"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
Everything Is Real
Icon of Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Protects me keeps me safe
Wheel of fortune shapes the landscape
Record memories on tape
Still the thought of happiness haunts me
Like a lost soul in a house
Maybe one day it will catch me
Sequence my thoughts
'Cause nothing seems real
Keep my heart in steady beat as I download the end
Do you believe in anything
The pieces play a game
Do you believe anything is real
Struggle to harvest the seed that breeds shame
The pieces play a game
Do you believe anything is real
Tell me how it feels
I have no will, no soul, no courage
Only oil runs through my heart
Can't feel no pain
Can't feel sorrow and I've never experienced joy
How would it be to make a choice
Walking through the days of wonder
Confused I wait for death
Unable to lie to rest
sequensce my thoughts
'Cause nothing seems real
Keep my heart in steady beat as I download a soul
Do you believe in anything
The pieces play a game
Do you believe anything is real
Struggle to harvest the seed that breeds shame
The pieces play a game
Do you believe anything is real
Tell me how it feels
Now I know what it feels to hate
Destructive with intention
And I know the lust of love
And the pain that you've carried
My courage makes me bleed
My body is de-composing
My envy for a soul
Mistake
you would believe anything
The pieces play a game
You would believe everything is real
You struggle to harvest the seed that breeds hate
The pieces play a game
You would believe everything is real
Tell me how it feels (to have a soul)
The lyrics of "Everything is Real" by Icon of Coil, explores the idea of the human psyche and what constitutes our reality. The first stanza, "Thousand rivers from the same tear, protects me, keeps me safe," symbolizes the idea that there are many different paths we can take in our lives, but ultimately they all lead to the same place. This suggests that no matter what choices we make or paths we take, the outcome will still be the same. The wheel of fortune mentioned in the next line, "Wheel of fortune shapes the landscape, record memories on tape," represents the unpredictable nature of life, and how it can change in a moment's notice.
The second stanza, "Still the thought of happiness haunts me, Like a lost soul in a house, Maybe one day it will catch me, And give me the skill to breathe," explores the idea of people's constant search for happiness, despite sometimes feeling lost and directionless. The idea that happiness will one day catch us and give us the skill to breathe, shows us that these feelings of confusion and hopelessness are temporary, and there is always hope for happiness.
The final stanza, "Now I know what it feels to hate, destructive with intention, and I know the lust of love, and the pain that you've carried," explores the complexity of human emotions and the idea that we can experience both love and hate, and that they can coexist within us. The line "my envy for a soul, mistake" suggests that despite our best intentions, we may make mistakes out of our desire for something we don't possess.
Overall, the song's lyrics encourage us to question our own reality and beliefs, and to not be afraid of our own emotions and experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Thousand rivers from the same tear
Innumerable experiences stemming from the same source; fostering a sense of security and protecting me.
Wheel of fortune shapes the landscape
Destiny determines the configuration of the world around me.
Record memories on tape
Preserve the recollection of the past events for posterity.
Still the thought of happiness haunts me
Although constantly searching for joy, it remains elusive and intangible.
Like a lost soul in a house
Feeling displaced and out of place in one's own existence.
Maybe one day it will catch me
Hopeful that happiness will eventually happen upon me.
And give me the skill to breathe
Grant me the ability to fully embrace life and all its complexities.
Sequence my thoughts
Control my thinking patterns to alleviate doubt and uncertainty.
'Cause nothing seems real
Perceiving life through a lens of unreality and uncertainty.
Keep my heart in steady beat as I download the end
Maintain composure throughout the end of one phase and the beginning of another.
Do you believe in anything
Questioning the existence of faith in anything.
The pieces play a game
The world is a puzzle that is being continuously assembled and disassembled.
Do you believe anything is real?
Can anything truly be believed in to be real?
Struggle to harvest the seed that breeds shame
Fighting an inner battle to uncover the root of shame and eradicate it.
Tell me how it feels
Invite a response that describes how it feels to experience reality.
I have no will, no soul, no courage
Emptiness and a deficiency of vitality and bravery.
Only oil runs through my heart
The heart endures without beat or passion.
Can't feel no pain
Blunted to the heartache and suffering of life.
Can't feel sorrow and I've never experienced joy
One's emotional state is stagnant and unchanging.
How would it be to make a choice
Consider the ramifications of decision-making on the state of existence.
Walking through the days of wonder
Journeying through the miraculous and enigmatic.
Confused I wait for death
Uncertainty about and awaiting the inevitability of death.
Unable to lie to rest
Profound restlessness and disquiet.
Now I know what it feels to hate
Becoming familiar with feelings of hatred and animosity.
Destructive with intention
Motivated by harmful urges and impulses.
And I know the lust of love
Understanding the inherent desire and passion of love.
And the pain that you've carried
Being privy to the emotional anguish of another person.
My courage makes me bleed
Having the fortitude to face life's complexities results in suffering.
My body is de-composing
The destruction of the physical body is taking place.
My envy for a soul
Longing for a sense of vitality and vivaciousness.
Mistake
Regrettable.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OLE ANDERS OLSEN, SEBASTIAN R. KOMOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jewa2
esta banda es nueva para mi,no los habia escuchado nunca y la verdad que suenan muy bien +5
xdanierox
Andy LaPlegua es un genio. Amo todo lo que sale de su mente. <3
Jack Ledger
Este tema me recordo a Depeche Mode.