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)
In God We Trust
Alien Sex Fiend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Up on the cross, looking down
My arsehole is the sea and in it you'll drown
(up on the cross, looking down)
In god we trust, in cars we rust
Brain is soaked from ultra violent rays
Phone keeps ringing, ringing ears in the night
In god you trust, in cars you rust (rust)
Sticks and stones may break your bones
But names will never hurt us
(living on promises of what could've been)
The flesh is stretched, the flesh is blue
The smell of it all is - coming - over you (ha)
(living on promises)
In god we trust, in cars you rust (rust)
Sticks and stones might break your bones
But names will never hurt us
In god you trust, in cars (we) you rust
Talk, talk, talk, talk some more
Till you're blue in the face
(talk, talk, talk, talk some more)
Your head's on the floor
You're blue in the face
Kick it around and talk some more
Kick it around and talk some more, talk some more
In god we trust, in cars we rust
The skin is stretched, the skin is blue
The smell of it all is coming - over you
In god we trust, in cars we rust
(now I find it has me)
Bones are bleached from ultra violent rays
(oh god why me?)
The phone is ringing, ringing ears in the night
(i trusted you totally)
In god we trust
The flesh is stretched, the flesh is blue
The smell of it all is - coming - over you
In god I trust, in my car I rust
In cars we rust, in god we trust
In cars we rust, in god we trust
The song "In God We Trust" by Alien Sex Fiend is a commentary on the human tendency to put faith in false symbols of power and success. The title itself references the American currency motto "In God We Trust," suggesting that while humans may profess to have faith in a divine power, in practice they place their trust in material possessions such as cars: "In God we trust, in cars we rust." The repeated phrase "up on the cross, looking down" metaphorically portrays the power structures inherent in society, with those who are privileged and wealthy exerting control over those who are not. The reference to the "arsehole" being the "sea" hints at the idea that those in power have a disregard for the wellbeing of others, and see them merely as instruments to be used for their personal benefit.
Line by Line Meaning
In god we trust (in cars you rust?)
Even though we may have faith in something higher than us, we still place our trust in material possessions and are prone to their decay.
Up on the cross, looking down
This line makes a direct reference to Jesus Christ crucified on the cross as depicted in Christian lore. It represents a feeling of superiority or judgment over the world.
My arsehole is the sea and in it you'll drown
The singer associates their own being with the vastness and power of the sea. Others who attempt to demean or harm them will drown in their own negativity.
In god we trust, in cars we rust
Brain is soaked from ultra violent rays
Phone keeps ringing, ringing ears in the night
Despite placing faith in religion, we are exposed to damaging external stimuli that impact our mental and physical wellbeing.
Sticks and stones may break your bones
But names will never hurt us
(living on promises of what could've been)
Physical harm can be healed and forgotten, but emotional pain can haunt us forever. The artist longs for a better future unrealized by their present predicament.
The flesh is stretched, the flesh is blue
The smell of it all is - coming - over you (ha)
(living on promises)
The singer describes a physical toll taken on their body, perhaps due to strenuous labor, chronic illness, or substance abuse. They suggest that others around them are also affected.
Talk, talk, talk, talk some more
Till you're blue in the face
(talk, talk, talk, talk some more)
Your head's on the floor
You're blue in the face
Kick it around and talk some more
Kick it around and talk some more, talk some more
People are inclined to talk endlessly about problems and ideas, often without seeking solutions or taking action. This repetition can be useless and exhausting.
Bones are bleached from ultra violent rays
(oh god why me?)
The phone is ringing, ringing ears in the night
(i trusted you totally)
The artist laments a past decision or situation that has led to their current state of physical and mental distress. They cry out to their faith but receive no answer.
In god I trust, in my car I rust
In cars we rust, in god we trust
In cars we rust, in god we trust
The repetition of this line emphasizes the cycle of decadence and disappointment in which human beings find themselves. Trusting in faith or material possession may bring comfort or temporary joy, but ultimately both will deteriorate.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRIS WADE, DAVID JAMES, JOHN FRESHWATER, NICHOLAS WADE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GuzziHeroV50
This song, in fact this album, is a complete masterpiece. I LOVE listening to this track in a dark room, exactly equidistant between my speakers, high volume. It floods the mind :)
@JustaScotsman
Great song from a great album......this little gem changed me from depressed post punk to 1st wave Goth rocker, and i only had to change the colour of my mowhawk to Black.............Wish to god i could get a fukin mowhawk at all now depressed old man now :-(
@aaron93m
Songs makes me want to walk in a alley during a cold, foggy night. I don't know why. LOL
@hulljames9637
To score drugs...
@jonhead191music
best track from a great album must of bought it 25years ago still a great listen
@deathhzrd
I wanna smoke exorbitant amounts of cigarettes and drink Jameson while hitting things with a golf club while listening to tbis
@Darkmoth109
I Love this song ..!!!!!
@bathorymk
uno de los temas mas cabrones y super locos q escuche de esta banda arriba Alien Sex Fiend d
@chelseamurillo3
I swear every time i hear this i think I hear "In god we trust, in goth we rust" Lol it would makes sense to me with the rest of the lyrics
@GuzziHeroV50
@FuzzbyStew That is pretty much the point! He isnt trying to be a tenor, his singing like his songs in general are haphazard and anarchic. I love ASF because they take regular conventions in music, and completely ignore them. This to me is real composition, to turn away from the expected and go in a new direction. I don't hesitate to consider Nik and the band to be an artist on the scale of any classical composer who strayed from the mainstream into an evolution of their own.