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

Mono Overload
Icon of Coil Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

No clemency, no elastic rules
Good for nothing, no odyssey
Need to re-deploy my troops
Never been this clear-sighted
As I am in captivity
I'm just an imitation of myself

Now I crawl, I need forgiveness

I know my life is about to end
Of all the big mistakes I've done
The small ones will remain
Now I fight with impunity
The battle never ends
Of all the big mistakes I've done
The small ones will remain

Below zero, below my need for words
Feel you lifeform, not human
Need to re-deploy my troops
No clemency, no elastic rules
Mono overload
I walk away, out from hiding

Into a field of wired shadows
I long for the touch of something real

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Icon of Coil's Mono Overload refer to the feelings of a person who is struggling with himself and his place in the world. The first stanza speaks to the sense of being trapped by one's own limitations and choices. The lyrics refer to the absence of forgiveness and the need for clarity that comes with facing one's own limitations. The second stanza goes deeper into the idea of forgiveness and redemption for past mistakes. The lyrics call out the idea that even if one has made big mistakes, it is the small ones that will haunt them the most.

The third stanza shifts to a more surreal tone, alluding to an otherworldly existence that is beyond human understanding. The use of "lifeform" instead of "human" suggests a sense of alienation and disconnection from humanity. The final lines of the song suggest a longing for something real and tangible in a world that can feel empty and disorienting.

Overall, the lyrics of Mono Overload touch on themes of redemption, self-reflection, and the search for meaning in a confusing world.

Line by Line Meaning

No clemency, no elastic rules
Rules don't bend for me, no second chances given

Good for nothing, no odyssey
I am worthless, have no grand adventures or new experiences in life

Need to re-deploy my troops
I need to regroup and approach things in a new way

Never been this clear-sighted
I have never understood things so well

As I am in captivity
Being trapped has given me clarity

I'm just an imitation of myself
I am not who I used to be, but only a reflection of it

Now I crawl, I need forgiveness
I am at my lowest, humbled and in need of absolution

I know my life is about to end
I am aware of my mortality

Of all the big mistakes I've done
I have made a lot of mistakes in life

The small ones will remain
The little errors and regrets will stick with me