"We were definitely out of control on our first tour, Ozzfest 2001," Mr. Banks admits. "It wasn't enough to just play our music; we also had to fire shotguns on stage and throw pigheads at the crowd. Chalk it up to a desperate bid for attention." The Head Charge rap sheet - which also includes getting into bloody brawls with their fans, smashing equipment they couldn't afford to replace, reacquainting themselves with hard drugs and occasionally being locked up by the enraged fuzz - has served to obscure the fact that these free spirits play the shit out of their instruments and make brutally powerful music of uncommon distinction.
But this distorted (though hardly inaccurate) perception of the band will likely change with the release of The Feeding, a seething mass of avant metal, nightmare grindcore and moshpit rock that alternates between pummeling ferocity and passages of all-out grandeur. It's a stunning display of primally extreme music that's guaranteed to scare the hell out of your parents.
The album had its genesis during the limbo in which AHC found themselves after touring intensively behind their acclaimed 2001 debut, The War of Art, two years of prolonged exile from the road and ongoing internal tumult that found several band members in a virtual death match with their personal demons. Three guys in the band jumped into the chemical deep end and two of them went back to rehab, guitarist Bryan Ottoson ruefully recounts. "It got so bad I was nearly checked into a psychiatric unit for suicidal behavior."
Inevitably, their struggles begat rage, and that could've paralyzed them. But what sets Head Charge apart is an almost alchemical ability to transform their rage - at the world, each other and (perhaps most of all) themselves - into dark art. Hence, the worse their situation got, the more inspired they became, as singer Cock and bassist/guitarist Mr. Banks - now collaborating with Ottoson and keyboard manipulator Justin Fowler - stirred up a cauldron of new songs and brought them to seething life with drummer Christopher Emery. While the band's old label turned a deaf ear to their bold sonic forays, emerging producer Greg Fidelman, who'd engineered the Rick Rubin-produced first album, embraced the band's new material. The band managed to get out of their deal, and sign with Nitrus/DRT. "Rick Rubin was gracious enough to let us leave American Recordings without hassle. It could have been a litigious nightmare" adds Mr. Banks.
With Fidelman at the helm, Head Charge spent four months on the album, and it evidences an unlikely, previously dormant self-discipline. Tellingly, whereas the sprawling The War of Art ran well over an hour, as if they could barely control their wild-eyed impulses, The Feeding clocks in at a dense 41 minutes, the compression serving to intensify their fury. The opener and first single "Loyalty" sets the record's brutal tone, as Cock spews recriminations with frightful conviction while also revealing a scarred humanity in his natural voice, a captivating tenor that sounds like the troubled emanations of some fallen angel. "Dirty" would be an infectious, balls-out rocker were it not for Cock's Satanic howling, which transforms it into the soundtrack to an exorcism. "Walk Away" delivers a hyper-melodic, gloriously anthemic chorus, then proceeds to hack it to pieces in characteristically deranged fashion. Easy listening this ain't. And yet the closing "To Be Me" achieves something close to serenity, like the eerie calm after a thunderstorm - or a nuclear holocaust. "It's almost hopeful" Mr. Banks acknowledges, sounding like he can hardly believe it himself.
There's a line in "Walk Away" that perfectly encapsulates this tormented but inspired band: "We're dirty and hungry and bitter and tired and broke and bruised and battered," Cock shrieks in agony and defiance, adding, with all due irony, "so happy." Although Cock is the band's primary lyricist, it was Mr. Banks who came up with the words (he admits, quite unnecessarily, that he was in a bad state at the time). Mr. Banks recited the line his partner, who knew right away that it would drop right into the hole he was looking to fill in the song's crucial bridge section. "For a while," Mr. Banks says, "that's what we wanted to call the album - with no spaces between the words. It just says it all."
