"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
Dead Enough For Life
Icon of Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Efficiency of prayer
To false to be harmless
Can never get enough
I'm the three head watchdog
This my revelation, my only disease
A manifest of life
[Chorus:]
If I could reach trough, catch you
Make you understand,
If I'm not dead enough for life
Am I alive enough for death?
If I could reach trough, catch you
Make you understand
If I'm not dead enough for life
Am I alive enough for death?
A gift from the unknown, promises they gave us
Rejection our faith, and I fought this purpose
Emotions or images, drawn with a single line
Our methods are unsound, a life I cannot offer, I cannot offer...
The lyrics to Icon of Coil's song "Dead Enough For Life" touch on themes of existential questioning, spirituality, and self-reflection. The lines "Proof and disproof, Efficiency of prayer, Too false to be harmless, Can never get enough" seem to be referencing the struggle to find meaning and purpose in life. It suggests that despite our attempts to find proof or evidence of a higher power, our prayers may not always be answered and can ultimately lead to disappointment or disbelief. The line "Too false to be harmless" implies that perhaps our desire for a higher meaning in life is misguided or even dangerous.
The lyrics then shift to a more personal tone with the line "I'm the three head watchdog, This my revelation, my only disease, A manifest of life." The singer seems to be struggling with their own identity and place in the world. They describe themselves as a "watchdog", perhaps meant to symbolize their role as a protector, but also possibly indicating a sense of isolation or loneliness. The line "A manifest of life" could be interpreted as a declaration of their existence or a realization of their own mortality.
The chorus is a plea to be understood and accepted, with the singer questioning whether they are "dead enough for life" or "alive enough for death." This could be interpreted as a questioning of whether they have truly lived and experienced all that life has to offer, or if they are simply existing without any real purpose.
Overall, the lyrics of "Dead Enough For Life" suggest a search for meaning and purpose in life, with the singer struggling to come to terms with their own identity and place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Proof and disproof
Examining both evidence and evidence to the contrary
Efficiency of prayer
Questioning the effectiveness of prayer
Too false to be harmless
Doubting the safety of false beliefs and ideologies
Can never get enough
Forever striving for more
I'm the three head watchdog
Asserting oneself as a vigilant protector
This my revelation, my only disease
One's epiphany being also their affliction
A manifest of life
A tangible expression of existence
If I could reach trough, catch you
Expressing the desire to communicate and connect
Make you understand
To impart knowledge and gain comprehension
If I'm not dead enough for life
Questioning one's worthiness of living
Am I alive enough for death?
Asking whether one is ready to die
A gift from the unknown, promises they gave us
Undisclosed benefactions and the vows accompanied with them
Rejection our faith, and I fought this purpose
Challenging the abandonment of faith and resisting one's preordained fate
Emotions or images, drawn with a single line
The simplicity of conveying emotions and concepts through art
Our methods are unsound, a life I cannot offer, I cannot offer...
Acknowledging the inadequacy of one's efforts and the incapability of providing a certain quality of life
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OLE ANDERS OLSEN, SEBASTIAN R. KOMOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind