Weapon | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 28, 2013 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 45:36 | |||
Label | Metropolis (MET870) | |||
Producer | Skinny Puppy | |||
Skinny Puppy chronology | ||||
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Singles from Weapon | ||||
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Weapon is the twelfth and final studio album by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released on May 28, 2013, through Metropolis Records. Skinny Puppy received mainstream media attention when the band billed the U.S. government for using its music as torture in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, which was a primary source of inspiration for the album. Musically, Weapon's sound is reminiscent of Skinny Puppy's earliest releases, Remission (1984) and Bites (1985), due to the employment of old equipment and simplified songwriting.
The song "Salvo" was released early for streaming on May 14, 2013, a music video for the song "Illisit" was directed by Jason Alacrity and released online, and the album was followed by several tours.
Weapon was inspired by the news that Skinny Puppy's music had been used for torture sessions at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. [1] [2] In 2011, the band was approached by a Guantanamo prison guard who heard bootlegged [3] Skinny Puppy music being played to prisoners at damaging volumes for six to twelve hours as a punishment. [2] [4] [5] The guard, Terry Holdbrooks, recognized the music as coming from an unofficial 1993 release called Heavens Trash. [6] [7] [8] This revelation prompted the band to develop the concept of Weapon, even going so far as originally planning to include an instructional manual detailing how to use the album to torture people. [5] [2] In early 2014, a few months following the album's release, Skinny Puppy received mainstream media attention after sending an invoice totaling $666,000 to the US Department of Defense for the use of its music during torture sessions. [9] [10] The Department of Defense never responded to the invoice, and governmental officials denied using any music as torture. [11] Regarding the employment of his music in such a capacity, founding Skinny Puppy member cEvin Key criticized the government both for using the music without permission and for using it as "an actual weapon against somebody". [12] He clarified that the billing was not for financial gain, but was to make a point. [12]
Other influences on Weapon's sound include the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and American gun culture. [13] [14] Regarding the refinement of the album's concept, vocalist Nivek Ogre said:
Then I stumbled on the more abstract idea about all the things around us that are weapons that are dormant, that are built to be safe. Nuclear power became one of those; it was a big elephant in the room topics to me, especially after the meltdown in Fukushima and the subsequent clampdown in the media about what's happening, what's going to happen, and the fact that we have 23 of those similar reactors sitting around the United States, which are holding in their spent fuel pools. [5]
The album's artwork features a giant mechanized spider made of various weapons ranging from blades to firearms. It was created by longtime Skinny Puppy collaborator Steven R. Gilmore. [15]
"The rule was originally that we'd only use tools that were available during that time period, so we'd have to go back and resurrect a Studer 2-inch tape machine. It became very cost prohibitive for us to do it that way. And it also became clear that really what we were looking to do was just go back to simple and direct songwriting."
—Nivek Ogre on the recording of Weapon. [5]
When the time came to record Weapon, the members of Skinny Puppy decided to go through the process in a way dissimilar to their other post-reunion albums. Key, Ogre, and Mark Walk were frustrated by the result of long production time on their previous record, so they returned to the fast-paced cycle of Skinny Puppy's early years, [16] [17] completing the album in "less than a few months". [4] Additionally, Weapon was recorded without the aid of management or a professional studio. Ogre called the process of creating the album "amorphous", saying that "the days are gone of having to actually rent studio time and block out however many days you're going to have to stay within budget." [1] This lightweight approach allowed the band to achieve the speed of production it desired. [5] The group started work on the new album by remaking the song "Solvent" from its 1984 EP, Remission , due to Ogre's dissatisfaction with how the original track came out, especially vocally. [1] [5] Using "Solvent" and Weapon's first track, "Wornin'" (stylized as "wornin'"), as a guide, the band experimented with many outmoded instruments and methods in an effort to recapture a distinctly minimal electronic sound. [18] [19] Key said the return to Skinny Puppy's electronic and equipment roots "seemed right". [20] Ultimately, the self-imposed restriction of 1980s-era equipment proved too confining, so the band instead chose to focus on the approach and execution of those early albums. [5]