Also in the cosmic coincidence department is the filigreed, intertwined guitar figure that opens and closes the boldly provocative "Ridiculed," The Feeding's roiling centerpiece. The part is actually two guitars, and the parts were conjured up simultaneously by Ottoson and Cock - in two separate parts of the studio, out of hearing of each other. At the same moment, each of them entered the main room eager to play their new creations to the other band members and Fidelman. Only then did everyone realize that the two parts magically interlocked. Divine intervention. With this crew, that's highly unlikely - unless God has a truly twisted sense of humor (and with AHC there's plenty of circumstantial evidence to support that hypothesis).
Mr. Banks describes his band's dynamic as "a constant battle between Order and Chaos," and that's an apt description of the corrosive yet savagely beautiful sonic onslaught AHC delivers on The Feeding. In the end, Order prevails - if just barely - which is a good thing for American Head Charge and their ever-growing legion of fans. If Chaos had come out on top, this dangerously self-destructive but supremely talented band would've surely imploded, leaving nothing but wrecked gear, lost souls and mangled body parts. Instead, with all their limbs still attached and pulsing with the endorphins of catharsis, AHC will spend 2005 on the road - and this time, hopefully, not the road to perdition.
Bryan Ottoson passed away on April 19th, 2005 in his sleep on the band's tour bus while supporting Mudvayne. Many reports concluded it to be the result of an accidental prescription drug overdose. After being diagnosed with a severe case of strep throat, he was prescribed penicillin and an unknown pain killer. He, unknowingly, developed pneumonia and the strep throat got worse. He was found in his bunk after members of the band attempted to wake him before a performance.
Also, Christopher Emery was fired from American Head Charge onstage on the 11th of February 2006. So who is to say that Chaos isn't prevailing in the long run?
On April 3rd, 2007 American Head Charge will release a CD/DVD combo titled "Can't Stop The Machine". The DVD will feature a complete retrospective of the bands career from the early days signing to Rick Rubin's American recordings, interviews with all band member, performing live on Ozzfest 2001, worldwide tours with Slipknot, Mudvayne, Static-X, and more.
Also a look behind the scene at making both "The War of Art" and "The Feeding" Albums. It will also include all of the bands videos and a special tribute to late guitarist Bryan Daniel Ottoson. The CD will feature live recordings, remixes, and other unreleased material.
Unfortunately, due to lead singer Cameron Heacock's “inability to continue on a musical career path,” the band disbanded August 11th, 2009.
In June 2011 There were tweets on bassist Chad Hanks' twitter regarding American Head Charge reforming with a new drummer. Hanks also stated that there is a new Facebook page called American Head Charge (Official).
A Violent Reaction
American Head Charge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nurse my broken wing
With all the promises
You can never honor
I just don't care enough
To react to vain attempts
Sent only to perpetuate
One's selfish little world
You'll wait and watch and still
You're only let down
A violent reaction
Struggling only to keep myself alive
Now here I stand
For nothing no one at all
I lead you down
Begging to touch you in the cold
You give me a reason
I will not be the one
Through all the nonsense
There is a constant
You won't see what I've become
You'll wait and watch and still
You're only let down
Cause this feeling
Has dawned the face of you
A violent reaction
Struggling only to keep myself alive
You won't see what I've become
Cause this feeling
Has dawned the face of you
A violent reaction
Struggling only to keep myself alive
The lyrics of American Head Charge's song "A Violent Reaction" seem to be about a turbulent relationship between the singer and their partner. The singer is wounded and needs the partner to take care of them ("lead me around, nurse my broken wing"), but they are skeptical of the promises the partner makes to them. The singer doesn't care enough to react to the partner's selfish attempts to perpetuate their own little world. The partner won't see what the singer has become because, even though they are watching, they are only let down. The singer is struggling to keep themselves alive, and the partner has become a violent reaction to them.
Later in the song, the singer talks about how they are standing for nothing and no one, but they lead the partner down and beg to touch them in the cold. The partner gives the singer a reason not to be the one to leave, but there is a constant among all the nonsense. The partner still won't see what the singer has become, and the feeling of violence has dawned the face of the partner. The singer is struggling to keep themselves alive through it all.
Overall, the lyrics of "A Violent Reaction" seem to be a reflection of a toxic relationship where the singer is wounded and struggling to keep themselves alive while the partner perpetuates their own selfish world.
