"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).
Erratic
American Head Charge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As cause becomes
Embedded codes digital mistakes
So all the rest can
Choke for need and strain to bleed
The hunger I fix a taste for the feeding
This panic perpetuating poison upon us
As it plagues me into
Running the gamut again
Surprise you're wrong
I'm not the defects for ones
You left out
Erratic an addict
Is leading my fall
Back to the faces
My weaknesses live
Shots down and riding the bomb
Routine submissive disease
Just let me rot
Done with all these innocent thieves
While all us weak ones
Choke for need and strain to bleed
The hunger I fix a taste for the feeding
This panic perpetuating poison upon us
As it plagues me into
Running the gamut again
Surprise you're wrong
I'm not the defects for ones
You left out
Erratic an addict
Is leading my fall
Back to the faces
My weaknesses live
Shots down and riding the bomb
The lyrics of American Head Charge's song "Erratic" explores the themes of societal and economic corruption, addiction, weakness, and self-destructive behavior. The first verse delves into the idea of the currency, which predominantly rules the modern world, and those who control it, causing harm and devastation to those who are dependent on it. This dependency leads to a hunger for consumption, a taste for the feeding, which in turn causes panic, perpetuating poison upon us. This metaphorical poison represents the consequences of allowing capitalism to control and dictate our lives, ultimately leading to our downfall.
Throughout the second verse, the theme of addiction and weakness is highlighted, dealing with the struggles of those who are addicted to substances or detrimental behaviors. The singer describes himself as erratic and an addict, leading him to fall back into the faces of his weaknesses. The phrase "shots down and riding the bomb" has a double meaning - on one hand, it describes the euphoria and rush that comes with being under the influence of drugs, and on the other hand, it represents the self-destructive behavior that can lead to our own harm.
In conclusion, "Erratic" is an introspective and highly emotional song that touches upon several important themes such as addiction, societal corruption, weakness, and self-destructive tendencies prevalent in modern society.
Line by Line Meaning
Stalking the currency shifts
Watching and waiting for changes in the financial markets
As cause becomes
As the reason or motive for these changes is revealed
Embedded codes digital mistakes
Mistakes made in computer programming and technology that have far-reaching consequences
So all the rest can
So that everyone else can experience the negative effects of these mistakes
Choke for need and strain to bleed
Struggling to survive and suffering as a result
The hunger I fix a taste for the feeding
Enjoying the suffering of others and taking advantage of their weakness
This panic perpetuating poison upon us
The fear and chaos caused by these mistakes affecting everyone
As it plagues me into
As it drags me down into the same chaos and despair
Running the gamut again
Experiencing a wide range of emotions and situations once again
Surprise you're wrong
Surprising and disproving those who doubted or underestimated the artist
I'm not the defects for ones
I am not the one to blame for the problems we face
You left out
You ignored or overlooked important information or details
Erratic an addict
A person who is unpredictable and addicted
Is leading my fall
Is causing my failure or downfall
Back to the faces
Back to the people and situations that I am weak against
My weaknesses live
My vulnerabilities and shortcomings continue to affect me
Shots down and riding the bomb
Taking risks and living dangerously
Routine submissive disease
A way of living that involves submitting to authority and losing one's sense of self
Just let me rot
Allow me to waste away and die
Done with all these innocent thieves
Fed up with people who take advantage of others without remorse
While all us weak ones
While all of us who are vulnerable and powerless
Choke for need and strain to bleed
Suffer and struggle to survive
The hunger I fix a taste for the feeding
The desire to take advantage of those who are suffering and vulnerable
This panic perpetuating poison upon us
The fear and chaos caused by technology and our own human flaws affecting us all
As it plagues me into
As it drags me down into the same chaos and despair
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
A Meaty Tulip
This was my fucking jam back in the day. It's a shame these guys never blew up... So completely underrated.
Marcos
🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