Disco de Skinny Puppy: “Rabies”

Rabies is perhaps the Skinny Puppy cd that could've came close to the mainstream at the time it came out in 1989. However, this is Skinny Puppy we're talking about. There's just no room in the mainstream for the likes of this innovative, harsh-conscious band. With that said, Rabies isn't all that accessible to the majority of music listeners. Has Puppy ever been that accessible? Really? The main difference b/w this cd and previous cds is mainly that it's more guitar-driven. What that does is just add another nice touch to SP's evolution.

I mention this mainly because Rabies is always mentioned as Ministry-influenced. I don't think Ministry hold a big place for this cd. Most of the mood, texture, and style found in Rabies is definitive Puppy. Nightmarish, demonic voices. Insane, druglike music. Crazy horror-movie samples. Typical Puppy.

Make no mistake, Rabies is one of SP's toughest, most essential cds around. Once the listener tunes out Ministry's presence, Rabies is certain to feel like the hard-hitting, head-trippin' work that Skinny Puppy had probably intended it to be. It's an hour of ferocious greatness that will melt your brain and you'll be glad to repeat the effects. One more thing, check out the original version of Tin Omen on their B-Sides CD. It is actually better than the regular version.

Rabies tends towards the less chaotic of the SP releases, and it does so with a lot of influence of Al Jourgensen of Ministry.

The Rabies sessions were rumoured to be some of the most disfunctional of the SP recording sessions, with Al, Ogre, and cevin fighting it out over who got the final say in various mixes - check out the "alternative" remix of Tin Omen on CD single (if you can find it) that Al had nothing to do with for a slower, darker, more grinding version of the LP version. In the end, Al shaped a more precise, cleaner, clearer sound from the band than the previous or later releases which veered off into bursts of distortion and noise (VIVIsect VI, Too Dark Park, Last Rites) than Rabies. Because of the obvious dancehall influences (Rodent, Worlock) and the programming precision throughout the album, it's a lot more accessible (I was going to type "mainstream," but that just seems wrong for a SP review...) than any of their later releases except possibly The Process, which was never truly finished.

Me? I qualify VIVIsect VI or Too Dark Park as the seminal SP albums, but my tastes run towards sonic train wrecks. The Puppy albums that completely shocked me upon first listen and took some getting used to and deciphering were always my favorites. Those looking for more traditional death disco or aggro-electronica sounds will probably prefer Rabies.

In 1989, hot on the heels of Vivisect VI, one of their most popular albums, Skinny Puppy released 'Rabies' to mixed reviews. Recorded during a problematic period for founding members Ogre and Key, 'Rabies' reflects a different recording approach than previous albums. This was due in-part to the production of Ministry's Al Jourgensen, with whom Ogre had begun a brief recording partnership. Right off the bat, Rabies' sound seems cleaner than earlier works, and the change in direction has turned a lot of fans away from the album itself.

"Rodent" and "Hexonxonx" start the show with aggressive dance-floor rhythms that attempt to marry clean electronica with hard-rock. In some ways that's typical in contemporary industrial music, but the sound here is slightly atypical for SP. It isn't Ministry-hard, but it's immediately clear that this isn't Skinny Puppy's usual raw chaos.

"Fascist Jock Itch" is the closest to Ministry-sounding the album gets, with Ogre in an unusually confrontational mood screaming over hyper-active drums and a simple metal-guitar riff that grinds again and again. While the beat is pretty energetic headbanging stuff, it can get a bit overly-repetitive and irritating. Skinny Puppy's never been an angry head-bang outfit anyway. On the other hand, Jourgensen's influence over the production of "Tin Omen" did produce a brilliant, guitar heavy dance-metal hybrid that is nearly as energetic as "Fascist Jock Itch" while still maintaining the intelligent song-craft of Puppy at their best.

"Two Time Grime," "Rain," "Rivers," "Chloralone," and "Amputate," all take a structureless, experimental approach, sounding more like earlier Puppy songs. "Rain" and "Chloralone" are both rather spare, unsettling mood pieces, evoking the surreal nightmarish world SP often conjures, and both are darkly delightful. "Rivers" is a particularly inspired instrumental track, featuring voice samples from classic films that meld to suggest a kind of conversation or storyline that is pretty intriguing, while the beat remains catchy.

It is "Worlock," however that really helps define Skinny Puppy's sound and crowns this album: a gorgeous melody laid over an infectious beat intertwined with stark, imposing background elements. Layers of synthesizer and samples all come together perfectly in this slow, emotional track that on one hand is very catchy and icily beautiful. It also dwells within that familiar terrain of dread of unease that permeates SP's whole aesthetic. "Worlock" is one of the band's all time most popular (and best) songs.

Though 'Rabies' is often disparaged by fans, it is slightly more accessible in some ways and does contain some of the bands best work. It may be a good place to start for those unfamiliar with the band. I'll admit it has several low points... especially in the final track, "Spahn Dirge," a nearly 17 minute live-jam session that I really don't care for. And overall, Rabies doesn't really demonstrate the typical SP sound. But it is still pretty unique, intricate industrial music from one one of the most creative groups I've heard. 4 stars for the strengths outweighing weaknesses.

Why do a lot of people trash this album simply for it containing hard guitars? Only three of the songs even have guitars in them, one of which is "Rodent" and it only has guitars in it for less than a minute towards the end of the song and a small four second sample of a "solo" (if you will)! Big whoop! Besides, all industrial bands use or have used guitars in their music and this is not the first Skinny Puppy album where guitars are used. Anyone remember a little song called "Dig It"???

Anyways... I've been listening to SP for quite a few years. Owning almost all their albums I still consider this my favorite album of theirs. Any long-time Puppy fan will appriciate songs like "Two Time Grime", "Rivers" and "Choralone" (not to mention the all too incredible "Worlock"). Some odd, different but satasfying Puppy work is done on "Hexonxonx" and "Tin Omen". "Sphan Dirge" is quite interesting, too.

Basically, if you like SP's Too Dark Park or Last Rights then there is no reason you shouldn't like this album either. Rabies is pretty much an experementation of what's to come on the two forementioned albums and it's done well in it's own right.

Skinny Puppy's singer Ogre brought Al Jourgenson along on this album. Al played drums on Tin Omen and guitar throughout the album.

This is not a wanna-be Ministry album, it's more of a collaberative work.