In 1997 Andy LaPlegua established the project, "Icon of Coil", which was pr… Read Full Bio ↴In 1997 Andy LaPlegua established the project, "Icon of Coil", which was primarily a concept built around a logo, graphic design and music. Soon after the inception, the music turned out to be the most important part of the concept and LaPlegua invited Sebastian R. Komor, who he had worked with before on the project "Sector 9", (now called "Moonitor") in 1996, to work with him on the project as a live member. After just a couple of gigs and the release of IoC’s first single, "Shallow Nation", Seb became a full-time member.

"Shallow Nation", released early in 2000, sold out the first thousand copies after only two weeks in the stores, which resulted in a deal with the Norwegian record label Tatra Records. Around that time Tatra Records released the compilation "Sex, Goth & Electronics", to which IoC contributed an exclusive version of their song "Repeat It".

Before they started work on their second release IoC did programming for the "Apoptygma Berzerk" track "Starsign". Soon afterwards, they travelled to Germany, with live member Jon Holm, to support Apoptygma on their "Welcome to Earth tour 2000" at gigs in Frankfurt, Cottbus and Leipzig before going back to Norway to play together at Rockefeller in Oslo.

Audiences seemed to enjoy Icon of Coil's energetic and melodious sound fused with Andy's hypnotic voice and the band's success grew. "One Nation Under Beat" debuted in the top 20 on the DAC-chart (Deutsch Alternative Chart), stayed on the chart for eight weeks and peaked at number three.

In late spring of 2000 at a gig in Uddevalla, Sweden, Christian Lund joined the band as a live-member and went on stage with Andy and Seb for the first time. Along with being the vocalist for his "En Route" project, Christian had a background from a melodious EBM Fredrikstad-band called "Elected By Fear" where he played together with Fredrik Hansen from "Echo Image" (who also played at that gig) and Marius Johnsen from "Centravibe".

After the release of IoC's first full-length "Serenity Is The Devil" in November 2000, which reached number three on the DAC-chart, the band went to Germany together with "Beborn Beton". With nine gigs, positive feedback from the audience and very good reviews on the debut album, IoC gained a substantial following in the synth/industrial scene.

Shortly afterward, the album crossed the Atlantic and was released in North America by Metropolis Records. On March 29th, 2001, the band itself followed and boarded a plane to Chicago. They were on their own in a foreign country and on a tight budget. The band flew from city to city, slept in hotels and sometimes even in the homes of their promoters. The song "Situations Like These" from the (then) forthcoming "Seren EP" was played live for the first time to an incredibly enthusiastic and energetic American audience, which made the tour a big success. Then after playing at "Slimelight" and "Astoria II" (Electrofest) in London, the guys had a short break before they faced a festival-filled summer in Europe.

The summer kicked off with a successful show in Leipzig, Germany, at "Wave-Gothic Treffen". The following festivals included "CSD", "Zillo Festival", "Xtreaktor Festival", "Eurorock", "Infest" and ended at "M'era Luna" where the trio did a hard-hitting performance in the Hangar.

"Situations Like These" became a big club hit and the band was ready for a second tour (this time in a Nightliner touring bus) of North America with "VNV Nation". The leg began in Chicago on the 16th of November at a packed Vic Theatre, which set the standard for the rest of the 19 shows. Icon of Coil, VNV Nation and the rest of the crew continued up to Canada, down the east coast to Florida, through Texas to the West coast and Hollywood, where they did their 15th show in front of about 900 people at the Palace. The four-week tour ended in Edmonton, Canada with a great show and a huge after-party.

During their tours, the band found the time to write material for their April 2002 sophomore album, "The Soul Is In The Software", which stayed at number one on the DAC for a several weeks. IoC then performed at two more festivals: "The Dark Jubilee Festival" in London; and later as the Sunday-headliner for "Synthpop Goes The World" in Toronto, Canada, which turned out to be a very good but warm weekend and concert.

Icon of Coil came a long way in a short amount of time. For 2004 their third album, "Machines Are Us", continued the trend with pummeling beats, sympathetic vocals, anthem-like melodies, and sweeping synths. Careful not to be outdone or forgotten, Icon of Coil released "Uploaded And Remixed", which featured brand new mixes of songs from their first two records and two exclusive tracks, at the tail end of 2004.

Since then the band has been on indefinite hiatus, only performing a handful of live shows around the world, as Andy has been concentrating on his new band "Combichrist".

On a short reunion tour of Australia in November, 2011 the 3 members rekindled old friendships and the creative chemistry from the past came raging back. The single "PerfectSex" was released in August 2012, together with the announcement that the band is working on a new album.

Official MySpace page: www.myspace.com/officialiconofcoil
Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IconOfCoilOfficial

Brighter Day
Icon of Coil Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I love the taste
the taste is so fine
chemical essence completes my inside
the iron taste will always sustain
just like a brick you're a piece of my brain
feels complete
an harvest of a brighter day
feels complete

we're going nowhere
pretend that it's somewhere
we got no more places to go
we're going nowhere
pretend that it's somewhere
we got no more places to go
can't feel no pain just this warmth inside
my eyes are black there is no place to hide
I'm out swimming in the harvest of chains
my machinery in my veins
feels complete
an harvest of a brighter day
feels complete
we're going nowhere
pretend that it's somewhere
we got no more places to go
we're going nowhere
pretend that it's somewhere
we got no more places to go
did we feed our ego did we choose this path
did we ever get along
did we choose this lifetime
did we even have a choice
we're going nowhere
pretend that it's somewhere
we got no more places to go
we're going nowhere

pretend that it's somewhere
we got no more places to go

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Icon of Coil's song "Brighter Day" speak to the feeling of emptiness and the search for fulfillment. The opening lines, "I love the taste, the taste is so fine, chemical essence completes my inside" suggest a dependence on something that completes the singer. This can be interpreted as either a literal or a metaphorical addiction, and the reference to "iron taste" implies a kind of strength or rigidity to the dependency. The line "just like a brick you're a piece of my brain" solidifies this notion of reliance, comparing the dependency to a permanent, foundational part of the singer's identity.

The chorus, "feels complete, an harvest of a brighter day" speaks to the idea that this dependency brings a sense of contentment and satisfaction, perhaps even akin to a bountiful harvest. However, the following line "we're going nowhere, pretend that it's somewhere, we got no more places to go" suggests that this fulfillment is fleeting and illusory. The repetition of this phrase throughout the song creates a sense of hopelessness and futility, as the singer acknowledges that there is no real destination or purpose to their actions. The final verse, with its series of rhetorical questions, reinforces this sense of aimlessness and lack of agency in the singer's life.

Line by Line Meaning

I love the taste
I enjoy the sensation

the taste is so fine
The sensation is particularly exquisite

chemical essence completes my inside
The feeling provides a sense of fulfillment

the iron taste will always sustain
The sensation will persist

just like a brick you're a piece of my brain
You are an integral part of my being

feels complete
I feel whole

an harvest of a brighter day
A fruitful future

we're going nowhere
We lack direction

pretend that it's somewhere
Falsely imagine a destination

we got no more places to go
We have nowhere left to explore

can't feel no pain just this warmth inside
Emotionally numbed, but content