"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).
Stature
American Head Charge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to stop those fleas
Resist complacences
For what you seize
Sinister laughing in back corners of my mind
Provides my sustinence
A no handed attempt
A rude man at the front
Accomplished undertone
Shoveling to the def
Out of your other lips
But making me happy
Three in the front room
Are fucking on top of my bed
Uplifting opening
Old scars thought of as healed
Say your prayers for your hate
A nympho to yourself
And now my face it breathes my lies
And my lies, they make me drown
The lyrics of American Head Charge's song Stature seem to speak about a person's internal struggles and how certain attitudes and beliefs can become a hindrance. The opening lines, "Beautiful disease, trying to stop those fleas" hint at a struggle against something undesirable. The next line, "Resist complacences for what you seize" advises the listener to avoid complacency and keep pushing themselves towards what they truly desire.
The sinister laughter in the back corners of the singer's mind paint a picture of dark thoughts that feed and sustain them. They speak of attempts made with no hands, which could signify a struggle to achieve something without the necessary tools or resources. The line "A rude man at the front, the right bowed to but dead" could indicate an attitude of entitlement and superiority, which ultimately leads to the death of the "right" or morally correct perspective.
The lyrics continue to speak about a sense of accomplishment that has an undertone of something unpleasant. The line "Shoveling to the def" suggests an attempt to force something onto those who cannot respond, perhaps in the form of manipulation or coercion. The song ends with the artist speaking of their lies and the suffocating effects it has on them.
Line by Line Meaning
Beautiful disease
An attractive affliction that is harmful and destructive.
Trying to stop those fleas
Struggling to get rid of the pests that feed upon your weaknesses.
Resist complacences
Do not succumb to a state of self-satisfaction or contentment, as there is always room for improvement.
For what you seize
Take hold of the opportunities that present themselves to you.
Sinister laughing in back corners of my mind
Evil or malicious thoughts and desires that linger in the deepest recesses of one's consciousness.
Provides my sustinence
These dark thoughts and desires fuel and sustain me.
A no handed attempt
Trying to accomplish something difficult or impossible without any assistance or support.
A rude man at the front
An unpleasant or discourteous figure blocking your path forward.
The right bowed to but dead
The path that was once the correct one to take is now lifeless and useless.
Accomplished undertone
A hidden or subtle sense of achievement or fulfillment.
Shoveling to the def
Continuing to work towards an objective, despite knowing that it is ultimately futile.
Out of your other lips
Speaking falsely or insincerely, while pretending to be someone else.
But making me happy
Despite the lies, pretending to be someone else brings a sense of satisfaction or enjoyment.
Three in the front room
A group of people engaged in sexual activity in a prominent and public location.
Are fucking on top of my bed
These sexual encounters are taking place on the very symbol of one's private sanctuary and personal space.
Uplifting opening
A positive and hopeful beginning or start to something.
Old scars thought of as healed
Past traumas or injuries that were believed to be fully recovered, but still linger and impact the present.
Say your prayers for your hate
Appealing to a higher power to help overcome and release negative emotions such as anger or resentment.
A nympho to yourself
Being unable to control or resist one's own sexual desires, resulting in an unhealthy fixation or obsession.
And now my face it breathes my lies
The facade or mask that one presents to the world is what sustains them, even though it is built upon falsehoods.
And my lies, they make me drown
The weight of the lies and deceit that one has woven is overwhelming, and threatens to engulf and destroy them.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
POLARIS-UK
One of the finest songs ever made
Xidroi
The finest song ever made.