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.
Wisdom
16volt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like salt in open slit
Go on and swim in it
Like pools of guilt you spit
Feel pathetic frenzy
Feels better to hate than to tell
There's nothing around you
Broken it
Dirty head
One stinging hint
Like ruin and lead
Tell me words of wisdom
Pouring off your neurotic tongue
Don't like this future trip
Not down with deadly clique
I'm just so decadent
The only plus of less
Use and regenerate
This lonely two side head
I guess just paranoid
Deride pathetic
Losing it
Dirty sense
Phase of fall
Like I always said
The song "Wisdom" by 16volt is a commentary on the human experience, exploring the theme of self-destructive behavior and the futility of our actions. The opening lines, "Deny all irritant, like salt in open slit, go on and swim in it, like pools of guilt you spit," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The metaphor of salt in an open wound represents the pain of self-harm and the fact that we often choose to dwell in our own sorrow, rather than trying to escape it. The line "go on and swim in it" presents the idea that we love to indulge in our own misery, that it is a source of comfort for us.
The chorus "Tell me words of wisdom, pouring off your neurotic tongue," reveals the frustration that the singer feels towards the world around him, and the feeling that there is no one who can offer any real solutions to his problems. The line "Feels better to hate than to tell" speaks to the idea that we often find it easier to hate than to confront our issues head-on. The lyrics "I'm just so decadent, the only plus of less, use and regenerate, this lonely two side head" suggests a desire to escape from reality and indulge in one's own vices, to shut out the outside world.
Overall, "Wisdom" is a nihilistic song that speaks to the innate human desire to self-destruct and the difficulty of escaping from our own self-imposed misery.
Line by Line Meaning
Deny all irritant
Block out anything that causes discomfort
Like salt in open slit
As painful as a wound exposed to salt
Go on and swim in it
Dwell on the pain and let it consume you
Like pools of guilt you spit
Regret and shame are constantly present
Feel pathetic frenzy
Being consumed by a sense of hopelessness and despair
Feels better to hate than to tell
Hate and anger are easier to express than vulnerability and emotion
There's nothing around you
A sense of isolation and emptiness
Make it up to purify your hell
Creating something to alleviate internal suffering
Broken it
Something has been destroyed
Dirty head
Mental instability and confusion
One stinging hint
A single, painful reminder
Like ruin and lead
As heavy and destructive as a collapsing building
Tell me words of wisdom
Advice and guidance are sought after
Pouring off your neurotic tongue
Words spoken with extreme anxiety or obsession
Don't like this future trip
Uncomfortable with what's to come
Not down with deadly clique
Not aligned with those who promote harm or danger
I'm just so decadent
A sense of indulgence or excess
The only plus of less
The only benefit of having less is simplicity
Use and regenerate
Taking something that is perceived as negative and turning it into something positive
This lonely two side head
The internal struggle of opposing thoughts and emotions
I guess just paranoid
A sense of irrational fear
Deride pathetic
To ridicule something considered weak or pathetic
Losing it
Becoming more unstable and losing control
Dirty sense
A sense of mental contamination or impurity
Phase of fall
A time of decline or failure
Like I always said
Reiteration of a consistent belief or statement
Contributed by Luke W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Scotty Brix
Badass!
M B
Neurostyle Track👌🏼
Obsiqax
LORDGOAT1976 I was thinking that myself
Michael F9KChromethousand
Liam Dyson ouch! that's cool that you got to meet Andy though. I saw them in March when they opened for Coal Chamber and it was super fuckin awesome. Didn't get injured or anything but it is one of my favorite show i went to, almost as awesome as Front Line Assembly/Skinny Puppy during their latest tour
Obsiqax
Michael FlynchPyncher You know it! I met them in December, they're awesome guys. Got my eyebrow burst to Never Surrender which was early on in the set so I spent the whole gig covered in blood which was at a university 30 miles from home, at the end Andy came to me and said I knew how to party, I spent a whole train ride covered in red and it wasn't until I got home that I realised I had to go to the hospital for stitches. Best gig ever!
Michael F9KChromethousand
Liam Dyson nice profile pic. Combichrist ftw.
LORDGOAT1976
Just a bit influenced by Ministry - Land Of Rape And Honey.
Shanen Way
LORDGOAT1976
More influenced by Skinny Puppy.