Hilt

Hilt emerged as a side project from the influential industrial music group Skinny Puppy, though its origins trace back to Vancouver's early punk scene. Vocalist Al Nelson and multi-instrumentalist cEVIN kEY first collaborated in the late 1970s under the moniker Illegal Youth. Following the dissolution of Illegal Youth, Key became a prominent figure in the synth-pop band Images in Vogue before co-founding Skinny Puppy.

While Nelson continued to explore punk-oriented projects, he also began contributing to Skinny Puppy as a cinematographer for their distinctive concert films. Nelson and Key rekindled their musical partnership periodically, often joined by Skinny Puppy's Dwayne Goettel. However, a formal recording project didn't materialize until the Nettwerk label challenged the trio to create music with a minimal budget.