Alien Sex Fiend recorded a cassette (The Lewd, the Mad, the Ugly and Old Nick) with Youth of Killing Joke, which brought them to the attention of the UK music press, along with the appearance of their track "R.I.P." on the Batcave club compilation, The Batcave: Young Limbs and Numb Hymns 1983, released by London Records in 1983.
They signed to the Cherry Red sub-label Anagram Records, releasing their first single, "Ignore the Machine", in August 1983. The single was immediately successful on the UK Independent Chart, reaching No. 6. Their debut studio album, Who's Been Sleeping in My Brain, was released by Anagram on 1 November 1983, followed by Acid Bath in 1984. They released the world's first 11" single, "E.S.T. (Trip to the Moon)", that October.
The band also recorded two BBC Peel Sessions in 1984. At the May session, they recorded "Attack!!!", "Dead and Buried", "Ignore the Machine" and "Hee Haw"; at the August session, "In God We Trust", "E.S.T. (Trip to the Moon)" and "Boneshaker Baby".
In October 1985, their third studio album Maximum Security reached No. 100 on the UK Albums Chart and remained there for the week of 12 October. They also had two top 100 singles with "Dead and Buried" in August 1984 (No. 91) and a reissued "Ignore the Machine" in March 1985 (No. 99). Throughout the early 1980s, their work was frequently in the UK Indie Chart and remained a fixture on American college radio.
The band also became popular in Japan, and in 1985, they released a live album recorded there, Liquid Head in Tokyo. Freshwater left later in 1985, and the band continued as a trio, supporting Alice Cooper on his "The Nightmare Returns" tour in 1986 and releasing "It" the Album that October. The band was reduced to a duo of the Wades when James left following the release of 1987's Here Cum Germs.
In early 1988, the band, as the Dynamic Duo, recorded a one-off 12" single "Batman Theme" with recording and live engineer Len Davies, before continuing as Alien Sex Fiend, incorporating electronics and sampling even more into their sound on the album Another Planet, released in November 1988. They reverted to a four-piece with the 1989 addition of two prior guest collaborators, drummer/guitarist Andrew Wilson (a.k.a. Rat Fink Jr., formerly of the Turnpike Cruisers) and keyboardist/guitarist Simon "Doc" Milton, who made their official debut on that year's Too Much Acid? double-live album. Their seventh studio album, Curse, was released in October 1990.
Fink and Milton departed in 1992, following that year's Open Head Surgery album and its subsequent tour (documented on The Altered States of America live album).
The Wades then became a duo once again and provided the soundtrack for the Digital Image Design game Inferno in 1994.
In the mid 1990s, the band's video for "Zombified" appeared on the MTV show, Beavis and Butthead, subjected to their usual commentary.
In 1996, the Wades launched their own 13th Moon label, issuing three further albums: Nocturnal Emissions (1997), Information Overload (2004) and Death Trip (2010).
On 9 November 2018, Alien Sex Fiend released Possessed, their first album in eight years, on Cherry Red.
Music style
Alien Sex Fiend has been described as gothic rock, deathrock and industrial. Glenn Danzig has cited the group's sonorous and echoing sounds as having influenced the mixing for several of the recordings for his group Samhain.
Later projects
Fink published a book in 2000, Once Upon a Fiend, recalling his experiences in the band. He later drummed for Blackpool bands United States of Mind and Dog Food before joining Uncle Fester in 1999, who changed their name to UFX in 2006. Fink currently serves as frontman of Vince Ripper and the Rodent Show, a duo also featuring Vince "Ripper" Cornwall. They perform Alien Sex Fiend and the Cramps material, and have released two albums, It's Fun to Be a Monster and Boneyard a Go Go!!!.
Albums
Who's Been Sleeping in My Brain (1983)
Acid Bath (1984)
Maximum Security (1985)
"It" the Album (1986)
Here Cum Germs (1987)
Another Planet (1988)
Curse (1990)
Open Head Surgery (1992)
Inferno (1994)
Nocturnal Emissions (1997)
Information Overload (2004)
Death Trip (2010)
Possessed (2018)
Attack
Alien Sex Fiend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eat me at the altar
Like a little lamb
Lead me to the slaughter!
Attack! Attack! Attack!
Attack! Attack! Attack!
Attack! Attack! Attack you!
Well I've been living on easy street
Watching the all the people coming home
You sit glued to your TV
You'll get glued to my fist tonight
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight,
When I attack - aagh - you!!
