The #1 in Extreme Music! As the world's biggest independent Heavy Metal label we give you access to always the latest songs, official music videos, interviews, live performances and more from artists like Slayer, Machine Head, Nightwish, Eluveitie, Exodus, Anthrax, Meshuggah, Hatebreed, Testament, Sepultura, Children Of Bodom, Dimmu Borgir, Avantasia and many more.

In 1985, the music scene in Seattle was in the early stages of what eventually became known internationally as grunge. The first recorded evidence of this emerging sound was the Deep Six compilation released in 1986 on the Seattle-based C/Z Records, a record label that Skin Yard bassist, Daniel House would begin to operate the following year. Of the 6 bands on that record only two had ever released anything previously: the legendary U-Men, and Green River (which later spawned Mudhoney and Pearl Jam). The other 4 bands had never been heard outside of the city. It was Deep Six that exposed the world to the first recordings by Soundgarden, Melvins, Malfunkshun…and Skin Yard.

Skin Yard was formed in Seattle in January 1985 by Daniel House (bass), and Jack Endino (guitar). They were joined by Matthew Cameron (drums) who had previously played with House in an instrumental power trio called FEEdbACK. Ben McMillan became the band's singer in April 1985 and Skin Yard’s first gig was opening for the U-Men on June 7, 1985.

Early in 1987, Skin Yard's first single and debut self-titled LP were released. That summer, Cameron left Skin Yard, joining Soundgarden two months later. Four shows were played with interim drummers, two with Steve Weid (later of the band TAD) and two with Greg Gilmore (later of Mother Love Bone). In the fall of 1986, drummer Jason Finn (later of Love Battery and The Presidents of the United States) joined the band, but left after only eight months for an extended stay in Europe.

In May 1987, Skin Yard found drummer Scott McCullum (aka Norman Scott) who ironically had once been all but hired for the Soundgarden drum position until Cameron had approached them to offer his services. Skin Yard's second record, Hallowed Ground, was released in early 1988. Scott left Skin Yard in May of 1989 after a particularly unpleasant U.S. tour, aptly remembered as "the tour from hell," but not before playing on the band's third album Fist Sized Chunks, which was not released until 1990.

Between McCullum leaving the band and the release of Fist Sized Chunks, Skin Yard effectively ceased to exist for over a year, and at the time didn’t expect to reform. They also never expected drummer Barrett Martin. Barrett was a powerhouse, and as it turned out, was with Skin Yard until the end. In early 1991, 1000 Smiling Knuckles – widely regarded as Skin Yard’s finest effort – was released. The band embarked on their third national tour in support of the record, with House leaving that March to devote more time to fatherhood. He was replaced by Pat Pedersen with whom the band recorded the posthumously released final album, Inside the Eye.

Prior to House’s departure, Skin Yard had already begun winding down. Ben McMillan had started Gruntruck with previous SY drummer McCullum and Accüsed guitarist Tommy Niemeyer. Pedersen and Martin had started jamming with Endino in Endino's Earthworm. After Skin Yard’s break up, Barrett joined the Screaming Trees and was with them until their final record. He remained one of the busiest musicians in Seattle, playing in Mad Season (with Layne Staley from Alice in Chains and Mike McCready from Pearl Jam), working with Peter Buck in Tuatara, as well as being a touring drummer with R.E.M.  Endino made several solo records, the most recent being Permanent Fatal Error, and he continues to record and produce records for other bands; his impressive production resume includes Nirvana, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Mudhoney, Afghan Whigs, Therapy?, High On Fire, Zeke, Nebula, TAD, Gruntruck, Titas, and (of course) Skin Yard. House continued to run C/Z Records from 1986 through 2001 when the Skin Yard rarities collection, Start at the Top, was released. In 2003, House moved from Seattle to Los Angeles. Sadly, Ben McMillan died in 2008.

