Review Summary: Before there was Pretty Hate Machine, there was VIVIsectVI.
1988 saw a slew of up and coming industrial acts that would shape the genre to what it is today. While a few of these albums such as Ministry’
The Land of Rape and Honey and KMFDM’
Don’t Blow Your Top took a slightly more rock/ metal approach and Frontline Assembly created their dance laden album
State of Mind, these industrial bands broadened their musical palettes that would reach out to a larger audience. Skinny Puppy stuck to their guns and released one of the more true industrial records that year called
VIVIsectVI. Skinny Puppy were also a lot more world issue driven then their contemporaries as well. Not that the band wasn’t controversial enough because of their subject matter, they continued to defy their counterparts in the industry and focused in on their precise, angular synths and created an album as harsh as stepping on broken glass with a bare foot.
Skinny Puppy had steadily released several albums since their formation in 1982, but nothing would compare to the direction they would take on this album.
VIVIsectVI apparently stands for a pun that associates vivisection (meaning any experimentation on living animals) with Satanism. The deciphered title alone points towards the subject matter and the harsh sounds that are represented on this fine piece of music from the industrial genre.
VIVIsect makes very good use of filling in every nook and cranny with as much noise and as many samples as possible. While it may not be as finely layered as the bands masterpieces
Too Dark Park and
Last Rights, this is a good starting point for any fan of the band who is looking for a beginning to the bands career. Synths and electronic noises creep along adding nice surprises to each and every song as the album progresses. Looped drum beats couple with synth lines that are reminiscent of the 80’s techno scene. Don’t let this fact discourage you seeing as the album retains a very dark edge to these electronic excursions, giving the songs a very claustrophobic feel. There are no signs of guitar lines or actual use of acoustic instruments on the album. Electronics dominate the harsh experience to the songs, all the while using an underlining infectious groove to enhance the tunes. The album could almost borderline as having an 80’s dance club vibe to it in spots since danceable beats are sprinkled here and there amongst the songs. Movie samples are used in a few songs taken from a variety of clips such as “Evil Dead II” and Roman Polanski’s film “The Tenant”. The creepy vibe given by the mentioned clips adds another layer of darkness to the songs and further setting them apart from rest of the industrial pack.
Through all the danceable, jagged industrial noise comes a low-key rant from vocalist Ogre; an outspoken animal rights activist at the time who would use his stage show as a protest ground. With this knowledge of the man in mind, you can pretty much guess what the lyrical content is that runs through each song. Songs like “Human Disease (S.K.U.M.M.)” take aim at pollution and deforestation while “VX Gas Attack” deals with the chemical warfare used in the Middle East during the mid 80’s. All of the protests against these international struggles are further enhanced by Ogre’s crusty, whispery vocals that come across as a rant or a full-on scream. Samples of chants or rallying cries add yet another layer of vocal delivery that really drive the protested matters home (you might want the liner notes to fully understand the half discernable lyrics).
All in all, Skinny Puppy really pushed the industrial bar with this album. It would go on to serve as the foundation for their two best albums to date
Too Dark Park and
Last Rights and set a new standard in how to create a dark, deranged album full of creepy effects and synthesizer induced hypnotics. Ogre’s lyrical rants are the icing on the cake to Skinny Puppy’s already deathly sounding industrial music. Recommended for all industrial fans!
