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.
The End Of It All
16volt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just let me go
I'm at the place
Where i just know
There is no point
To see this through
There's nothing left
For us to do
I am the one with the heart made of stone
You cannot just call this off on your own
Don't cry
You are not alone
It's the end come along
It's the end of it all
You'll know when the rain is gone
Cause the dark is undone
And the gray goes away
It's the end of it all x4
There's nothing to mend
There's nothing to change
There's nothing to fix
There's no more to gain
There's nothing to heal
There's nothing to sew
There's nothing to come
And nothing to grow
Don't cry
You are not alone
It's the end come along
It's the end of it all
You'll know when the rain is gone
Because the dark isn't done
And the gray goes away
It's the end of it all (x4)
The song "The End Of It All" by 16volt is a meditation on the finality of endings. The opening lines immediately set the tone of the song, with the singer defiantly rejecting any attempts to prevent the inevitable: "Don't talk me down / Just let me go / I'm at the place / Where I just know / There is no point / To see this through / There's nothing left / For us to do." The repetition of "there's nothing" emphasizes the singer's resignation to the fact that the relationship or situation is irreparable.
The chorus offers a sense of comfort amid the despair, with the repeated refrain "Don't cry / You are not alone / It's the end come along / It's the end of it all." This can be interpreted as a plea for acceptance of the situation, as the singer insists that they are not alone and that the ending is inevitable. The last two lines of the chorus offer a glimmer of hope, as the imagery shifts from gloomy to bright: "You'll know when the rain is gone / Cause the dark is undone / And the grey goes away / It's the end of it all."
In summary, the song explores the difficulties of accepting endings and moving on, even when it feels like there's nothing left to salvage.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't talk me down
Please don't try to persuade me to change my mind or give up on my decision.
Just let me go
Please allow me to leave and follow my chosen path.
I'm at the place
I have arrived at a mental and emotional state.
Where i just know
Where I am certain and clear about what I want and what is right for me.
There is no point
There is no reason or purpose left in continuing down our current path.
To see this through
To continue on this journey that no longer serves us.
There's nothing left
There is no remaining hope, opportunity or desire.
For us to do
We have exhausted all efforts and actions we could have taken.
I am the one with the heart made of stone
I am emotionally numb and unaffected by our current circumstances.
You cannot just call this off on your own
You cannot end this situation or relationship without my consent or agreement.
Don't cry
Please do not weep or grieve over our ending.
You are not alone
I am here with you, experiencing the same emotions and transition.
It's the end come along
It's the end of our journey together, and we need to move on separately.
You'll know when the rain is gone
You'll discern when your sadness and sorrow has passed and it's time to start over.
Cause the dark is undone
Because the gloominess and negativity have subsided and the future looks bright.
And the gray goes away
And the monotony and dullness fades.
It's the end of it all
It's the end of this chapter in our lives and the beginning of a new one.
There's nothing to mend
There is no solution or fix to our current situation or relationship.
There's nothing to change
There is no opportunity or potential for alteration or improvement.
There's nothing to fix
There is no resolution or repair for the issues we face.
There's no more to gain
There is nothing more to obtain or benefit from.
There's nothing to heal
There is no emotional or physical recovery needed or expected.
There's nothing to sew
There is no need for mending or repair.
There's nothing to come
There is no positive outcome or resolution.
And nothing to grow
There is no opportunity for personal or relational growth.
Contributed by Ian L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MrLelandJT
Man im so glad I finally listened to this alnum and the newer album Beating Dead Horses. I was a huge 16 volt fan back in the day but kind of stopped listening to them. I downloaded this album and Beating Dead Horses and it seriously is the only thing I have listened to for the last 2 weeks. Music was getting a little boring there for awhile til I heard this, so THANK YOU 16 Volt for this song, album and everything else.
@das81
16 volts is NIN with balls and a rusty voice ;)
@a9kazama
PRIMAL!!! FTW!!!
@imppress
Kind of reminds me of some NIN songs in a sense.
@user-in6ds9cg2x
3:33