Terminal, recorded on a handheld recorder while rehearsing for the Namm show next week. Had to be quiet because Daves roommate was sleeping. Kat Epple adds some magic with her flute. All is groovy, enjoy!  xxoo dev

SmackFactor originally started in 2004, and went through many lineup changes. 2011 would be the year that these 5 gentlemen would come together to make brutaful music together. In 2015 they released a 3 song ep "Bury Em". 2017 brings the new, long awaited 12 song album "Use Once And Destroy" an album filled with Thrash, Melodic, Death, chaotic metal! Having shared the stage with Major acts such as Whitechapel, Fear Factory, Deicide, Static-X, Soulfly, Soilwork, Unearth, Dope, Flaw, Motograter, Mushroomhead, (Hed) p.e., Skindred, Allegaeon, Act Of Defiance, Forty Winters, Mobile Deathcamp, Hemlock, Otep, Battlecross, Wovenwar, Rings Of Saturn, Arsonists Get All The Girls, Auras, In Dying Arms, and a ton of Colorado heavy hitters, they are not a band to be taken lightly. With an intense stage show and songs filled with raw emotion SmackFactor is here to prove that they are a powerhouse in the Colorado metal scene
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SmackFactor is - Shawn Wolf - Guitar - John Palmer - Guitar - Loren Honstein - Drums - James Boyd - Bass - Payden Browning - Vocals

Fresh out of central Florida comes a band of razor-sharp intensity, with a stylized combination of heavy and melodic chops which will leave you breathless on the edge of your seat and begging for more. With creative visionary Nicholas Whitfied at the studio helm, and a powerful live band, 9th Evolution is a force to be reckoned with. Their two albums, "The Life Atomic" (2010) and "Retro Americana" (2012) are deeply personal for Whitfield. They are a commentary on our modern world, and a clarion call for change. They speak intelligently about social issues, without losing their audience. The music speaks for itself, and it is a voice which we cannot ignore.

https://www.facebook.com/9thevolution

Skinny Puppy formed in 1982 from the partnership of cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton) and Nivek Ogre (Kevin Ogilvie) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Key was dissatisfied with the pop direction of his then-current band Images in Vogue and began Skinny Puppy with the intention of doing something more raw and experimental. The duo recorded their first self-released cassette Back & Forth in 1984, with help from Dave "Rave" Ogilvie. This was the beginning of a long partnership between Skinny Puppy and Rave, who would serve as their producer until 1993, again in 1995, and was occasionally listed as a member of the band in album liner notes. Back & Forth drew the attention of Vancouver startup label Nettwerk, who signed the band later that year.

The dark electro-pop styles of the debut EP, Remission, and first album Bites the following year, earned the band a fervent fan base. This era saw the creation of such now-immortal underground hits as "Assimilate", "Smothered Hope", "The Choke", "Dead Lines", "Last Call", and "Far Too Frail".

Dwayne Goettel, who played synthesizers and samplers, joined Skinny Puppy in 1986. Classically trained as a pianist/keyboardist, Goettel had previously worked with the synth pop band Psyche, among others.

Their audience expanded with a distribution deal with Capitol Records/EMI, while Play It Again Sam issued a number of their releases in Europe. Their production values continued to improve with the addition of Goettel on Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse in 1986 and Cleanse Fold and Manipulate in the year that followed. "Dig It", "Addiction", "Chainsaw", "Stairs and Flowers", and "Deep Down Trauma Hounds" are prominent songs from this period.

Skinny Puppy toured for three years in North America and Europe; a live performance at Toronto's Concert Hall in 1987 was released on VHS in 1989 and CD in 1991 as Ain't It Dead Yet?

Over time, the band became outspoken advocates for animal rights, and used the European Head Trauma tour and North American VIVIsectVI tour to draw attention to the issue. The title of the album, VIVIsectVI, released in 1988, was a pun intended to associate vivisection with Satanism (i.e. the "666 sect"). The album's lyrics dealt with criticism of pollution, chemical warfare, deforestation, rape, cocaine addiction, and the promotion of sexual abstinence to stop the spread of AIDS/HIV. The lead track "Dogshit" was released as a single in 1988 under the name "Censor" (due to censorship issues, radio stations urged the band to change its name for radio airplay) while the single "Testure" (which denounced the vivisection of animals for research purposes) reached No. 19 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1989. A music video was produced for "Testure" featuring footage of a man being tortured by monstrous-looking surgeons, augmented with clips from The Plague Dogs and Unnecessary Fuss, and included a statement denouncing vivisection. Key and Ogre were arrested for "disorderly conduct" at a 1988 concert in Cincinnati, Ohio after an audience member, believing the stuffed animal Ogre was "vivisecting" to be a real dog, called the police.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band members also worked on various side projects. Key and Goettel were involved with The Tear Garden (a collaboration with The Legendary Pink Dots), Doubting Thomas (an outlet for their non-Skinny Puppy instrumentals), and the rock band Hilt. Ogre struck up a friendship with Ministry's Al Jourgensen and joined Ministry and some of its side projects on their live tours. For Skinny Puppy's fifth album, Rabies, released in 1989, Jourgensen joined Rave as producer.