Musically, Weapon is densely electronic, existing in the space between synth-pop and industrial music and combining the two in a blend of bright melodies, grating rhythms, and harsh vocals; [21] it has been called both electro-industrial [16] [17] and glitch music. [22] Ogre's vocals range from spoken word and rap [23] to his more characteristically abrasive style. [21] Some publications noted the album for having surprisingly conventional song structures with "singalong" choruses. [22] [23] Zachary Houle of PopMatters called Weapon "downright accessible", a stark contrast against the noisier music Skinny Puppy is known for. [22] Still, the album retains the atypical programmed beats of industrial music, taking advantage of a wide range of percussion from clicks and whirs to deep booms. [24] The album's second song, "Illisit" (stylized as "illisiT"), is an aggressive electronic single with scathing lyrics and multi-layered electronics. [25] Daniel Sylvester of Exclaim! called it the album's best and catchiest track, writing that it "is a polished revisiting of everything that makes Skinny Puppy so compelling: decaying beats and nail-driving refrains, along with world-gone-wrong rants." [25] The third track, "Salvo" (stylized as "saLvo"), features breakbeats that are both "ominous" and "funky" [23] and employs a number of superimposed, ghostly sounds. [22] "Glowbel" (stylized as "gLowbeL") acts as a microcosm of Weapon at large, containing equal parts of sinisterly conveyed aggression and optimistic melody. "Solvent" (stylized as "solvent"), the album's midpoint, remains compositionally unchanged from its original 1984 incarnation, but the version on Weapon is much sharper and more professionally recorded, with notably refined vocals and improved production. [22] [26]
The second half of the album is darker and more introspective than the first. Weapon's sixth track, "Paragun" (stylized as "paragUn"), features an overpowering chorus and a danceable rhythm, [26] [27] while the following song, "Survivalisto" (stylized as "survivalisto"), is slow and somber with new wave influences. [22] "Tsudanama" (stylized as "tsudanama") is Weapon's heaviest song with "alien, non-linear squeaks and rubbery rhythms" [25] and an emphasis on bass. [27] "Plasicage" (stylized as "plasiCage") is another weighty dance track, [26] [21] but the album's closer, "Terminal" (stylized as "terminal"), is its softest and most dreary, being described by Laura Wiebe of Exclaim! as "a synth-pop requiem" with a sentimental, dirge-like sound. [21] Some critics drew comparisons between it and the ballad "Killing Game" from 1992's Last Rights . [22] "Overdose", the hidden track that appears after "Terminal", is a previously unreleased song from the Remission and Bites era with redone vocals, further tying Weapon back to those initial releases. [19]
Skinny Puppy began performing the album's songs from January 2014 onward, starting with the Live Shapes for Arms tour. The set lists covered a broad range of material, and the stage show was elaborate and complicated. [28] [29] Later in 2014, the band returned to the road for another tour entitled Eye vs Spy, bringing Youth Code, Haujobb, and Front Line Assembly as opening acts. [30] [31] These performances saw Ogre changing between numerous costumes throughout the show, playing a character undergoing stages of mutation at the hand of nuclear radiation. [32] [30] Ogre began these shows as a hunch-backed, rain-coated figure with a white mask, an umbrella with a fallout symbol, a cumbersome box, and a plaster dog statue. [30] As the show progressed, he became a force-fed animal with a suit of many pelts, and later a deformed monstrosity affected by the radiation let loose from the box. [33] The themes of experimentation had previously been explored on Skinny Puppy's 1988 tour in support of the album VIVIsectVI , [34] as had the concept of bodily mutation on the 1992 Last Rights tour. [35]
Weapon was released to retailers worldwide on May 28, 2013. [28] It was well-received by critics, several of whom appreciated the musical style being reminiscent of that of the 1980s. [36] Weapon was available as an LP, CD (both Digipak and jewel case), and as a digital download. [28] The LP was reissued in 2016. [37] The album entered on several record charts, including the Billboard 200 where it peaked at 140. [38] Weapon was followed by a music video for the song "Illisit". [39] Jason Alacrity, a fan of Skinny Puppy who had worked with Ogre on some previous projects, approached the band wanting to make a video. [19] After securing Skinny Puppy's endorsement, Alacrity created the video, which features a mechanical spider, a fugitive running from an armed soldier, and skull imagery reminiscent of the cover for Remission. [39] [19]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 76/100 [36] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [23] |
Exclaim! | 7/10 [21] [25] |
Head Full of Noise | [26] |
PopMatters | [22] |
The Province | B− [40] |
Release Magazine | 8/10 [41] |
Spin | 5/10 [42] |
Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5 [43] |
Weapon was met with positive reception. The album received an average score of 76/100 from 6 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [36] AllMusic's David Jeffries called Weapon "an instantly recognizable return to form for the veteran electro-industrial group, and a sure about-face from the film-worthy, large-landscape music the group has released since the millennium turned." [23] Zachary Houle of PopMatters wrote, "Weapon does what it does so satisfyingly well, that it makes you rethink the concept of industrial music." [22] Exclaim! writer Daniel Sylvester said that Weapon was the band's best effort since 1992's Last Rights. [25] Also writing for Exclaim!, Laura Wiebe gave the album a positive review, highlighting its focused employment of electronics and how it focused on rhythm. [21] Michael Davis of Head Full of Noise awarded Weapon a perfect score, saying that Skinny Puppy "achieve a fluid and solid combination of their older style with the new" and that it "works and sounds beautiful". [26]