Line by Line Meaning
Lead me around
Guide me through difficult times
Nurse my broken wing
Help me heal my emotional wounds
With all the promises
Offering hope and possibility
You can never honor
But ultimately failing to deliver on those promises
I just don't care enough
I am apathetic towards your deceit
To react to vain attempts
I won't respond to futile gestures
Sent only to perpetuate
Designed solely to maintain
One's selfish little world
Your own self-centered existence
You won't see what I've become
You refuse to acknowledge my growth
You'll wait and watch and still
You passively observe from a distance
You're only let down
Disappointed in what you see
A violent reaction
An intense, explosive response to your failure
Struggling only to keep myself alive
Fighting to survive against all odds
Now here I stand
Despite everything, I still persevere
For nothing no one at all
Without anyone or anything to rely on
I lead you down
I want to show you something
Begging to touch you in the cold
Craving physical and emotional warmth
You give me a reason
You provide me with motivation
I will not be the one
I refuse to be a victim
Through all the nonsense
Despite the distractions and obstacles
There is a constant
There is always something that remains unchanged
Cause this feeling
Because of this intense emotion
Has dawned the face of you
You have become the embodiment of my emotions
You won't see what I've become
You still refuse to acknowledge my growth
A violent reaction
An extreme response to your failure
Struggling only to keep myself alive
Fighting to survive despite your lack of support
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@devinikram
Lead me around
And nurse my broken wing
With all the promises
You can never honor
I just don't care enough
To react to vain attempts
Sent only to perpetuate
One's selfish little world
You won't see what I've become
You'll wait and watch and still you're only let down
2x
A violent reaction struggling only to keep myself alive - 2x
Now here I stand
For nothing no one at all
I lead you down
Begging to touch you in the cold
You give me a reason
I will not be the one
Through all the nonsense
There is a constant
You won't see what I've become
You'll wait and watch and still you're only let down
2x
Cause this feeling
Has dawned the face of you
2x
A violent reaction struggling only to keep myself alive - 4x
You won't see what I've become - 4x
Cause this feeling
Has dawned the face of you
A violent reaction struggling only to keep myself alive - 4x
@andrewmacnaughton7556
This album is amazing so underrated Cameron has a very unique vocal style and the music is baffling at times but in a great way pure bliss this!
@cameronmuise14
I'm proud to share the same name
@kevinwilson455
It's hard to describe isn't it lol
This was my jam on release, and I'm still going back for more two decades later.
I seen them supporting Slipknot for their Disasterpiece tour... they are even better live.
@andrewmacnaughton7556
@Kevin Wilson yeah man I smashed this album back in the day and still come back to it very often buzzing you got to see them mate :) I wish they would reform do you know any info about current status? As I can't find anything :(
@JohnWayne-vf5bs
Cameron he was drug addict
@ronaldrebeschinn6182
Yeah, because it wasn't promoted at all.
@Metalheadmike1211
Jeez I remember having this album when I was a kid. Can’t believe it that was already 22 years ago.
@jettgjr31
Same here man.love this album..still to this day😊
@overthrowaudio
These guys played the 2nd stage at Ozzfest 2002 and were the standout performers. No band could touch them. Their energy was unmatched.
@devinikram
Lead me around
And nurse my broken wing
With all the promises
You can never honor
I just don't care enough
To react to vain attempts
Sent only to perpetuate
One's selfish little world
You won't see what I've become
You'll wait and watch and still you're only let down
2x
A violent reaction struggling only to keep myself alive - 2x
Now here I stand
For nothing no one at all
I lead you down
Begging to touch you in the cold
You give me a reason
I will not be the one
Through all the nonsense
There is a constant
You won't see what I've become
You'll wait and watch and still you're only let down
2x
Cause this feeling
Has dawned the face of you
2x
A violent reaction struggling only to keep myself alive - 4x
You won't see what I've become - 4x
Cause this feeling
Has dawned the face of you
A violent reaction struggling only to keep myself alive - 4x