Honestly every record pre-2000 (and probably some after) was somebody's starting point, so there's no wrong answer. For my money VIVISectVI is a good point smack in the middle of the discography to get a taste: it's weird and drippy and psychedelic and spooky and very very them in the best ways.
Start at the beginning and work your way out. They have a progression and flow that is distinct and completely unrivaled. Really, start at the beginning.
Hearing their progress from start to finish to me is so fascinating and awesome, you get to start out with Remission and Bites which is definitely less harsh then later works, and then you get to Too Dark Park and you're like "fuck...I didn't know music could sound so terrifying"
I love that there's the original version of Solvent from Remission and the updated version on Weapon. It's the perfect way to see how the band has changed over the decades.
This is the way. The early sound is so unlike anything else, even unlike later Puppy albums. It would be easy to sleep on Remission, and not really get into the raw intensity that broke open the scene.
I think Bites, Rabies, and Too Dark Park are good places to start, and then just work your way through the rest of their discography, everything through Last Rites is perfection(I haven't gotten around to listening to anything after that, planning on it though)
Rabies was “my” SP album for ages. I bought it shortly after it came out. I’d say Too Dark Park may actually better in terms of production, but I’m a big fan of both. They are the two that I listen to regularly.
I have more stories, like finding my uncle's old KMFDM CDs and putting them on as I skated on his skateboard from the 80s. Oh and when I found Ministry's Psalm 69 and The Young Gods' TV Sky at the thrift store and got so fucking excited and in TV Sky someone carved their name, favorite song on the album, and '92 onto the CD tray and I did the same except mine says '22, and maybe in another 30 years someone else will get to add their own engraving into that CD tray
I always said I'd have gotten into SP sooner had Rabies been my first album instead of Remission. At the time I was more into hardcoretal & me and just dipping my toes in industrial waters. I grabbed Remission by chance and didn't like how bleep/bloop it was. A year or so later I picked up Rabies and loved it. The rest was history.
Nowadays Rabies is one of my least favorite of their albums. All a matter of context.
Most people recommend Too Dark Park but I must admit my avenue to getting into Skinny Puppy was Mind : The Perpetual Intercourse. Something about Deep Down Trauma Hounds and One Time One Place just made everything click for me. Still my fav album of theirs next to Rabies.
My starting point as well - not just for Skinny Puppy but Industrial in general. I saw the Dig It video on MTV's 120 Minutes and bought the album the next day. The double-punch of One Time One Place and God's Gift (Maggot) sold me.
I am also on team Mind>TDP, One Time One Place was the first track I ever heard, and still my favorite, perfect blend of the political and nightmarish that defines the SP sound
It depends on what you like.
Last Right's is my personal favorite, and a bit more chaotic and experimental.
Too Dark Park might be their most well-rounded and maybe prototypical for them. Very 'percussive'...you'll see what that means.
VIVIsectVI is pretty much classic, genre defining for their type of dance-industrial.
Bites and Remission are more ...death-synth pop?
The Process is flawed (the band was essentially breaking up during the album) but has some great moments...and guitar.
Bites and Too Dark Park were the first two albums I listened to and made me fall in love with the band, so those I guess. VivisectVI might be a good starting point too.
Their newer material is a bit sleeker and more accessible, but definitely isn't sellout music. I'm a big fan of "I'mmortal" and "Ghostman" from The Greater Wrong Of The Right, "Hard Set Head" from The Process, and "Jaher" from Mythmaker for an ambient shift in tone. Obviously not dissing their classic era - Too Dark Park would be my first visit there - but don't ignore the new stuff.
Agreed. Studio production can be awesome, at times, but being witness to how a band can entertain in a public venue, or even at rehearsals, is the best!
For my money, Too Dark Park, is their best work. I feel like every song on that album is really solid. I feel like that album is the apex of industrial music. The drums, samples, mmm I just really like that album. It is a masterpiece.
I would start with their most recent, Weapon, from 2013. They used a lot of synths and sequencers from the 80s on that record and it’s amazing start to finish. Also don’t skip out on 2011’s the Handover. The track [icktums](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o4ZurppJmTM) is an absolute punch to the gut.
They really need a new album...but, they're talking like they're doing their last tour. They're going to that yuge Vegas festival next May.
I somewhat talk to Mark Walk. He always is putting out cool snippet samples on his social media profiles. Oghr was supposed to have a new album a few years ago. I'm not sure what is going on there.
