984. The band's first studio album, 1985's Bites, was its last with the original lineup of vocalist Nivek Ogre and producer / multi-instrumentalist cEvin Key; Dwayne Goettel joined in 1986, and the band released its next two albums, Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse and Cleanse Fold and Manipulate, in 1986 and 1987 respectively.

<i>B-Sides Collect</i> 1999 compilation album by Skinny Puppy

B-Sides Collect is a compilation album by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy, released in 1999. The album serves as a collection of several B-sides from earlier singles that were out of print by the time of the collection's release. With the exception of "Serpents", this release complements one of the band's earlier compilations, Twelve Inch Anthology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Censor (song)</span> Song by Skinny Puppy

"Censor" is a song by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy, taken from its 1988 album VIVIsectVI and released as a single in the same year. "Censor's" original title was "Dogshit", which was changed for this release's marketability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worlock</span> Song by Skinny Puppy

Worlock is a single by the band Skinny Puppy from the album Rabies. The song uses a sample of the guitars in "Helter Skelter" by The Beatles, as well as a vocal sample of Charles Manson singing the song. Vocalist Nivek Ogre considered it one of the band's better songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chainsaw (Skinny Puppy song)</span> Song by Skinny Puppy

Chainsaw is a single by the band Skinny Puppy. It contains new material, as well as additional material taken from their albums Bites and Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Testure</span> Song by Skinny Puppy

"Testure" is a song by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy, taken from its 1988 album VIVIsectVI and released as a single in 1989. "Testure" was the group's first and last song to chart on Billboards's Dance Club Songs, and it was accompanied with a controversial music video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tormentor (song)</span> Song by Skinny Puppy

"Tormentor" is a single by the band Skinny Puppy. It is the first single from their album Too Dark Park, released in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spasmolytic (song)</span> Song by Skinny Puppy

Spasmolytic is a single by the band Skinny Puppy from the album Too Dark Park. Deftones created a remix of the song that was included on Remix dystemper and the Saw IV soundtrack. At a running time of 31:22, "Spasmolytic" is Skinny Puppy's longest 12-inch single.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Too Dark Park (CD booklet). Skinny Puppy. Vancouver, British Columbia: Nettwerk. 1990.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ↑ Wolanski, Coreen (2002). "Skinny Puppy: Every Dog Has Its Day". Exclaim! . Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  3. ↑ Kern, Jay (2010). Skinny Puppy: The Illustrated Discography (Second ed.). Mythos Press. p. 38.
  4. ↑ "Interview with Dwayne Goettel, 1990". Litany: Interview Archive. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Woods, Karen (1990). "Hilt Intermission". Alternative Press. No. 33. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "24 Hours in Vancouver". Alternative Press. No. 35. February 1992. pp. 40–46. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Day, Peter. "Dwayne Goettel Interview: WMXM 88.9 Milwaukee, October 1990". Litany: Interview Archive. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  8. 1 2 Gilmore, Steven (1989). "The Peril's of Puppy". Ipso Facto Magazine. No. 7.
  9. ↑ "Ministry - Revolting Cocks Tour 1988". Prongs.org. 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  10. 1 2 Kaos, Simon. "YouTube Title: Skinny Puppy Interview with cEvin Key on Post TV [Bay Area Cable TV]". YouTube. Post TV (December 18, 1990). Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 Cigéhn, Peter. "The Top Sampling Groups List: Skinny Puppy". Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on October 30, 2004. Retrieved 15 May 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. 1 2 "Skinny Puppy Samples". Skinny Puppy: Video Samples from Movies and official Bootleg Database.
  13. 1 2 Kern, Jay. "Skinny Puppy: The Illustrated Discography". Prongs. Mythos Press. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  14. ↑ Tormentor (CD booklet). Skinny Puppy. Vancouver, British Columbia: Nettwerk. 1990.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. 1 2 AllMusic review
  16. ↑ Tremblay, Mark (December 2, 1990). "Skinny Puppy: Too Dark Park". Calgary Herald : 23.
  17. 1 2 May, Mitchell (January 17, 1991). "Skinny Puppy Too Dark Park Review". Chicago Tribune. chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. 1 2 Aston, Martin (5 March 1991). "To Dark Park review". Q Magazine. 55: 79.
  19. 1 2 Carey, Jean (November 9, 1990). "'Park' Outing is no Picnic". Tampa Bay Times : 99.
  20. 1 2 Perez, Steven (November 23, 1990). "Skinny Puppy - Too Dark Park". The Tampa Tribune : 113.
  21. ↑ DiPietro, Ben (August 22, 1992). "Band's Performance Proves Real Nightmare". The Windsor Star : 62.
  22. ↑ Bonner, Staci (February 1991). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 6, no. 11. p. 75. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  23. ↑ Garcia, Sandra A. (February 1991). "Skinny Puppy: Wild at Art". B Side. Vol. 4, no. 6. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  24. ↑ Lukes, Daniel (March 3, 2007). "Where to Start with Skinny Puppy". Kerrang!. No. 1148. p. 53. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  25. ↑ Sheridan, David; Rompers, Terry. "Skinny Puppy". Trouser Press. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  26. ↑ Valois, Diana (March 9, 1991). "Skinny Puppy - Too Dark Park". The Morning Call : 66.
  27. ↑ "Album Reviews: Pop" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. December 15, 1990. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  28. ↑ Mammoser, Gigen (December 21, 2015). "How Skinny Puppy's 'Too Dark Park' Made Me Confront Sickness and Discomfort in Electronic Music". Vice. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  29. ↑ Marchand, Francois (March 23, 2013). "Five Landmark Recordings From Mushroom/Hipposonic". Vancouver Sun : 58.
  30. ↑ "The 10 Best Industrial Metal Albums". 18 July 2016.
  31. ↑ "The 10 Best Industrial Albums That You Need In Your Collection (7 June 2018)". Metal Hammer . Future Publishings. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.