Stuart Derdeyn of The Province called the album "classic Puppy", and wrote "what may surprise longtime fans is how clean the mix is. Grim but also somewhat weirdly calming". [40] Writing for Release Magazine , Peter Marchione compared the album to Remission, saying that "the sound is retro and very analogue and if it wasn't for Ogre's improved singing technique, ...many of the tracks could easily have been almost 30 years old". Marchione concluded that Weapon "lives its own life like in a parallel existence that now has re-begun right after the earliest formation of our beloved Puppy, before Dwayne was in the band". [41] Writing for the Chicago Music Guide, Dennis Kelly applauded the album, noting that the re-recording of the song "Solvent" was "a smart move on their part to potentially introduce new fans to their earlier work". [44]
Ogre's vocals were especially lauded for returning to the lacerating, abrasive quality of the band's earlier albums. [45] [25] Some publications considered Weapon Skinny Puppy's best effort since reforming in 2000. [25] [23] However, not all reception was positive; Spin gave Weapon a middling review, calling the band "tired". [42] Trey Spencer of Sputnikmusic praised Weapon, but also recognized that it could disappoint fans who want a return to Skinny Puppy's more industrial sound. [43]
All tracks are written by cEvin Key, N. Ogre, Mark Walk
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Wornin'" | 4:42 |
2. | "Illisit" | 3:57 |
3. | "Salvo" | 3:45 |
4. | "Glowbel" | 3:15 |
5. | "Solvent" | 4:37 |
6. | "Paragun" | 4:52 |
7. | "Survivalisto" | 4:50 |
8. | "Tsudanama" | 5:53 |
9. | "Plasicage" | 3:13 |
10. | "Terminal" ("Overdose" starts at 5:01) | 7:10 |
Total length: | 45:36 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Overdose" | 2:09 |
Notes
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [15]
Skinny Puppy
Additional personnel
Charts (2013) | Peak position |
---|---|
German Alternative Albums (Deutsche Alternative Charts) [46] | 1 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [47] | 60 |
US Billboard 200 [38] | 140 |
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [48] | 4 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [49] | 21 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
ohGr is a Canadian industrial band formed by Nivek Ogre and Mark Walk of Skinny Puppy. Early ohGr releases incorporated hip hop and synth-pop influences, and in contrast to Skinny Puppy, utilized conventional structures and a lighter tone. Ogre noted that this direction was inspired by the pop bands he enjoyed as a child, such as The Archies. However, in releases such as Devils in my Details, ohGr has taken to a more abrasive, non-linear flavour of electro-industrial, while continuing to release pop albums such as 2018's Tricks.
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.
Remission is a 1984 EP by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy, their record label debut and first release with Nettwerk. The 12-inch EP originally featured six tracks, then, a year later in 1985, it was released on cassette with five additional songs that lengthened the release to a full album. This expansion became the default version of Remission.
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.
Too Dark Park is the sixth studio album by the industrial music group Skinny Puppy. The album cover features the debut appearance of the band's "SP" logo. The cover art was created by Vancouver based artist Jim Cummins. The artwork for this album and its associated singles was inspired by cosmic horror stories such as the Cthulhu Mythos. Lyrical themes include collapse of society due to destruction of nature, drug addiction, and psychological issues.
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.
The Process is the eighth studio album by Canadian industrial band Skinny Puppy. Released by American Recordings on February 27, 1996, The Process was the band's final album before it reformed in 2000 and released The Greater Wrong of the Right in 2004. Skinny Puppy's keyboardist, Dwayne Goettel, died near the end of The Process' recording, and the album experienced difficult production and record-label intrusion.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
"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.
Mythmaker is the tenth studio album by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released on January 30, 2007 by Synthetic Symphony. Lead vocalist Nivek Ogre said the band took a simplified approach, but that it was a difficult record to make. It charted on a number of billboard charts, and received mostly positive reviews, with critics focusing on whether it was stylistically similar to previous albums.
"Inquisition" is a song by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released as a single on March 24, 1992 in advance of its host album, Last Rights (1992). The B-side "Lahuman8" was created at the request of the Québécois contemporary dance group La La La Human Steps.
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