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.
Motorskill
16volt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They've given motor skills
Take at face value
The direction that suits you
Move with the pull
A generous function
The x-ray of today
The only one that greets you is the half-ass hand
Close to open
Don't give a shit
Take at face value
The half ass hand
The one that deceives you
You'll follow the pull
Delirious function
Wake up from the dream
This one reality
We have seen
Take it away
It's put me to shame
The motorskill
Words come broken
In a spinning world
Spinning through my head
The direction that suits you
To cure or kill
I'm walking with immortals
Etch the surface
Take it all away
Now we have seen
The motorskill
Lines come broken
Twisting you down
The crooked mind way with your head
Underground now
You let them control you
The generated dream
The one they supplied you
The one you've always seen
The 16volt song "Motorskill" is a reflection on the power of manipulation and control in society. The opening lines, "lines are broken, they've given motor skills" suggest that we are being fed a fragmented and distorted reality that leads to a disconnect with ourselves and our instincts. The lyrics encourage us to take things at face value, but to also be aware that the direction we choose to follow is critical. We are told to move with the pull, but also to be wary of the "half-ass hand" of those who would manipulate us.
The song then explores the idea of waking up from the dream and facing reality. The lines "close to open, don't give a shit" suggest a shedding of illusions and the willingness to accept things as they truly are. The idea of following the "pull" and having a "delirious function" can be seen as a cautionary tale of how easily we can be pulled into dangerous situations by those who seek to control us.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of urgency and frustration, as if the singer is attempting to break through the layers of deception and grasp a true understanding of the world around them. The repeated refrain of "take it away, it's put me to shame, the motorskill" is both a cry of despair and a rallying cry to action.
Line by Line Meaning
Lines are broken
The situation is chaotic and unclear
They've given motor skills
The ability to act and react under any circumstances
Take at face value
Accept the current reality without questioning it
The direction that suits you
Choose your own path
Move with the pull
Follow the natural force
A generous function
A beneficial feature that aids you
The x-ray of today
The true picture of the world as it is now
The only one that greets you is the half-ass hand
You only get a half-hearted welcome
Close to open
Transitioning from secretive to open
Don't give a shit
Indifference to the opinion of others
The half ass hand
A disingenuous gesture that can deceive you
The one that deceives you
The one that misleads you
You'll follow the pull
You'll be influenced by the natural direction
Delirious function
An unstable feature that distorts your reality
Wake up from the dream
Become aware of the illusion you're living in
This one reality
The only true reality
We have seen
We've witnessed it for ourselves
Take it away
Remove it
It's put me to shame
It's made me feel embarrassed and guilty
The motorskill
The ability to act and react under any circumstances
Words come broken
Communication is unclear and fragmented
In a spinning world
In a constantly changing world
Spinning through my head
Ruminating thoughts in my mind
To cure or kill
To heal or destroy
I'm walking with immortals
I'm moving forward with those who have achieved great things
Etch the surface
Make a lasting impact
Take it all away
Eliminate everything
Now we have seen
We've witnessed it for ourselves
The motorskill
The ability to act and react under any circumstances
Lines come broken
The situation is still chaotic and unclear
Twisting you down
Dragging you down with it
The crooked mind way with your head
The manipulative way of controlling your thoughts
Underground now
In a hidden and obscured state
You let them control you
You allowed them to have power over you
The generated dream
The fabricated illusion they created
The one they supplied you
The one they provided for you
The one you've always seen
The only reality you've ever known
Contributed by Leah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
NeonLizard
My fave Industrial track of all time. God I love it!!!!
Pineal Eye
Love it too!
Yuri
First time listening to this band, like what I'm listening so far I can't wait to disover more of this band
SEB AYOTTE
Never been a time like Right Now!!! We NEED This! Next Album Please!!!
Ken Courtney
Awesome tune. 16 volt kick ass ...
6thADMedic
Classic track, thanks for sharing.
VNV Girl
Count me in . I love this! Dirty and solid. TY for posting FAN <3
Andrew Gurevich
Hey, I played guitar on this and cowrote the lyrics!
Adam Locking
His name is in the "thanks" section of the album notes, but not the performance, maybe he was involved in the original version?
neverFearIisHere
Great job! This song is superb.