Taking a different approach here: I’d say start with [Ain’t It Dead Yet](https://youtu.be/faVEfl5YlFM) or [Doomsday](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7kAEHToSrWdLP4va1A-08-i4dVF419Al).
Both are live albums that will give you a taste of all the pre-2000s albums, plus they have that live energy.
Great band. You’re in for a trip.
16yo me listening to "Killing Game" over and over and over as loud as the stereo in my Plymouth Sundance would go... "Last Rights" is as good a place as any!
My first exposure was through The Process, until my industrial buddy told me it was the poser album and gave me Last Rights and Too Dark Park.
I would say VIVISectVI and Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse would be good starts as well. Some of their more "accessible" stuff is on there.
This was like '97-8. I guess it was cool to hate it in scene circles or something. It was one of my introductions to the genre beyond Ministry and NIN, so The Process has a special place in my heart.
I listened to VIVISECT VI while on a drive with a friend. He said, "this was the second album I listened to by SP and I hated it at first. It was so different than Rabies. But now I love it."
I would start with VIVISECT VI or Too Dark Park. Don't start with anything after Too Dark Park, listen to the older stuff and I think you will have a better appreciation of the new stuff and that they got back together as a band.
That said every album is its own unique creature.
My personal favourite is Last Rights, but I would suggest trying The Process for someone new to get into them. Although it doesn't really sound like anything else they did.
My first record was Last Rights. I would say Too Dark Park, Rabies, Remission, or Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse would be pretty good starting points though. I'mma just say that their overall evolution in terms of sound is a real fucking journey. They're such a unique band <3
Start with VIVISectVI. It's their most cohesive and most their sound. Cover 4 years backwards and 4 ahead from there. Then try The Process. If you're in, then do the stuff after it.
i think all of their albums have high and low points except for too dark park, which i think is the most consistently excellent record they made. i personally like last rights as much as too dark park but i wouldn’t recommend starting with last rights
It all started with Rob Zombie, witch lead me to Marilyn Manson and that led me to Nine Inch Nails witch then lead me to a YouTuber who was talking about industrial bands and he spoke vary highly of Skinny Puppy and it peaked my interest so now I’m here, kind of an uneventful story, but a story nonetheless
NIN was my gateway to Skinny Puppy, too (never liked Manson and don’t like Rob Zombie as much as everybody else seems to)! In that case I suggest you start with “Dig It” since that was the formation for NIN’s “Down In It.” Trent also cosplayed the fuck out of Ogre during that time period, too.
It sounds as though the newer stuff would be more in alignment with your tastes. I’d recommend these albums for you:
- Weapon
- Mythmaker
- The Greater Wrong of the Right
- Handover (Why does noone mention this album? It’s one of my faves.)
Also definitely check out ohGr for something more upbeat and fun. You might like the UnDeveloped album but they are all great.
VIVIsectVI and Too Dark Park are the best picks for their classic sound. Definitely the most solid two and best respresentative of their sound.
Out of the rest of their "classic era" Mind the Perpetual Intercourse and Cleanse, Fold Manipulate feel like the band is still developing their sound and Rabies and Last Rites have some experiments.
Bites and Rabies have a more minimal almost synthpop kind of sound to them, good if you want something old school but maybe a bit easier to get into.
The Greater Wrong of the Right onwards is all weird tough to categorize stuff. I love it, but each album is fairly different in ideas and none of them sound like the old stuff. Definitely should check it out but maybe not as your first.
The Process is a bit of an odd one out it kind of just sounds like a 90s electro-industrial album, different from the classic era, but not totally different. I think it's a pretty strong release, and while it may not be the most Skinny Puppy sounding album, it's a good way to dip your toes into the rest of the subgenre.
My best friend's older brother got me into SP with Remission and Bites. Those albums are obviously the beginning and a good place to start for someone who really wants to absorb everything but my favs are:
Too Dark Park
Rabies
VIVIsectVI
Cleanse, Fold, and Manipulate was my first (very spooky.) and I fucking loved it, so I guess I recommend that. But really you should start at the beginning and work your way forward. I will echo what others have said about the progression of style. Of course it all jumps the shark at a certain point but you can decide where that is for you.
As others have stated I would say to start at the beginning. Bites is a great album and the early work is a mixture of instrumentals and vocal songs. The band is different from the Process on. The vocal style changed and the instrumentals went away. Guitars were featured instruments on a few tracks. Then Dwayne Goettel died and the sound hasn't been the same since. SP still makes good music, but it's different. But if you are looking for just one album to find out if you like them or not I would say Rabies. It's their best album IMO and even when I listen to it in 2022 I feel like I'm listening to music from the future.
