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

Faith Not Important
Icon of Coil Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All had the kid about
Was the thing that breathed with death
Still hide the faces
Its too real to be exposed

How I wish to force you all
In the end to swallow led
To put you six feet under

But you never beware
The mud on my hands

This time I've had enough
Can't sleep until it stops
Until they hang by their necks
The price of freedom is high
This time I've had enough
Can't sleep until it stops
The price of freedom is high
Glorified

Since they stole you away from us
Many things have changed
I never forget my true obligation
Italiation

I've learned nothing
But I swear I'll never forget
The faces of my enemies
There is nothing I'll regret
Its time for vengeance
Its time to finally act
Punishment
Its time to get a trophy on my wall

How I wish to force you all
In the end to swallow led
To put you six feet under
But you never beware
The mud on my hands

This time I've had enough
Can't sleep until it stops
Until they hang by their necks
The price of freedom is high
This time I've had enough
Can't sleep until it stops

The price of freedom is high
Glorified

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Icon of Coil's song Faith Not Important are about revenge and the desire for justice. The first stanza talks about the main character's anger towards someone or something they refer to as "the thing that breathed with death." It's clear that this thing has caused some sort of trauma or hurt as the singer alludes to wanting to bury them six feet under. The second stanza talks about the singer's frustration with their current situation, and their desire to see their enemies pay for what they have done. They refer to their enemies as faces they will never forget, indicating a deeply personal connection to the events that have transpired.

Throughout the song, the singer expresses their desire for retribution and describes how they cannot rest until it is achieved. They see their quest for revenge as a necessary price for the freedom they seek. This is especially highlighted in the repeated phrase "the price of freedom is high" which serves as a reminder that the singer's quest for justice will come with a potentially steep cost.

Overall, the song explores the darker side of human nature and the lengths one is willing to go to avenge a perceived wrong. It's a powerful and emotional song that captures the pain and rage of someone seeking justice.

Line by Line Meaning

All had the kid about
Everyone was talking about the same thing

Was the thing that breathed with death
It was something that was associated with death

Still hide the faces
They still keep their faces hidden

Its too real to be exposed
It's too dangerous to reveal it

How I wish to force you all
I want to make you do something against your will

In the end to swallow led
Ultimately, to accept the consequences of your actions

To put you six feet under
To kill you and bury you six feet under ground

But you never beware
But you never take caution

The mud on my hands
The guilt I feel for what I've done

This time I've had enough
I can't take it anymore

Can't sleep until it stops
I can't rest until this is over