"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).
Breath In Bleed Out
American Head Charge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keep the hate alive (Abuse it)
Your lips are tight when I (To keep it from)
Cover them with mine (Running you)
This is a sickness (Need it)
You cannot conceive (Mistreat it)
It takes the quiet (It's all that's left)
To not exceed (Breathe in, bleed out)
Where is your comfort now
Its on the way out
Where are your reasons now
They're all worn out
My throat is tight when I (Pull it)
Keep the hate alive (Push it)
Your lips are dry when I (Tie it up in)
Cover them with mine (Knots and)
Its an affliction (Lose it)
Nothing comes to mind (Let go of it)
Its nonstrategic (All to keep it soft and cold)
Nothing comes to mind (Breathe in, bleed out)
Where is your comfort now
Its on the way out
Where are your reasons now
They're all worn out
The lyrics of "Breathe In Bleed Out" by American Head Charge are filled with vivid images of a toxic relationship. The singer seems to be addicted to hate and mistreatment, unable to let go of the pain and conflict that exist between them and their partner. The opening lines describe the physical effects of this addiction, as the singer's throat is dry and tight from constantly staining and pulling it with hateful words. They acknowledge that this is a sickness that their partner cannot understand, and that it takes a conscious effort to keep it from becoming overwhelming.
The chorus of the song is a kind of questioning refrain, challenging the listener to examine their own comfort and reasons for living. The singer seems to be confronting their own motivations for holding on to this toxic relationship, recognizing that their reasons are wearing thin and their comfort is slipping away. The second verse starts out in a similar vein to the first, with the singer again describing physical sensations of tightness and dryness while they continue to push and pull at the relationship. They describe the addiction as an affliction with no clear strategy, once again emphasizing their lack of control over the situation.
Overall, the lyrics of "Breathe In Bleed Out" paint a stark picture of a painful and damaging relationship, with the singer unable to fully let go despite recognizing the harm it's causing. The repetition of the chorus seems to call for a wake-up call, a moment of clarity and self-reflection that will allow them to break free.
Line by Line Meaning
My throat is dry when I (Stain it)
I deliberately damage my throat by continuing self-destructive behavior
Keep the hate alive (Abuse it)
I choose to hold onto anger and resentment, feeding into a negative spiral
Your lips are tight when I (To keep it from)
You refrain from speaking out against my behavior, trying to avoid conflict
Cover them with mine (Running you)
I try to subdue you and distract you from the problem with physical intimacy
This is a sickness (Need it)
This destructive pattern of behavior has become an addiction or compulsion
You cannot conceive (Mistreat it)
You don't understand why I would continue to harm myself and others in this way
It takes the quiet (It's all that's left)
I can only find solace in silence after the chaos has run its course
To not exceed (Breathe in, bleed out)
Choosing to take deep breaths and let go of the negativity in order to prevent escalation
Where is your comfort now
Asking someone where they find solace or reassurance in the face of chaos
Its on the way out
Their sense of comfort or security is fleeting or diminishing
Where are your reasons now
Questioning someone's justifications or motivations for their actions
They're all worn out
Their reasons or excuses have been overused or are no longer valid
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Antonina Armato, Nick Mundy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
River Sutcliffe
Love this band!$
Ju Jam
So under Rated, good vibrations !!
DIESELDOESDURBS
Fuck yeah still gets me going