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.
Low
16volt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm so low
A thousand times I've heard them say
What good is this to us anyway
A thousand times I live this day
I listen to words as they float away
And that's what this is all about
A little bit of tragedy,
To make it seem deeper than it should be
I'm so low
Even when I see the way is up
I'm so low
Even when I lose myself
I'm so low
Everything is pushing me back down and I know
I'm so low
A thousand prayers I've had to speak
A little bit of help to ease the weak
A thousand steps I never learn
I end up falling with every turn
And that's what this is all about
A little bit of emptiness put out
A little bit of tragedy
To make it seem deeper than it could be
I live once
I give once
I am stuck
Where is love
I'm so low
Even when I see the way is up
I'm so low
Even when I lose myself
I'm so low
Everything is pushing me back down and And I know
I'm so low
I'm so low
Even when I see the way is up
I'm so low
Even when I lose myself
I'm so low
Everything is pushing me back down and I know
I'm so low
In this song, "Low," 16volt explores the universal feeling of emptiness and despair. The repeating chorus of "I'm so low" emphasizes the singer's intense feeling of melancholy and helplessness. The verses highlight the futility of words and prayers to make a difference in one's life. The singer speaks of the repetition of life, the inability to learn from past mistakes and the trap of falling down with every turn. The singer also seeks love but seems to be stuck with nowhere to go. The last lines of the song, "even when I see the way is up, even when I lose myself, everything is pushing me back down," emphasize the feeling of being trapped and unable to rise above the negativity and darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm so low
The singer feels hopeless and defeated.
I'm so low
The singer is emphasizing the extreme depth of their negative feelings.
A thousand times I've heard them say
The singer has heard other people question the purpose of their struggles many times.
What good is this to us anyway
The question reflects the sense of futility and lack of purpose the singer feels in their own struggles.
A thousand times I live this day
The feeling of being trapped in an endless cycle of negativity is a common occurrence for the singer.
I listen to words as they float away
The singer hears words of encouragement or advice but they don't register because of the depth of their depression.
And that's what this is all about
The singer is suggesting that their struggles are characterized by this sense of emptiness and lack of meaning.
A little bit of emptiness put out
The singer is using the metaphor of empty space to describe their depression being slightly alleviated.
A little bit of tragedy,
The singer sees their struggles as small tragedies that have accumulated over time.
To make it seem deeper than it should be
The singer is acknowledging that their perspective may be distorted by their mental health struggles.
Even when I see the way is up
The singer recognizes that positive things can happen, but their depression prevents them from feeling uplifted.
Even when I lose myself
The feeling of hopelessness is so pervasive that the singer is unable to distract themselves or find a way out of it.
Everything is pushing me back down and I know
The singer feels like external circumstances are conspiring to keep them stuck in their depression.
A thousand prayers I've had to speak
The singer has sought support and hope from others many times.
A little bit of help to ease the weak
Positive reinforcement and support from others helps to temporarily alleviate the singer's depression and feelings of weakness.
A thousand steps I never learn
The singer feels like they are stuck in a self-destructive cycle that they are unable to escape.
I end up falling with every turn
The singer's attempts to move forward or make progress only seem to make them feel worse.
I live once
The singer is acknowledging the fragility and preciousness of life.
I give once
The singer wants to make their life count and have a positive impact on others.
I am stuck
Despite their desires, the singer feels stuck in their depression and unable to move forward.
Where is love
The singer longs for a feeling of love and connection to help alleviate their depression.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CRAIG M HEILMAN, ERIC POWELL, MICHAEL C PEOPLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sixtorres Torres
I like this to smoke the tones ease up the pain
Mike Mason
I got so low since Scree and Jen.
Sheri Renée
this is the ultimate EMO song. I remember ripping my flesh to this song.
Mike Mason
Well...😐 ... I remember opening up the nexus gate to the band. Hope you the best. Good health, good spirituality, good life, good recovery, and a dominance over over your existence unforseen in your past.
LordSludge
ugh wa?
Megajon
._. uhm....you ok there?