Skinny Puppy - Rabies

Dear bonehead web programmers at Amazon

This Cd is listed as coming out in 2001.

The first review was written in 2000 (so it's not about this particular pressing) but the review talks about a specific pressing, saying it sounds much better.

This happens a lot, people write a positive (or negative) review about a specific release of a cd or movie (remastered version much better, directors cut horrible, etc) so their rating and review isn't just for the cd/movie, it's about the specific release they were reviewing.

The best example I can think of is the move "The Warriors Ultimate Directors Cut". People trashed that version, giving it one star, though they liked the original version. But you've added those negative reviews to the original version as well.
July 25, 2008

Amazing

I got into Skinny Puppy because of my boyfriend. I know that it tends to be total dude music. However, being female I love the raw edge that their earlier music has. The newer the music the more I dislike it (I'm not saying I hate it!) I really love this CD, I bought it for my boyfriend for his birthday (it has been difficult to find this CD on something other than iTunes, and we both like the actual CDs of bands we're really into).

He has yet to open his present; however, I know that when he does he is going to love it.

But beware!!! Some of the CDs on Amazon have been known to be censored, like the Tomb Raider Soundtrack (reason for buying is Deep - NIN, another awesome song) and the Buzz (Sublime is awesome). So just keep it in mind when buying CDs through Amazon. December 31, 2007

Off and pure Sure tonight It feeds itself Freeze in time Or shadows Climb

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.
September 24, 2007

Definitely SP, But Is It Rabid Enough?

In many ways, this CD is a jewel. And I'm not talking about the case. It has a subtle touch in the way of sampling (something newcoming, reverse chronilogical-listening fans may have pined for after getting grips on Last Rights). Many of the songs function well on the dancefloor. Not to mention there is plenty of audible space for Ogre's lyrics to fill and take affect. But herein lies the question of this unworthy fan of only two years: Could it be that there's too much space?

Through much of my constant rotations of Puppy songs and CDs, I've found myself most attracted to the thickness of Key's and Goettel's common atmosphere between other works. Even the earlier scores, which are more easily accepted as quasi-minimalist due to the group's infancy, hold a brighter candle to a majority of Rabies' soft and tinny instrumental arrangements. Granted much of it is done well, but only in the sense of what it is. Which, I'm sorry to say, is quite empty and simple. Dare I say even a little boring?

"Rodent" sets the mood for what one should expect from a majority of the album. So let's figure it; Dull, delayed beat, soon accompanied by a very weak and constant synth that most 80's synth-pop wannabes would raise their noses to, an only slightly bolstering guitar riff provided by Al Jourgensen, exposed shrieks and groans from Ogre (which gains little discontent from me) and isolated samples scattered loosely across the track. It's not a strong arrangement, by any means, and only through the vocals and certain sound mashes (and I use the phrase "sound mashes" very, very lightly) can I find any measure of entertainment.

Some songs avoid this dry, loose behaivior, I'll admit. As tinny as the drumbeats are in "Two Time Grime," the sounds and vocals are blended wonderfully in themselves, however left to fill more than they conceivably can. Al's guitar riffs measure in mostly as a bland fruit filling more than an appropriate inclusion to the already dry electronics, perhaps only proficient enough in the song "Tin Omen." Attention can be (and usually is) paid to the album's highlight, "Worlock." The string synths coupled with a stronger, more bassy synth with Ogre's insightful and emotionally-charged vocals provide a sense of eagerness for darker atmospherics, sure (hence the video?), but it is still an altogether engaging and complete song. Look up live videos for it, one in particular is phenominal, even compared to the CD's recording.

So big fans don't raise your ears and snarl at me just yet. There's something to be enjoyed on this album, I'll not deny it. But amidst sub-par production, instrumentation and minor inconsistencies with vocals (Ogre's still got it in the long run), I feel perfectly justified to say that Rabies simply doesn't bite like other Puppy collections. May 31, 2007

Read the liner notes before you judge!!!!!!!

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. August 26, 2006

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