Their next album, Too Dark Park, was released in 1990. The album is built on the harsh electronic rock of previous albums, yielding the singles "Tormentor" and "Spasmolytic". Environmental degradation was a major theme on songs such as "Nature's Revenge" and "Shore Lined Poison" while layers of background noise grew to a crescendo on the album's closer "Reclamation".

The album that followed two years later, Last Rights, pushed the dark noise of Too Dark Park further into experimental territory. In 1992 the single "Inquisition" was released. Another single, "Love In Vein", was made but not released until some of the remix and b-side material intended for it appeared on Brap: Back and Forth Series 3 & 4 in 1996. The "Killing Game" video and tour backing film were directed by William Morrison.

Ogre, Key, and Goettel signed a contract with American Recordings and moved to Malibu, California in 1993 to record The Process, a concept album inspired by 1960s cult The Process Church of The Final Judgment, with Roli Mosimann producing. Artistic and personal differences caused Ogre to leave Skinny Puppy in June 1995. Goettel was found dead of a heroin overdose in his parents' home two months later. The Process was eventually completed with Rave, released in 1996, and dedicated to the memory of Goettel. It was an overall stylistic departure from their previous albums, prominently featuring untreated vocals, guitar, and more accessible song structures. The liner notes that accompanied the CD included thank-yous to "Electronic Music Lovers" and "Puppy People" followed by the words "The End" in bold type.

Several collections were released while Skinny Puppy was dormant, including Brap: Back and Forth Series 3 & 4 in 1996 and The Singles Collect and B-Sides Collect in 1999. Nettwerk commissioned a remix album in 1998; titled remix dystemper, it featured classic Skinny Puppy tracks re-worked by a diverse range of artists, including IDM pioneers Autechre, alt-metal band Deftones, rapper/hip hop producer Guru and Industrial mainstay KMFDM. Ogre and Mark Walk also took part, contributing a breakcore remix of "Dig It" and an updated version of Remission's "Smothered Hope" with new vocals by Ogre.

In 2000, Ogre and Key reunited and performed live as Skinny Puppy for the first time since 1992 at the Doomsday Festival in Dresden. The live album Doomsday: Back and Forth Series 5: Live in Dresden was released in 2001. Key joined ohGr on drums for its 2001 tour, while Ogre appeared on the track "Frozen Sky" on Key's 2001 album The Ghost of Each Room. The first new Skinny Puppy track in several years, "Optimissed", appeared on the Underworld soundtrack in 2003. Ogre, Key, Mark Walk and various guests, including Danny Carey of Tool and Wayne Static of Static-X, recorded the band's ninth studio album, The Greater Wrong of the Right, released in 2004 on Synthetic Symphony, a sub-label of SPV, their European distributor since the mid-1990s. The new Skinny Puppy sound was in a similar vein as The Process, with a somewhat more rock-oriented style. Skinny Puppy toured North America and Europe in support of the album in 2004. Skinny Puppy toured Europe again in 2005, and returned to the studio to complete their next album, Mythmaker, which was released in January 2007.

According to a news posting on the official Skinny Puppy website, the band's next studio album was originally slated for release in October 2009, but the release of this album was delayed due to insolvency issues with the SPV label (thus leading to Ogre naming the 2009 tour the "In Solvent See" tour). These issues were not expected to be resolved until the end of 2009. However, the "In Solvent See" Tour took place as planned.

In May 2011, Skinny Puppy announced that they finished recording a new album titled HanDover, which was released in October of 2011.

A live album, titled Bootlegged, Broke, and In Solvent Seas and recorded on the band's 2010 European tour, was released on June 12, 2012 by Metropolis Records.

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