Skinny Puppy

When Trent Reznor wrote his first Nine Inch Nails song (the cold-pressed synth-pop of "Down In It"), he had one admitted single in mind — Skinny Puppy's steam-spewing, beat-chopping single "Dig It." It's one of many early SP efforts that reveal the group's lingering influence on the history of industrial music, including the brooding electro-pop of "Assimilate" (its "rot and assimilate" chorus was once a rallying cry for industrial fans), the shock-therapy synths of "Smothered Hope," and the icy, well-oiled drum loops of "Dig It." And the triumphant reunion of cEvin Key and Nivek Ogre on Mythmaker and The Greater Wrong of the Right proved they never stopped setting the standard for industrial excellence. Nearly two on-again/off-again decades together has produced too much music to stuff into one set, so we continue to cram some of Skinny Puppy's finest in our Next Steps.

Skinny Puppy signed to Nettwerk soon after self-releasing their first cassette in 1984, becoming one of the Canadian label's first key acts. (Everyone from Sarah McLachlan to Ladytron has joined its roster since then.) In many ways, the group's Nettwerk phase represents the defining period of their career, including the twisted, thumping fan-favorite tracks of Too Dark Park and the fearless creative detours of Last Rights, their final album before a five-year hiatus. Listen closely, however, and you'll notice how Skinny Puppy's second wind kicked in around 2004, with the refined rage and skittering, scampering IDM beats of "Goneja," "Daddyuwarbash," and the surprisingly melodic Mythmaker album. That's not even considering the myriad side projects that have dotted Skinny Puppy's entire career, many of which provide shock-and-awe moments in our Deep Cuts.

If "S**k" sounds familiar, it's because it was covered in a faster, frothier form on Nine Inch Nails' Wish EP. You see, Trent Reznor was once part of Pigface's revolving-door lineup, a supergroup affair that included Skinny Puppy singer Nivek Ogre and members of Ministry, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Public Image Ltd., and R.E.M. (yes, R.E.M.) on such standout tracks as "Tapeworm" and the steely, beat-driven "Asphole." Other revealing chapters in the continuing saga of Skinny Puppy include the swirling, psychedelic goth songs of the Tear Garden (featuring Edward Ka-Spel of the Legendary Pink Dots) and the post-industrial soundscapes of Download, an oft-overlooked influence on such modern IDM artists as Autechre (who returned the favor on a brutalized remix of Skinny Puppy's "Killing Game" ballad) and Aphex Twin.

For all the talk about Nine Inch Nails and Ministry in the scheme of industrial music's mainstream impact, few, if any, artists have remained as close to that subgenre's template of stuttering samples and heavy metal machine music as Skinny Puppy. Because of this, they're considered godfathers of the scene by many, from Trent Reznor to Ministry mastermind Al Jourgensen, who co-produced Rabies under the name "Alien" Jourgensen. (Skinny Puppy singer Nivek Ogre has also toured with Ministry.) The interesting thing, though, is how far the group's influence reaches beyond the industrial scene. Taken in tandem with proto-industrial pioneers, like Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire and Suicide, it's hard to imagine the nihilistic noise of Wolf Eyes and Merzbow or the synth-addled metal of Marillyn Manson and Filter without the collected works of Skinny Puppy.