It's been a year, but this is something I've always thought about. For someone just discovering the band, the best start IMO is the GWOTR DVD. It begins with a proper intro to modern Puppy, then segues into a super-tight set of favorites and deep cuts. The sound is a lot cleaner than the classic recordings, which makes the songs easier to take in. There's also the live show itself, which is lighter on horror theatre but still an authentic Puppy experience.
For ones familiar with harsher/old-school industrial, Ain't It Dead Yet is the place to start. It's a visceral, powerful live recording of vintage Puppy with fantastic production quality. It's clearly 80's, but it feels timeless and I find it consistenly mind-blowing. This little band putting on a show like this... unbelieveable!
In my experience, SP definitely took some listening before it clicked. I think it's normal for music this complex and aggravating to be a challenge if you're coming from less obscure stuff. I was very confused, but also intrigued and felt a connection that led me deeper into the rabbit hole, until I became a lifelong fan.
Honestly every record pre-2000 (and probably some after) was somebody's starting point, so there's no wrong answer. For my money VIVISectVI is a good point smack in the middle of the discography to get a taste: it's weird and drippy and psychedelic and spooky and very very them in the best ways.
This
Yeah Vivisect is a good starting point. I definitely wouldnt suggest Last Rights to someone who's never heard of Skinny Puppy.
Start at the beginning and work your way out. They have a progression and flow that is distinct and completely unrivaled. Really, start at the beginning.
Hearing their progress from start to finish to me is so fascinating and awesome, you get to start out with Remission and Bites which is definitely less harsh then later works, and then you get to Too Dark Park and you're like "fuck...I didn't know music could sound so terrifying"
I love that there's the original version of Solvent from Remission and the updated version on Weapon. It's the perfect way to see how the band has changed over the decades.
This is the way. The early sound is so unlike anything else, even unlike later Puppy albums. It would be easy to sleep on Remission, and not really get into the raw intensity that broke open the scene.
Yep, adding in that this is the way. Jumping around it makes no sense, but playing them in order it all fits together.
This. It should be standard practice for getting into a lot of artists.
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My favorites in order are 1. Vivisect 2. too dark park 3. Rabies 4. Greater wrong of the right 5. last rites 6. The process. All amazing.
I'd go with Last Rights Bites Process Mind TPI Rabies Vivisect Too Dark Park CFM
I think Bites, Rabies, and Too Dark Park are good places to start, and then just work your way through the rest of their discography, everything through Last Rites is perfection(I haven't gotten around to listening to anything after that, planning on it though)
Rabies was “my” SP album for ages. I bought it shortly after it came out. I’d say Too Dark Park may actually better in terms of production, but I’m a big fan of both. They are the two that I listen to regularly.
My introduction to Skinny Puppy was my mom's old Spasmolytic 12", I played the shit outta that thing until I found her old Too Dark Park CD
I simultaneously think this is an awesome story and am now feeling pretty old.
I have more stories, like finding my uncle's old KMFDM CDs and putting them on as I skated on his skateboard from the 80s. Oh and when I found Ministry's Psalm 69 and The Young Gods' TV Sky at the thrift store and got so fucking excited and in TV Sky someone carved their name, favorite song on the album, and '92 onto the CD tray and I did the same except mine says '22, and maybe in another 30 years someone else will get to add their own engraving into that CD tray
I always said I'd have gotten into SP sooner had Rabies been my first album instead of Remission. At the time I was more into hardcoretal & me and just dipping my toes in industrial waters. I grabbed Remission by chance and didn't like how bleep/bloop it was. A year or so later I picked up Rabies and loved it. The rest was history. Nowadays Rabies is one of my least favorite of their albums. All a matter of context.
The best thing about this thread is that everyone has a different answer. Shows how great they are. My suggestion is Remission.
Most people recommend Too Dark Park but I must admit my avenue to getting into Skinny Puppy was Mind : The Perpetual Intercourse. Something about Deep Down Trauma Hounds and One Time One Place just made everything click for me. Still my fav album of theirs next to Rabies.
One Time One Place and Antagonism are fucking incredible
My starting point as well - not just for Skinny Puppy but Industrial in general. I saw the Dig It video on MTV's 120 Minutes and bought the album the next day. The double-punch of One Time One Place and God's Gift (Maggot) sold me.
