Rabies by Skinny Puppy

Rabies, Skinny Puppy's fifth studio album, crawled out on Nettwerk on November 21, 1989, and it's the one where the Vancouver noise-mongers let Ministry's Al Jourgensen into the lab. Credited as Alien Jourgensen, he's listed as producer and all over several tracks on electric guitar and vocals, and you can hear the collision: the band's sample-choked electronic clatter suddenly sprouting riffs, with cEvin Key and Dwayne Goettel working the machines and Ogre snarling through the static.

"Tin Omen" and "Worlock" were the singles, and "Worlock" became one of the band's signature songs. Longtime ally Steven R. Gilmore made the cover. Critics split, more than a few of them hearing too much Ministry in the mix, but it sold well for the band. A package tour with Ministry, KMFDM and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult was on the drawing board until Skinny Puppy pulled out and it was scrapped.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.