Review Summary: Tribulations while recording their intended finale shape one of Skinny Puppy's more accessible releases.
The Process was released in 1996 and was intended, at the time, to be the final album from industrial giants Skinny Puppy. Its concept revolves around a cult from the 1960's called The Process Church Of The Final Judgment. Vocalist Nivek Ogre was introduced to the doctrine of The Process by Genesis P. Orridge and this theme runs throughout the album. Many problems arose during the recording of
The Process, including the death of keyboardist Dwayne Goettel due to a heroin overdose and high tensions within the band.
The music itself swings back and forth. There are more chaotic moments which feature heavy guitar riffs combined with rapid percussion and electronics. These are the areas of the album which may be harder for someone who isn't a fan of industrial music to get into but they are the least frequently visited. There are also moments where the band pulls back and refines their sound into a much more straightforward and laid back approach. At times these passages include a little acoustic guitar work which is a nice contrast to the distorted riffs appearing throughout the album. Lastly, there's a combination of the two, which is to say that these parts of the album contain different elements of the two aforementioned structures.
The Process is a very moody and dark record. The intro to the song
Process comes to mind as a good example of the mood put forth on the album. It features a droning sound in the background with different samples fading in, creating a very eerie start to the song. The vocal delivery augments this as well. Ogre is not a talented singer in a musical sense, he doesn't really sing though. Most of the vocals are spoken or shouted with an array of effects utilized making them sound less than human.
The lyrics, as previously stated, revolve around The Process cult. The song
Morter seems to speak about not following the masses and striking out your own unique path.
“Teller lazy sky tales. Find your rate and pace. Reinvent uniqueness. Adjust the outer face.” While the lyrics don't come off very eloquently, the message is still there. The only problem is that since the lyrics read almost like a stream of consciousness, it is difficult to pick out the real theme of the album without researching it.
The Process is one of Skinny Puppy's more accessible albums. It contains some of their hardest moments but also some of their softest ones as well. If you are not particularly into the industrial genre or a fan of Skinny Puppy then this is a good starting point. I would also recommend it to fans of metal.
.
