In 1994, 16volt skipped the industry-standard “sophomore jinx” and released the slightly more raw-sounding “Skin.” This release brought more praise and won features in Alternative Press, Kerrang!, CMJ, Industrial Nation, B-Side, and more. “Skin” reached the #2 slot on Rolling Stone’s alternative charts and charted everywhere from the United States (CMJ) to France, Germany, Ireland, and Japan. 16volt hit the road again for club shows and radio junkets and destroyed it everywhere they showed up.
16volt’s third release came in 1996 by the name of “LetDownCrush.” Co-produced by Jeff “Critter” Newell (Ministry, Filter) and featuring special guests Stella (Stella Soleil, Sister Soleil), William Tucker (Ministry), Marc LaCorte, and Bryan Black (Haloblack, Motor, Xlover), the release once again proved that 16volt was a major force to be reckoned with. Interviews and features followed in huH, B-Side, Alternative Press, Kerrang!, CMJ, Industrial Nation, Guitar Player, and many more respected national rags. LDC charted again, this time at #1 on the Rolling Stone alternative charts and globally on college and commercial radio. This release also marked the debut of 16volt’s national touring career. Vowing to stay on the road for as long as possible, Powell put together a lineup that would tour for over nine months straight in a custom van, making their way around the United States several times with the likes of Chemlab, Bile, Acumen Nation, and Korn.
The touring paid off and interest in 16volt grew. The band returned home to be wined and dined by much larger labels. In 1998, along with full-time members Mike Peoples (Skrew) on bass and Kraig Tyler (Chemlab, Crazytown) on guitar, 16volt signed with Slipdisc/Mercury/PolyGram and got to work on the band’s fourth release, “SuperCoolNothing.” Produced by Bill Kennedy (Nine Inch Nails, Megadeth, Sepultura) and Joseph Bishara (Drown, Danzig), SCN was the band’s most aggressive album to date. This time, Powell and Co. got a hand from special guest Chris Vrenna (Nine Inch Nails, Tweaker) on drums. Upon completion of the album and the most intense promotion schedule to date, they hit the road adding John "Servo" DeSalvo (KMFDM, Chemlab) on drums, playing shows with the likes of Orgy, The Flys, and Candlebox. During the first two weeks of touring, however, Mercury/PolyGram was purchased by Seagram’s, creating a ripple that would send 16volt back home and cause the firing of the entire Mercury team slated to work on the SCN record promotion.
Two weeks after the chaos, SCN was released with no promotion, no touring, and no support. 16volt quickly began to search for another label to pick up the pieces, but it was too late and the mess too large. After close to a year of fighting, lawsuits, and the inability to make something good come from the bad, Powell shut down operations and pulled the plug. Kraig moved on to join Crazytown and Mike and Servo carried on with their own side projects.
After a long and well-deserved hiatus, the band convinced an investor to buy back SCN from the dead labels; they then re-released it on their own as “SuperCoolNothing V2.0”, a.k.a. "SCN2.0." The double-disc set included remixes by Filter, Orgy, Deadsy, and Crazy Town, in addition to some demo tracks that the band had started working on. Powell gathered the troops sans Tyler and began to mount a comeback.
Shortly after the re-release, 16volt was tapped by Sony to provide the soundtrack to a new PlayStation 2 game called “Primal.” At the end of production, 16volt had furnished 12 tracks (The Official Primal Combat Soundtrack) and was actually digitized into the game as the opening-cinematics band.
To celebrate the release of “Primal,” 16volt hit the road in 2002 with KMFDM for a North American whirlwind, completing 34 shows in 36 days. Most of the dates were sold out, and by KMFDM’s own admission the tour was one of the best packages they had ever put out. 16volt returned home on the tour bus and inked a deal with Capitol Records. The band then spent 11 months working on demos and being bombarded with pressure to compromise, which ultimately forced Powell to walk away and head back underground.
In 2005, Powell inked a one-off deal with Cleopatra Records to release 16volt’s first-ever “best of” collection. The double-disc set titled “The Best of Sixteen Volt™” features fan-picked tracks on one disc and the first-ever live release of 16volt on disc two. Powell cleaned house, went into isolation, and began working on the next phase of 16volt.
In August of 2006, Powell had a new record under his belt called “FullBlackHabit” that he began shopping to indie labels. He found a new home at Metropolis Records and inked a worldwide multi-album deal. The new record, slated for release in early 2007, features guests appearances by Paul Raven (Ministry, Killing Joke, Prong); Steve White (KMFDM); Bildeaux (Necrofix, OHN); Kraig Tyler (Chemlab, Virus23, Crazytown); Scott Robison (Drøne); and Jason Bazinet (SMP).
In the Spring of 2008 16volt, with live members Steve White (KMFDM), Jason Bazinet (Chemlab, SMP), and the return of 16volt veteran Mike Peoples hit the road for a highly successful U.S./Canada tour. Playing 28 shows in 30 days the band once again set it's mark to a high level by playing to larger than expected crowds on all stops of the tour.
On September 8, 2009, 16volt released "American Porn Songs" on Metropolis Records. It has met with nothing less than very positive reviews by fans and pros alike, and is generally being heralded as their most kick butt work to date. It is yet another solid record, featuring the band's trademark layering of heavy, aggressive guitars over pummeling electronics and beats.
