Hilt was a collective group of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

musicians, usually referred to as a side project of the group

Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...

. The group comprised Alan Nelson, a seminal member of many local Vancouver rock and punk groups, on vocals, with

cEvin Key Kevin William Crompton (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as cEvin Key, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer, and composer. He is best known as a member of the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded in 1982 ...

and D.R. Goettel on instruments.

Description

Hilt emerged from longtime friends Cevin Key and Al Nelson's musical experiments under the name "The Flu." Early recordings consisted basically of Nelson, Key, and whatever friends happened by, playing whatever instruments – actual or makeshift – happened to be around at the time. Hilt became more of a formal affair when Key and fellow Skinny Puppy member Dwayne Goettel relocated to Toronto where Nelson happened to be living at the time. Key and Goettel would bring Nelson into their temporary Skinny Puppy studio setup as a change of pace and a means of experimenting with ideas not typically suited to Skinny Puppy material. In 1989, Key and Goettel's label

Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing. Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...

made a bet with the group that they could not produce and record an album for a low budget, reputedly $15,000. They accepted, and the result is the lo-fi debut ''Call the Ambulance (Before I Hurt Myself)'', a release that Trouser Press characterized as essentially a more "rocked out" Skinny Puppy. An EP followed in 1991, entitled ''Orange Pony'', with the follow-up LP ''Journey to the Center Of the Bowl''. During the years of 1992–1995, Key and Goettel focused on Skinny Puppy, putting Hilt on the side. After the untimely ends of both Skinny Puppy and Goettel, Key continued recording his many side projects, which included Hilt. Sessions with Al Nelson continued in 1996, with three songs recorded as a result. Al Nelson died from complications due to diabetes on January 23, 2000. Key lamented: "Al was the nicest and most real person I have ever known. He had a sense of humour that could make anyone smile. He was incredibly talented. He was very dedicated to his friends, and his heart was beautiful. He will be greatly missed." In 2003, Key released ''The Worst Of the Flu'', an odds-and-ends collection of unreleased and alternate tracks by Hilt and the Flu recorded from 1985–1990. Another recording, ''Minoot Bowl Dropped the Ball'', featuring material of a similar ilk to ''Worst of the Flu'', was released in 2007. According to Key, approximately seven LPs worth of material were recorded in the above time period, and may see the light of day in the future.

Discography

*''The Flu'', 1987, EP (as the Flu) *''Patsy: A Collection Of Absolute Insanity'', 1988, LP (as the Flu) *''Get Stuck'', 1989, single *''Call the Ambulance (Before I Hurt Myself)'', 1989, LP *''Stoneman'', 1990, single *''Orange Pony'', 1991, EP *''Journey to the Center Of the Bowl'', 1991, LP *''The Worst Of the Flu'', 2003, LP *''Minoot Bowl Dropped the Ball'', 2007, LP

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilt (Band) Musical groups established in 1987 Musical groups disestablished in 1996 Canadian industrial music groups Musical groups from Vancouver 1987 establishments in British Columbia 1996 disestablishments in British Columbia