Skinless was formed by Ryan Wade and Noah Carpenter in the town of
South Glens Falls, New York. After relocating to various New York towns and cities such as
Saratoga Springs,
Clifton Park, and
Cohoes, the band settled in
Troy, New York. Skinless is known for its consistently intense performances, as well as for its lyrical mix of end-of-the-world cynicism and comedy, which at times satirizes well known death metal lyrics from bands such as
Carcass and
Cannibal Corpse, and death metal in general. These lyrical themes are demonstrated in songs such as "The Optimist", about a crumbling human society, and "Tug of War Intestines", which depicts children playing schoolyard games with a surgery patient's internal organs. The band has occasionally brought the "Skinless Girl" on stage and let her be roughed up, covered in fake blood, while the band performed. Earlier in the band's career, Skinless handed out long tubes of foam for the audience to beat each other while the band played. These tubes were nicknamed "The Logs of Brutality". Skinless's 1998 debut album,
Progression Towards Evil, was an independent release which garnered the band high praise by fans and critics. Guitarist Noah Carpenter wanted Skinless to continue in this formation but the band's "fire" was not there anymore. Skinless reformed in 2013 with the original line up from
Progression Towards Evil. Skinless released a new album entitled
Only the Ruthless Remain on June 2, 2015, their first since
Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead in 2006. On May 11, 2018, the band released their sixth studio album titled
Savagery. == Members ==