"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).
Song For The Suspect )
American Head Charge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
crawling over her dress until
I could show you everything
but I don't have to hear the words
cause I already feel your thoughts
so it comes as no surprise
that all the intent is real
all the suspects are right
it all falls down
cover my eyes
obey my ignorance
to purify you
Ill only watch you rot
without malicious intent
your doubt resembles someone else
stick the needles in me
stick the needles in [3x]
if we watch
it all come down
breathe and let it go
dropped and winding
fuck your confession
fuck your confusion
dissolve my insides
make it hide
crawling on diginity
that which you do to me
hold on forever
the fair day we
weather
The lyrics present a rather disturbing view on sexuality and power dynamics, specifically pointing towards objectification and domination. The singer of the song is watching someone's eyes roam over a woman's dress and feels their intent without needing to hear their words. This indicates that they are in tune with the underlying motives of the person looking at the woman, which is to objectify and possess her. The following lyrics further amplify this dark theme, with the singer stating that all the suspects are right and if they stop, everything will fall down. This suggests that the act of objectification and domination is so ingrained in society that it permeates every aspect of human interaction. The singer then goes on to ask the person to cover their eyes and let them purify them, indicating that they are taking on a God-like role, where they can judge and cleanse people of their sins. The lyrics take an even darker turn towards the end, with the singer asking the person to stick needles in them and dissolve their insides, indicating a form of self-harm as a way to cope with the darkness that surrounds them.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the state of our society, where objectification, domination, and power dynamics are prevalent in different forms. The lyrics suggest that we are all suspects in this game, and stopping or changing the status quo is a daunting task that may result in everything falling down.
Line by Line Meaning
I can still watch those eyes
I can still vividly see the perpetrator's eyes staring at the victim
crawling over her dress until
The perpetrator's eyes were constantly moving over the victim's dress
I could show you everything
The victim could provide evidence and details about the crime
but I don't have to hear the words
The victim doesn't need to speak to convey what happened
cause I already feel your thoughts
The victim is aware of what the perpetrator is thinking
so it comes as no surprise
None of this is unexpected
that all the intent is real
The perpetrator had actual intentions to harm the victim
all the suspects are right
All of the possible suspects are valid
if we stop
If we give up the investigation
it all falls down
The case will not be solved
cover my eyes
The victim wants to avoid seeing the horror again
obey my ignorance
The victim would rather not know what happened
to purify you
The victim wants to make the perpetrator pay for their wrongdoing
Ill only watch you rot
The victim wants to witness the perpetrator's downfall
without malicious intent
The victim doesn't have any malicious intentions towards the perpetrator
your doubt resembles someone else
The perpetrator's traits and actions are similar to someone else
stick the needles in me
The victim is willing to endure physical pain to find justice
if we watch
If we observe the investigation
it all come down
The truth about the case will be revealed
breathe and let it go
The victim wants to heal and move forward
dropped and winding
The victim feels defeated and confused
fuck your confession
The perpetrator's confession would not be enough to make things right
fuck your confusion
The perpetrator's confusion is not a valid excuse for their actions
dissolve my insides
The victim feels like the crime has taken everything from them
make it hide
The victim wants to forget about the trauma
crawling on dignity
The victim feels humiliated and degraded
that which you do to me
The perpetrator's actions caused the victim pain and suffering
hold on forever
The victim will always remember what happened
the fair day we
The day when justice is finally served
weather
The victim has to endure the emotional storm caused by the crime
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RobExNihilo
This is easily one of my favorite songs to play. It's so much damn fun. The main verse riff is a blast (and a good stretch, too). And the outro fuck your confession riff is the perfect sludgy dirge to whole-body headbang to. It's a shame out singer can't really pull it off. I'd love to play it at shows instead of just our practice/jams.
@alextotman9899
Underated. This is one of my favorite bands
@Andremnus
great song, amazing album.
@richardroberts957
This band had huge potential. Liked how they had none of the tropes of the usual bands back then. Great lyrics. Cool music. Brilliant
@dudeduder2006
SHAME WHAT HAPPENED!...Typical hellish bullshit...drugs, crime, blah.... the music was rad;the lifestyle...yawn.
@jaynellerogers6224
Loved AHC when I was a teenager and still like it in 2023!!
@user-ym4uf2zk5v
same, dude. First bumped into them in 2003. 20 years later. God damn time flies.
@steelparadox
A perfect song.
So fun to sing. Catharsis.
@sc7453
Local band to me. Saw them live at the Rooster in Maplewood in the 2000’s. Pitch black in the bar, then the strobes hit when they opened with Loyalty. Great show.
@tylerdobosenski9166
Same bro! I was also there. As well as many other shows they played at home. Good times man🥲