"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).
Take What I've Taken
American Head Charge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is indeed about you
So take it
Or chalk it up
All the others before me
Can give what I doubt
Take what I've taken
The three of threes
Professes you to me
Challenging and the favor will be
Paid in full
Pounds of flesh
In perfect dress
Take what I've taken
This most unwitting occurrence
Is indeed about you
So take it
Or chalk it up
All these others before me
Can't doubt
What's killing you
Wells from inside
Atonement for the waste
Pleasure in one more accolade
Prehensive doubt prehensive
One day I know when I see you
Far from these days that beat us
Far from my habits perfect prison
One day, I know when I see you
Far from these days that beat us
Far from my habits perfect prison
The lyrics of American Head Charge's song "Take What I've Taken" are open to interpretation, as many songs are. However, through careful analysis, it's safe to assume that the lyrics are about recognizing the past, confronting it, and using those experiences as a means of moving forward.
The opening lyrics, "This most unwitting occurrence, is indeed about you, so take it or chalk it up," could be interpreted as the singer acknowledging the circumstances (good or bad) in their lives that are a result of their past choices or those of others. The phrase "so take it or chalk it up" could imply that the singer is learning to accept these events and move on.
The chorus, "Take what I've taken," could be interpreted as the singer telling someone to use their experiences to grow, learn, and move forward. The line "All the others before me can give what I doubt" could imply that the singer is offering up their own personal experiences as a guide.
The bridge, "One day I know when I see you, far from these days that beat us, far from my habits perfect prison," could be a reflection on how, in the future, both the singer and the person they're addressing will have moved beyond their past and can look back with new understanding.
Overall, the lyrics of "Take What I've Taken" could be seen as a message of hope and growth, encouraging listeners to use their past experiences to become better versions of themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
This most unwitting occurrence
This situation that has arisen was not planned or intended
Is indeed about you
It concerns you directly
So take it
Accept it
Or chalk it up
Or consider it a loss
All the others before me
All the previous people in this position
Can give what I doubt
May not have been able to handle it as well as I can
Take what I've taken
Take what I have experienced
The three of threes
A significant or perfect combination
Professes you to me
Indicates or suggests your connection to me
Challenging and the favor will be
Difficult but the reward will be worth it
Paid in full
Fully compensated or satisfied
Pounds of flesh
A high price or sacrifice
In perfect dress
Appearing flawless
All these others before me
All the previous people in this position
Can't doubt
Cannot ignore or refute
What's killing you
What is causing you distress or harm
Wells from inside
Is stemming from within you
Atonement for the waste
Making up for past mistakes or misuses
Pleasure in one more accolade
Satisfaction in receiving one more award or recognition
Prehensive doubt prehensive
Strong uncertainty or hesitation
One day I know when I see you
I believe that one day I will encounter you
Far from these days that beat us
Far from the struggles and challenges of these times
Far from my habits perfect prison
Far from being confined by my own patterns and actions
One day, I know when I see you
I believe that one day I will encounter you
Far from these days that beat us
Far from the struggles and challenges of these times
Far from my habits perfect prison
Far from being confined by my own patterns and actions
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jason Litzner
Best band ever at least that's my opinion
Wilinator X
agred totally underrated band
Thomas Richards
Not a bad opinion dude
Chris Pom
the pain in the bridge of this song is excruciating
Leonard Washington
Ive always felt the same. Its literally ripping your soul out whilst youre on your knees.
Pierrot La lune
👌🤘🤧💔
Sgt_Hoagie
INBRED/INDEED😂
Special Zer0
I listened to this song in the middle of the night in my car with the system blaring the first time i tripped on shroomies. To this day it's still the best trip experience i ever had.
Thomas Richards
Damn
Trice Breanne
I first found you guys in 2007-08. Still sound fucking amazing :)