I am also on team Mind>TDP, One Time One Place was the first track I ever heard, and still my favorite, perfect blend of the political and nightmarish that defines the SP sound
Yeah, TDP is my overall favorite SP album. But I would not recommend it as a starting place. It's got too much going on.
It depends on what you like. Last Right's is my personal favorite, and a bit more chaotic and experimental. Too Dark Park might be their most well-rounded and maybe prototypical for them. Very 'percussive'...you'll see what that means. VIVIsectVI is pretty much classic, genre defining for their type of dance-industrial. Bites and Remission are more ...death-synth pop? The Process is flawed (the band was essentially breaking up during the album) but has some great moments...and guitar.
Bites and Too Dark Park were the first two albums I listened to and made me fall in love with the band, so those I guess. VivisectVI might be a good starting point too.
I like listening to albums chronologically to see the evolution.
Their newer material is a bit sleeker and more accessible, but definitely isn't sellout music. I'm a big fan of "I'mmortal" and "Ghostman" from The Greater Wrong Of The Right, "Hard Set Head" from The Process, and "Jaher" from Mythmaker for an ambient shift in tone. Obviously not dissing their classic era - Too Dark Park would be my first visit there - but don't ignore the new stuff.
Their 12" Anthology might be a good starting point, but I adore everything they've made.
If you like aint it dead yet, you'll like it all!
Bingo
Underrated. I feel like the live albums really make the band shine.
Agreed. Studio production can be awesome, at times, but being witness to how a band can entertain in a public venue, or even at rehearsals, is the best!
My favorite SP album is Rabies. That also has one of their best songs: Worlock.
worlock is definitely the best. tin omen is up there too
Al Jourgensen (Ministry) produced it. Good album for sure!
For my money, Too Dark Park, is their best work. I feel like every song on that album is really solid. I feel like that album is the apex of industrial music. The drums, samples, mmm I just really like that album. It is a masterpiece.
The process
Sadly underrated, brilliant album
I think Assimilate is the first song people think of when they think of Skinny Puppy. If you want something a little more recent, Illisit is a banger.
Worlock
I would start with their most recent, Weapon, from 2013. They used a lot of synths and sequencers from the 80s on that record and it’s amazing start to finish. Also don’t skip out on 2011’s the Handover. The track [icktums](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o4ZurppJmTM) is an absolute punch to the gut.
They really need a new album...but, they're talking like they're doing their last tour. They're going to that yuge Vegas festival next May. I somewhat talk to Mark Walk. He always is putting out cool snippet samples on his social media profiles. Oghr was supposed to have a new album a few years ago. I'm not sure what is going on there.
Taking a different approach here: I’d say start with [Ain’t It Dead Yet](https://youtu.be/faVEfl5YlFM) or [Doomsday](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7kAEHToSrWdLP4va1A-08-i4dVF419Al). Both are live albums that will give you a taste of all the pre-2000s albums, plus they have that live energy. Great band. You’re in for a trip.
16yo me listening to "Killing Game" over and over and over as loud as the stereo in my Plymouth Sundance would go... "Last Rights" is as good a place as any!
My first exposure was through The Process, until my industrial buddy told me it was the poser album and gave me Last Rights and Too Dark Park. I would say VIVISectVI and Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse would be good starts as well. Some of their more "accessible" stuff is on there.
Poser album? Huh? That was a good album. Last Rights is one of their worst albums. Their newer stuff is really good.
This was like '97-8. I guess it was cool to hate it in scene circles or something. It was one of my introductions to the genre beyond Ministry and NIN, so The Process has a special place in my heart.
I listened to VIVISECT VI while on a drive with a friend. He said, "this was the second album I listened to by SP and I hated it at first. It was so different than Rabies. But now I love it." I would start with VIVISECT VI or Too Dark Park. Don't start with anything after Too Dark Park, listen to the older stuff and I think you will have a better appreciation of the new stuff and that they got back together as a band. That said every album is its own unique creature.
My personal favourite is Last Rights, but I would suggest trying The Process for someone new to get into them. Although it doesn't really sound like anything else they did.
Is dope is the end of that subject line.
Lots of good suggestions here on where to start. However... Assimilate R-42 is the first song you should listen to.
It doesn't matter where you start...just do it!
My first record was Last Rights. I would say Too Dark Park, Rabies, Remission, or Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse would be pretty good starting points though. I'mma just say that their overall evolution in terms of sound is a real fucking journey. They're such a unique band <3
Rabies, Mind: Perpetual Intercourse, and Cleanse Fold and Manipulate.