16volt hit the road again in the Spring of 2010 along with Chemlab and Left Spine Down on the highly energized and successful MIDI Ghetto Tour. Included was a stop at the Kinetik Festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, playing alongside Leather Strip, Imperitive Reaction, and more.
16volt released the studio album, Beating Dead Horses on May 10th, 2011. Beating Dead Horses was 16volt’s third album on industrial powerhouse label Metropolis Records. It was produced by Eric Powell and mixed by Shaun Thingvold (Strapping Young Lad, Front Line Assembly, Lamb of God).
In support of the albumm Beating Dead Horses, 16volt hit the road in the late spring 2011 for a 4-week tour of the United States with industrial legends My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, as part of the Sinister Whisperz Tour. They immediately followed up with a west coast tour with KMFDM.
The newest album, The Negative Space will be released on September 7, 2016. Joining Powell is Erik Gustafson on Guitar and Steve Hickey on Bass and Backup Vocals.
For more information, visit http://16volt.com and to get the latest news as it is announced, follow @16volt on Twitter.
Keep Sleeping
16volt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something grabbing me
All the time is lost
Everyone is gone
Here I go again
Everything is dead
Everyone is fucked
Every time I'm stuck
Fell too easy
Someone's own is all alone
Fell too easy
Someone grows into a stone
Fell into a sleep
Never-ending dream
All the time is lost
Slip into exhaust
There i go again
Everyone is dead
Life has become lame
You're the one to blame
Fell too easy
Someones own is all alone
Fell too easy
Someone grows into a stone
Fell too easy
Sometimes i wish i could end you
Fell too easy
It would be so nice to remove you
The lyrics of Keep Sleeping by 16volt convey a sense of hopelessness, despair and frustration. The singer seems to be caught in a never-ending cycle of sleep and wakefulness. They feel trapped in a world where everyone is gone, everything is dead and they're stuck without any means of escape. The repeated line "Fell too easy" suggests that the singer has given up and has accepted their fate, but at the same time, they express a desire to break free from this cycle and "end" the source of their misery.
The lyrics paint a picture of someone who is suffering from depression or some other mental health issue. The lyrics suggest that the singer is experiencing a sense of disconnection from the world around them. They feel like they are alone, even when they are surrounded by people. The phrase "life has become lame" implies that everything has lost its meaning and that there is no joy in life. The line "You're the one to blame" reinforces the idea that the singer is feeling powerless and that they are unable to change their circumstances.
The repeated lines "Fell too easy" and "Someone grows into a stone" suggest that the singer is referring to someone close to them who has also fallen victim to this cycle of hopelessness and despair. The metaphor of growing into a stone suggests that this person has become emotionally hard and impenetrable, perhaps as a defense mechanism against the pain they are experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
Fell into a sleep
I drifted off into an unconscious state
Something grabbing me
Something is holding me down or preventing me from awakening
All the time is lost
I have no sense of how much time has passed
Everyone is gone
Nobody is around me
Here I go again
I have fallen asleep again
Everything is dead
Everything seems lifeless or dull
Everyone is fucked
Everyone is in a terrible situation
Every time I'm stuck
Whenever I am trapped in this sleep-like state
Fell too easy
I fell asleep too easily
Someone's own is all alone
Someone belongs to nobody and is completely isolated
Fell too easy
I fell asleep quickly and without struggle
Someone grows into a stone
Someone becomes numb, emotionless, and unresponsive
Fell into a sleep
I entered a slumber
Never-ending dream
I am stuck in an infinite dream-like state
All the time is lost
I have no sense of linear time passing
Slip into exhaust
I am slipping into an overwhelming state of exhaustion
There I go again
I have fallen asleep once more
Everyone is dead
I am surrounded by death and despair
Life has become lame
My existence is dull and uninteresting
You're the one to blame
You are responsible for my current predicament
Fell too easy
My slumber came too easily
Someone's own is all alone
A person belongs to themselves and is completely isolated from others
Fell too easy
It was too easy for me to fall asleep
Someone grows into a stone
A person becomes unfeeling and non-reactive to their surroundings
Fell too easy
I fell into slumber too effortlessly
Sometimes I wish I could end you
At times, I desire to do away with you completely
It would be so nice to remove you
I would find it wonderful to eliminate you from my life
Contributed by Andrew N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sheri Renée
love 16 volt!! a very underrated band!!
Wendy Tucker
Sheri Renée is speaking the truth
Pirate Radio
I found this band back in 1990 / 1991. I had bought a mix CD at Mohawk Music in Tulsa Oklahoma, and there was a single 16V track on the CD. It was the most amazing song! I have found many great songs by 16V now that I am looking again, but cannot seem to find that song. I can't even explain it except that it was hard driving, industrial/metal, with some amazing effects unlike any of it's time or since. Really wish I knew the name of that song.
Steven Owens
It was probably the demo version of motor skill. It sounds so much better than album or any remixes. You can find the demo version included in the re-release of wisdom (album). Think it’s the last song. Cheers!
Evil Genius Super Serious
they made it to one of my Fav Bands
cpillarie
this song reminds me so much of old KoRn ^^ love it!
edimilson silva
love 16volt
HANISLIP
Song playing in the backround rare footage of Slipknot Fans In 1999 After Hometown Show
cruggle tops
+SlipknotBRL thankyou sir
𝔅ℜ𝔊𝔯𝔲𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔊𝔞𝔷𝔢𝔯
Iae tay8 !!! 🤘