Skinny Puppy member cEvin Key took to Facebook to post an update after undergoing a 6 hour reconstructive plastic surgery in order to reconstruct nose and face damage after a cancer cell was removed. The picture is quite graphic, but fans worldwide started to send him get well messages soon after posting it.

Here’s the clinical update Key gave from his sickbed in Los Angeles: “So to explain. I had a basel cell cancer on the side of my nose, somehow it spread down my face to my lip and up to my eye. Internally they had to remove it all in a 4 hour surgery. Then I went to a 6 hour reconstructive plastic surgery which has reconstructed my nose and face damage. It should look better than before I started because I did have a large scar on my nose from a previous basel cell surgery 15 years ago. I was promised that it has all been removed now. great stage look tho dont you think? So this should be a sign to wear your sunscreen.”

A funny thing happened too, as it became clear that the medical team had been listening to Skinny Puppy music whilst doing the operation. Key: “So funny, at one point in the cancer surgery you have to be awake for that. I heard “Assimilate” and then “Tormentor”. I was like ‘WTF’. Especially the lyrics to Tormentor… “cutters face ripped apart !” I asked them if I was halucinating and they were like ‘no, we really wanted to hear your music’!”

Get well soon mister Key!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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Genre/Influences: Dark-electro.

Background/Info: Hailing from Washington DC (USA) Venal Flesh got signed to Alfa Matrix and last year released the digital EP “Sacrament To The Scalpel”. The band previously released another digital EP at the now gone Juggernaut Music Group. Driven by the creative spirit of Dan Barrett (Worms Of The Earth) and DJ/model VanityKills the duo has now accomplished their official debut album.

Content: Venal Flesh clearly deals with pure dark-electronics and has been inspired by a concept ‘exploring the juxtaposition of desire for physical beauty with fanatical religious devotion’. They ‘explore here the abyssal torments of imperfection and the struggle to attain transcendence and perfection via self-mutilation, plastic surgery, advanced medicine and more’.

It all sounds like a rather tormenting theme, which has been perfectly transposed into pure (h)el(l)ectro music. Venal Flesh is the kind of formation that reminds me to Suicide Commando for the icy, tormenting leads and sequences and the dark, doom-like atmospheres of Yelworc. They clearly don’t innovate, but are real masters in the writing of efficient dark-electro music.

The songs have been remarkably composed and achieved by cool sound treatments, harsh vocals and carrying, cold tunes. The vocals are pretty harsh and demonic, which is the only and appropriated vocals format for this kind of music.

The extra CD of the limited version features 5 exclusive songs and 5 remixes. The tracks are not exactly the best ones so I think it was the right choice to place them on this extra disc although they’re not just album fillers. Among the remixes you’ll find the mark of Mnemonic, Adeonesis, A7ie and Dunkelwerk.

+ + + : This is a rather interesting and successful debut album featuring real cool songs. The tracks reflect maturity and an efficient formula made of stumping rhythms, elaborated passages and icy, carrying choruses lead by a possessed, but great vocalist. I especially like the somewhat mystic sounding “Emulgent Disfigurement”, which was originally released at the Juggernaut Music EP.

– – – : No doubt about it, this is a well-crafted album, but I’m missing some diversity in the tracklist. The songs are quite similar to each other so after a few cuts it all starts a bit to become predictable and without surprises. The extra disc of the limited edition is a bit disappointing and doesn’t deliver any real bonus. There’re less essential new songs and poorly inspired remixes on it.

Conclusion: Speaking for myself I expected a bit more out of this debut album, but a few great cuts make me think there’s more potential hiding inside this band than what they’ve shown so far.

Best songs: “Emulgent Disfigurement”, “Incurable”, “Apostate” + “A Fire Infolding Itself – A7ie Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.facebook.com/venalflesh

Label: www.alfa–matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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