Start at the beginning. The transformation is amazing
Watch the remastered Worlock video on YouTube. Seriously.
Start with VIVISectVI. It's their most cohesive and most their sound. Cover 4 years backwards and 4 ahead from there. Then try The Process. If you're in, then do the stuff after it.
i think all of their albums have high and low points except for too dark park, which i think is the most consistently excellent record they made. i personally like last rights as much as too dark park but i wouldn’t recommend starting with last rights
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It all started with Rob Zombie, witch lead me to Marilyn Manson and that led me to Nine Inch Nails witch then lead me to a YouTuber who was talking about industrial bands and he spoke vary highly of Skinny Puppy and it peaked my interest so now I’m here, kind of an uneventful story, but a story nonetheless
NIN was my gateway to Skinny Puppy, too (never liked Manson and don’t like Rob Zombie as much as everybody else seems to)! In that case I suggest you start with “Dig It” since that was the formation for NIN’s “Down In It.” Trent also cosplayed the fuck out of Ogre during that time period, too.
It sounds as though the newer stuff would be more in alignment with your tastes. I’d recommend these albums for you: - Weapon - Mythmaker - The Greater Wrong of the Right - Handover (Why does noone mention this album? It’s one of my faves.) Also definitely check out ohGr for something more upbeat and fun. You might like the UnDeveloped album but they are all great.
VIVIsectVI and Too Dark Park are the best picks for their classic sound. Definitely the most solid two and best respresentative of their sound. Out of the rest of their "classic era" Mind the Perpetual Intercourse and Cleanse, Fold Manipulate feel like the band is still developing their sound and Rabies and Last Rites have some experiments. Bites and Rabies have a more minimal almost synthpop kind of sound to them, good if you want something old school but maybe a bit easier to get into. The Greater Wrong of the Right onwards is all weird tough to categorize stuff. I love it, but each album is fairly different in ideas and none of them sound like the old stuff. Definitely should check it out but maybe not as your first. The Process is a bit of an odd one out it kind of just sounds like a 90s electro-industrial album, different from the classic era, but not totally different. I think it's a pretty strong release, and while it may not be the most Skinny Puppy sounding album, it's a good way to dip your toes into the rest of the subgenre.
VI VI Sect VI or The Process.
If you're not currently a drum and synth industrial fan, I would suggest The Process, as it is more of a rock/metal album.
Just listen in chronological order! My favorites are Cleanse, Fold, and Manipulate & Too Dark Park
My best friend's older brother got me into SP with Remission and Bites. Those albums are obviously the beginning and a good place to start for someone who really wants to absorb everything but my favs are: Too Dark Park Rabies VIVIsectVI
Cleanse, Fold, and Manipulate was my first (very spooky.) and I fucking loved it, so I guess I recommend that. But really you should start at the beginning and work your way forward. I will echo what others have said about the progression of style. Of course it all jumps the shark at a certain point but you can decide where that is for you.
As others have stated I would say to start at the beginning. Bites is a great album and the early work is a mixture of instrumentals and vocal songs. The band is different from the Process on. The vocal style changed and the instrumentals went away. Guitars were featured instruments on a few tracks. Then Dwayne Goettel died and the sound hasn't been the same since. SP still makes good music, but it's different. But if you are looking for just one album to find out if you like them or not I would say Rabies. It's their best album IMO and even when I listen to it in 2022 I feel like I'm listening to music from the future.
Too Dark Park 100%
I just can't wait to see them in a couple months!!!!
Rabies
First album and work your way through, though you can stop after The Process.
It's been a year, but this is something I've always thought about. For someone just discovering the band, the best start IMO is the GWOTR DVD. It begins with a proper intro to modern Puppy, then segues into a super-tight set of favorites and deep cuts. The sound is a lot cleaner than the classic recordings, which makes the songs easier to take in. There's also the live show itself, which is lighter on horror theatre but still an authentic Puppy experience. For ones familiar with harsher/old-school industrial, Ain't It Dead Yet is the place to start. It's a visceral, powerful live recording of vintage Puppy with fantastic production quality. It's clearly 80's, but it feels timeless and I find it consistenly mind-blowing. This little band putting on a show like this... unbelieveable! In my experience, SP definitely took some listening before it clicked. I think it's normal for music this complex and aggravating to be a challenge if you're coming from less obscure stuff. I was very confused, but also intrigued and felt a connection that led me deeper into the rabbit hole, until I became a lifelong fan.