"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).
Seamless
American Head Charge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deep in a colostomy bag
I like being trapped inside
The plastics wearing out
Red and perfect her legs
Spread out in front of me
They're so open they make me sweat
Its my lubrication
Circumcise the abstinent
Make it hard for them to breathe
I like to make you lie
Dropped and so ill
Steeped in my mysogeny
My shaking hands are in the skin
I've gone too far too soon
You look so seamless now
She stared at me
Thinking I was sweet to it
Her legs tied apart for me
It feels so good inside
Now I'm thinking
Who's this that lies under me
Needs a piece of my respect
You make me so sick I'm
Crawling broken my face is
Cringing to see
Figures drawn inside of me
Succumb [3x]
Sickness fittings
Procured this fascist medium
But know I'm laughing in your face
You lie [3x]
You look so seamless now
Take me
Take my life
The lyrics to American Head Charge's song "Seamless" are quite disturbing and graphic. It talks about the singer's deep-seated sexual desires and fantasies. It portrays the singer as someone who enjoys being trapped, who objectifies women, and who gains sexual pleasure from their pain. The lyrics depict detailed descriptions of sexual acts, which are repulsive and degrading.
The first few lines in the song, "Stink filled spasms, Deep in a colostomy bag," gives the listener an idea of what to expect next. It sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer speaks about his attraction to a woman's legs, which are described as "red" and "perfect." He talks about how she makes him sweat and how her openness is his lubrication.
The chorus, "You look so seamless now," is ambiguous and could be interpreted in different ways. However, it could refer to the singer's desire to dominate and control the woman, rendering her submissive and "seamless" to him. Overall, the song's lyrics paint a picture of a deeply disturbed individual who takes pleasure in degrading others and gaining sexual pleasure from inflicting pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Stink filled spasms
The singer's experience of bodily malfunction is uncomfortable and unpleasant
Deep in a colostomy bag
The source of the singer's discomfort is a medical condition that requires an external pouch for waste management
I like being trapped inside
Despite the physical discomfort, the singer derives some emotional satisfaction from feeling contained or confined
The plastics wearing out
The tools or materials used to manage the artist's condition are deteriorating
Red and perfect her legs
The artist's attention turns to a woman, who is conventionally attractive ('perfect') and whose legs are a prominent feature
Spread out in front of me
The woman is in a physically vulnerable or submissive position, offering herself up to the singer's gaze or manipulation
They're so open they make me sweat
The singer is sexually aroused by the sight of the woman's exposed body
Its my lubrication
The woman's sexuality is a source of pleasure or stimulation for the artist
Recent findings say
The artist cites or invokes some kind of scientific or medical research to support a claim
Circumcise the abstinent
The artist advocates for a painful or invasive procedure to be inflicted upon those who choose not to engage in sexual activity
Make it hard for them to breathe
The singer's motive for advocating circumcision is not clear, but may involve a desire for control or dominance over others
I like to make you lie
The artist derives pleasure from manipulating or deceiving others
Dropped and so ill
The singer or someone else has experienced a sudden, negative physical or emotional change
Steeped in my misogyny
The singer holds deep-seated and likely harmful beliefs about women
My shaking hands are in the skin
The singer is physically or sexually engaged with someone or something in a way that causes discomfort or distress
I've gone too far too soon
The artist has exceeded some kind of personal or cultural boundary, and feels regret or embarrassment
You look so seamless now
The artist is admiring or objectifying another person's appearance
She stared at me
The woman referenced earlier is reacting to the singer's gaze or behavior
Thinking I was sweet to it
The woman may be misinterpreting or misreading the singer's intentions or emotions
Her legs tied apart for me
The woman is in a physically vulnerable or submissive position, possibly due to the artist's actions or preferences
It feels so good inside
The artist is deriving sexual pleasure from the act described
Now I'm thinking
The artist is mentally reflecting on the situation or experience
Who's this that lies under me
The singer may be experiencing detachment or confusion about the person they are having sex with
Needs a piece of my respect
The artist believes they are deserving of admiration or deference from others
You make me so sick I'm
The singer is feeling extreme disgust or aversion to someone or something
Crawling broken my face is
The singer is feeling helpless, humbled, or physically injured
Cringing to see
The singer is feeling genuine discomfort or revulsion in response to something they are witnessing
Figures drawn inside of me
The artist may be experiencing some form of psychological or emotional turmoil
Succumb [3x]
The artist or someone else is being overwhelmed or defeated by something
Sickness fittings
The singer is using medical or scientific terminology in an unconventional or inappropriate manner
Procured this fascist medium
The singer is claiming to have obtained or created a tool or method that is oppressive or authoritarian in nature
But know I'm laughing in your face
The artist is feeling smug or superior, possibly at another's expense
You lie [3x]
The artist is accusing someone else of deceit or falsehood
Take me
The artist is offering themselves up to some kind of experience or force
Take my life
The singer may be expressing a desire for transformation or release from their current circumstances
Lyrics © SOUL SHIFT MUSIC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RavenFaust
Amazing work of art. Rest in peace guys. Those of you still here please come together and unite for the music 🎵🎶
@METAL_DEMON.
Wait did they die? I'm very unfamiliar with the story. Would you mind enlightening me a bit?
@carbonfibre_
@METAL_DEMON. They disbanded and their music's gone from all the streaming platforms
@666and7
😢
@necrometersoloproject1272
This album is a masterpiece
@danielhelfrich5379
"Machine"
@benjoyce5853
This album has aged so fucking well.
@panthers1946
The WHOLE blummin album: AWESOME as ever!!! Can't believe it's 17 years old already!!! Time flies....
@mrda2611
*21
@tattoo_star4203
Most under rated band of the early 2000s!