The "Illusion" album in 1997 was the last by this act that might accurately be defined as "industrial". Even then, there were signs that the band's style was moving towards synthpop, a theory confirmed on the "Angel's Only!" album the following year, which saw a move away from distorted vocals. This was the first Evils Toy recording to feature Oliver Taranczewski, as well as the last recorded with Thorsten Brenda. For background vocals and live keyboards Volker brought in his long-time gilr-friend. She appears in the videos for "Virtual State" and "Dream With Me". "Silvertears" in 2000 was the last release under the name Evils Toy. The project was known as "T.O.Y." thereafter.
Style
Evils Toy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why I should hate your style
The way you talk
The way you stalk
Hating you ain't easy for me now
Tell me 'bout your wicked games
Why I should play with you
There is no sense
Loving you won't be the same again
Gimme one good answer now
Why I should stay with you
But if I stay
You won't obey
Leaving you ain't easy for me now
Ask me 'bout your selfishness
Can't you get what I mean?
It is the truth
Nothing to lose
Hating you is easy for me now
And it never ever ends
Where it all begun
Why is life just a game?
A game without style
Not worth to play
The song "Style" by Evils Toy is a melancholic tale of a love gone wrong. The singer is questioning why they should hate their partner's style and shows the conflicting emotions of being unable to hate them and loving them. The way they speak and the way they follow them around is both captivating and repulsive to the singer. They cannot easily hate them, but they also cannot love them the same way again.
The singer asks the partner about their wicked games and why they should play with them. They see no sense or consequence to being with them. The partner's selfishness is also brought into question, and the singer wonders why they do not understand the truth of their actions. In the end, the singer decides that hating the partner is the only option left for them, and the love they once had is not worth playing the game of life anymore.
Line by Line Meaning
Gimme one good reason now
The singer is asking for a compelling reason to continue liking the person they're talking to.
Why I should hate your style
The singer dislikes the person's attitude and wants to know why they should continue to tolerate it.
The way you talk
The singer dislikes the person's speaking style, which is not well-defined or overly casual.
The way you stalk
The artist dislikes the way the other person appears to follow them, potentially implying that the person is too clingy or possessive.
Hating you ain't easy for me now
The artist has difficulty disliking the person, despite the person’s behavior.
Tell me 'bout your wicked games
The singer wants to understand what motivates the other person's behavior and is requesting clarification.
Why I should play with you
The singer is asking why they should participate in the other person's games or partake in their behavior.
There is no sense
The artist believes the other person's behavior is irrational and pointless.
No consequence
The artist believes there are no repercussions for acting in the other person's game.
Loving you won't be the same again
The artist no longer wants to love the other person because of their behavior.
Gimme one good answer now
The singer is asking the other person to make a compelling argument for why they should continue in the relationship.
Why I should stay with you
The artist is asking the other person to express why they deserve to stay in a relationship or friendship.
But if I stay
The singer is weighing the pros and cons of remaining in the relationship.
You won't obey
The singer believes that the other person won't comply with their wishes naturally or requested behavior.
Leaving you ain't easy for me now
The singer has trouble staying with the other person, despite knowing they can't change the person's behavior.
Ask me 'bout your selfishness
The artist is accusing the other person of being overly self-aware and asking the other person to reflect on their conduct.
Can't you get what I mean?
The artist is questioning whether the other person lacks the ability to comprehend their concerns and motivations.
It is the truth
The singer asserts that their feelings and perspectives reflect reality.
Nothing to lose
The singer doesn't have anything to lose by bringing these truths to light.
Hating you is easy for me now
The artist has reached a point of calling it quits, and disliking the other person no longer poses a challenge.
And it never ever ends
The artist is lamenting the fact that the conflict seems to recur indefinitely.
Where it all begun
The artist is curious about the starting point of the conflict.
Why is life just a game?
The singer is questioning the nature of life.
A game without style
The artist believes that the game of life is straightforward and unimpressive, lacking creativity and excitement.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: OLIVER TARANCZEWSKI, VOLKER LUTZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J.H.
@BillAnt Yes, exactly. If you really observe their catalog with a fine-toothed comb, it started off as a very abstract, atmospheric sound with a real emphasis on the "Evil" part of their name. As time went on, though, it was veering away into more conventional, but still hard-hitting and energetic EBM / dark industrial.
The first album where they truly started to turn into electropop with a hint of darkness would probably be Angels Only. It was the last album where Volker's vocals were the "evil" type, but the songs were increasingly more rhythmic and structured in a more typical fashion.
As early as 1999 he started to use his current singing style. A bit authoritarian, but still somehow emotional. That's one thing I really admire about his style (no pun intended) is he sings in such a monotone voice, but he adds little intricacies and nuances which make it full of life. He really is one of a kind.
From what I was told, Volker specifically wanted to disassociate from / abandon the Evils Toy name and simply go with "Toy" (which was trademarked in the UK I think, so they settled on "T.O.Y.", which is an abbreviation for "Trademark Of Youth".
He wanted to become a pop star, or at least be in the same category as some other groups who work in similar genres, with Alphaville / Marian Gold being the #1 example I can think of, since they're known by the mainstream with at least a few songs of theirs. Depeche Mode is another.
It also is possible a case of him getting older and possibly outgrowing the harsh stuff and wanting to appeal to more people.
Their best era in the T.O.Y. timeline is White Lights / the remixes which came out from 2002 to 2004. That sound is so timeless and perfect.
In 2004 they started to work on Pain is Love, and from what I can tell it was re-recorded several times. There was a conflicting direction for the album's style. It was a mishmash of White Lights-like songs and stuff you would've heard either on Space Radio or even Silvertears.
Makes me wonder if Oliver and him had fundamental creative disagreements, where Oliver wanted to keep it in the same vain as their early work (Space Radio) whereas Volker wanted to make it an all-out pop album. The Final Night was AMAZING back in 2012 or so. It was so upbeat and danceable. That's actually one of the first songs ever written for the album (it existed as early as July 2005), and it's chronologically the oldest song on the album.
They shot for a 2012 release date, and that came and went. They spent all of 2013 and up until July 2014 reworking the whole album into something more unified (Oliver Tarancszewski came onboard for a while to help). Plenty of songs faced the chopping block in this time, and a few new ones were added and being worked on behind the scenes. For Gold was created in 2014 it looks like (possibly under the working title "Wild At Heart") and others, such as Wild And Naked, didn't see any sort of release beyond a snippet.
Coincidentally Alphaville announced their Strange Attractor album was going to be released that year as well, but it didn't come out until 2017, which is when Pain is Love came out... Haha.
I'm like a total nerd about this band. Nice to see others who share an interest.
Victor Rodriguez
My favorite Envil"s Toy song ................ greetings of Perú ..
ANGIE M0N5T3R
Greetings from the U.S.A
Querly Modz
Früher als ich klein war hat mein Vater mir die Musik gezeigt... Und ich höre sie selbst heute noch. Endlos geile Musik
Vincent Birmingham
Perfect 👌👍
Torsten Kinzel
🖤🎶🎹
Gabriel Mazuca
Why the hell isn't this album on Spotify?
Shaun Hamilton
Classic!
BillAnt
This one is the cleanest sounding one of all the other uploads. Thanks! :)
If anybody give it a dislike, their thumb and penis will be cut off immediately! xD
ANGIE M0N5T3R
HaHa Thanks Bill :) you are awesome
BillAnt
I'm standing by with a sharp knife.... someone just try it! ;D
Gosh this song brings back so many great memories... when Evil was turning into an Angel. :)