Walking alone with a stranger
He's always touched, an actor
You can't touch this pretty boy
'cause he's alone
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
When I attack you.
Bats in the belfry
Eat me a t the altar
And like a little lamb
Lead me to the slaughter
Tonight, Tonight
Bury the shit, Bury the shit, Bury the shit
With YOU!
Tonight tonight tonight!!!
When I attack
Why O you !!!!! AAAAGH!
Yeah yeah yeah yeah!
YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH
Walking alone with a stanger
She's in agony
Tonight! ugh!
When I attack...
Bats in the belfy
Eat me at the altar
Like a little lamb
Lead me to the slaughter
Can you do the bossanova?
Can YOU do the bossanova?
2 3 4 1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4 4 1 2 2 2 1 3 3 4 1
Give it all to mummy
Give it all to mummy
Tonight!!
He came from Venus
His eyes were red and so was his penis.
Tonight
Tonight!
Attack attack attack attack attack attack attack attack YOU
You You You You You
Yeah you
T O N I G H T
Washes even whiter
It's biological
Can you do the bossanova?
Can you (ugh) do the bossanova?
A A A A A A A G G G H H H H H H !
(Wade/Wade/Freshwater/James)
The lyrics of Alien Sex Fiend's song "Attack!!" are provocative, sinister and aggressive in nature. The opening line "Bats in the belfry, eat me at the altar, like a little lamb, lead me to the slaughter" seems to reference an unholy, possibly sexual ritual conducted in a church. The singer is either willingly surrendering himself or being forced into the sacrificial act. The repeated "Attack! Attack! Attack!" is a call to action that implies a violent assault is soon to follow. The lyrics go on to describe the singer's enjoyment of violence, stalking and attacking strangers. The chorus repeatedly urges the unidentified subject to be attacked. Towards the end, the lyrics become disjointed, nonsensical and almost gibberish, with the mention of a hidden product's cleaning power and a strange reference to a creature from another planet.
The lyrics to "Attack!!" could be interpreted as a commentary on societal violence and the human fascination with it. The dark imagery and violent language are a reminder of the capacity of humans for cruelty and the consequences of unchecked aggression. The song's chorus could be interpreted as a condemnation of the willingness of some people to hurt others for personal gain or pleasure. The repetition of the phrase "Attack you" is both unsettling and unnerving, as it suggests that violence can be contagious and the allure of power can drive even otherwise sound individuals to act in abhorrent ways.
Line by Line Meaning
Bats in the belfry
I'm feeling crazy and disoriented.
Eat me at the altar
Take me and do whatever you will with me.
Like a little lamb
I'm helpless and vulnerable.
Lead me to the slaughter!
I'm ready to be taken advantage of and I will allow it.
Attack! Attack! Attack!
I'm coming for you with everything I've got!
Attack you!
I'm going to focus my energy on attacking and taking advantage of you.
Well I've been living on easy street
I've been living a comfortable and easy life.
Watching the all the people coming home
I observe others as they are going about their lives.
You sit glued to your TV
You're distracted and consumed by the media.
You'll get glued to my fist tonight
I'm going to make you pay attention by using violence.
When I attack - aagh - you!!
I'm going to surprise and hurt you when I strike!
Walking alone with a stranger
I'm out at night, potentially putting myself into dangerous situations.
He's always touched, an actor
This man seems overly, and creepily, interested in me.
You can't touch this pretty boy
I won't be able to manipulate this man as easily because of his conventional attractiveness.
'cause he's alone
I'm hoping to take advantage of the fact that he's unaccompanied.
Bury the shit, Bury the shit, Bury the shit
Let's forget about any baggage we're carrying so we can move on.
With YOU!
I want to move on with you and start anew.
Can you do the bossanova?
Are you able to keep up with my fast-paced, unpredictable movements?
Give it all to mummy
Surrender everything to me and let me take care of you.
He came from Venus
This person is so strange and foreign that they might as well be from another planet.
His eyes were red and so was his penis.
This man is scary and intimidating - even his genitalia is red!
Washes even whiter
This product is so good at cleaning, it even makes things look brand new.
It's biological
This cleaner uses natural ingredients.
A A A A A A A G G G H H H H H H !
I'm freaking out and expressing myself through unintelligible sounds.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NICHOLAS WADE, DAVID JAMES, CHRIS WADE, JOHN FRESHWATER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind