"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).
LOYALTY
American Head Charge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the limits that border
On the thinnest frailties
That makes a sudden change
I'll pay my soul into sleep
I'll make up words that I keep
Letting nothing go to anyone at all
Where is your loyalty now
When all the cards have been left on the table?
Where is your loyalty now
When all the cards have been left on the table?
All of them
Bleed at the nerves
That take so long
To wear down
I'll pay my soul into sleep
I'll make up words that I keep
Letting nothing go to anyone at all
Where is your loyalty now
When all the cards have been left on the table?
Where is your loyalty now
When all the cards have been left on the table?
(This time I let go)
This time I have made enough mistakes
For you to bear against me in direct break
Our original ideals, you let us down
And betrayed our trust with all your promises
I see a piece of shit alive in you
Cast them near enough to be a truth
This time I have made enough mistakes
For you to bear against me in direct break
Our original ideals, you let us down
And betrayed our trust with all your promises
Where is your loyalty now
When all the cards have been left on the table?
Where is your loyalty now
When all the cards have been left on the table?
The lyrics of "Loyalty" by American Head Charge speak to the theme of betrayal and how it forces individuals to reconsider their loyalties. The opening lines suggest that the act of denying one's limitations is what leads to a sudden change in behavior. This change may cause individuals to act in ways that go against their original principles and ideals, leading them to question their loyalty to others. The following lines, "I'll pay my soul into sleep, I'll make up words that I keep, letting nothing go to anyone at all," indicate a sense of isolation and mistrust that comes with this feeling of betrayal. The chorus "Where is your loyalty now, when all the cards have been left on the table?" is the singer questioning the loyalty of the person who betrayed them. It is said with a mix of anger and sadness as the underlying hope is to confront the betrayal and possibly find some sort of resolution.
The song takes a darker turn in the bridge, where the singer admits to making mistakes significant enough to be held against them. They express disappointment at those who have let them down and exposed their true colors. The phrase "I see a piece of shit alive in you" is a strong statement showing how serious the betrayal was. The outro repeats the chorus, emphasizing that loyalty is only as strong as the actions of those involved. Overall, "Loyalty" brings attention to the importance of trust, honesty, and personal responsibility in maintaining relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
It's just a reason to deny
Sometimes people use excuses to avoid confronting their own weaknesses
All the limits that border
Those limits that we set for ourselves to avoid going down the wrong path
On the thinnest frailties
The weaknesses of our character that are most easily broken
That makes a sudden change
These breaking points can lead to sudden shifts in behavior
I'll pay my soul into sleep
I'll sacrifice my own well-being to avoid facing the truth
I'll make up words that I keep
I'll continue to lie to myself and others
Letting nothing go to anyone at all
I won't open up or trust anyone
Where is your loyalty now
I trusted you, but now you've let me down
When all the cards have been left on the table?
When everything is out in the open and there's nothing left to hide
All of them
Everyone
Bleed at the nerves
Are vulnerable at their core
That take so long
Those parts of us that take time to heal
To wear down
And can be worn down over time
This time I let go
I'm done holding on or trusting you
This time I have made enough mistakes
I've given you chances, but you keep letting me down
For you to bear against me in direct break
You're the reason our trust has been broken
Our original ideals, you let us down
You betrayed the beliefs and values we held dear
And betrayed our trust with all your promises
You made promises you couldn't keep and let us down
I see a piece of shit alive in you
I see you for who you really are - a terrible person
Cast them near enough to be a truth
The lies we tell ourselves and others can become so ingrained that we start to believe them
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRIS LEWIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ztmusic2789
The label they went through at the time of the time The Feeding’s release, DRT Entertainment, closed down in 2009. Some bands from the label’s roster have managed to put their music onto multiple streaming platforms, bands like 36 Crazyfists, Lit, SOiL, Gwar, Clutch, Fu Manchu, and Blindside have made onto streaming platform. However three bands Powerman 5000, American Head Charge, and Seven Mary Three didn’t make their releases available on streaming platforms
Releases from DRT that have it to streaming platforms:
36 Crazyfists- Rest Inside the Flames (2006)
Lit- Lit (2004)
SOiL- True Self (2006)
Gwar- Beyond Hell (2006)
Clutch- Blast Tyrant (2004)
Clutch- Robot Hive/Exodus (2005)
Clutch- From Beale Street to Oblivion (2007)
Fu Manchu- Start the Machine (2004)
Blindside- The Great Depression (2005)
Releases that didn’t make it streaming platforms:
Powerman 5000- Destroy What You Enjoy (2005)
American Head Charge- The Feeding (2005) [Only available to purchase and download on iTunes]
Seven Mary Three- Dis/Location (2004)
@briancook3923
Criminally underrated band.
@CTHARDCORE606
I was just saying the same shit... so true
@Devik666
Brian Cook a gem 💎
@annbolin3163
My hairs literally stand on end every second I hear this! 😍🤘
@synister281
The Feeding should have been the beginning of an amazing run with this band, but it all fell apart. Love AHC for life
@seriousstuff8887
I always said that same thing .. Are they still together?
@paullyt60
NHL 06 lives rent free in my head because of this song
@leonard_oakenshield
YES
@mrvnkev6928
This game is my whole childhood
@sjohnlouis1008
I only know this song cuz of ovechkin clips