"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
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Other Half Of Me
Icon of Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Still hunting in your eyes
Let me taste the life
That you have tasted
Let me feel the power of your supplies
Let me reach my goal
Give me the simmering in your eyes
And the simmering in your eyes
The other half of me and all the pieces I left behind
You are my drugs
You are my demons
I am still alive
I always knew something were missing
Let me feel the pain that you've felt
I'm still counting the days
Still drifting
Searching for myself
For myself
The lyrics to "Other Half Of Me" by Icon of Coil are emotionally charged and introspective, with a focus on seeking strength, power, and understanding through the experiences of another person. The singer implores their subject to allow them to feel these things through seeing the "hunting" in their eyes and tasting the life they have lived. They want to absorb the power that the other person has accumulated and use it to reach their own goals, claiming their soul in the process.
The other person is identified as the "other half" of the singer, with all the pieces they had lost or left behind being found in this person. The person is both their drugs and their demons, representing a complex and intense relationship that has propelled the singer towards a sense of completion. However, they still feel the pain that the other person has felt and are counting the days, still searching for themselves.
In essence, the lyrics speak to the yearning for connection and understanding that is central to the human experience. The singer wants to merge with another person in order to become stronger and more complete, but this merging is not without its challenges and pitfalls. The song is a poignant exploration of these themes, with a driving beat and soaring vocals that amplify its emotional impact.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me feel the strength that you felt
Allow me to experience the same power and energy that you once felt.
Still hunting in your eyes
I can still see the intensity of your emotions reflected in your gaze.
Let me taste the life
That you have tasted
I want to experience the same things that you have experienced in life.
Let me feel the power of your supplies
Grant me access to the resources and support that you have.
Let me reach my goal
Assist me in achieving my aspirations.
Give me the simmering in your eyes
I'm here to claim my soul
I'm drawn to the passion and intensity in your eyes, as it resonates with my own desires and needs.
And the simmering in your eyes
The other half of me and all the pieces I left behind
The passion and intensity in your eyes represents the missing pieces of my own being.
You are my drugs
You are my demons
You have the power to both elevate and destroy me, like a drug or demon.
I am still alive
Despite the challenges and struggles, I am still standing.
I always knew something were missing
I have always felt incomplete and like a part of me is missing.
Let me feel the pain that you've felt
Allow me to empathize and connect with the pain that you have experienced.
I'm still counting the days
Still drifting
I'm still struggling to find my way and am counting the days until I can find my purpose.
Searching for myself
For myself
I am on a journey to discover my true self and my own purpose in life.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OLE ANDERS OLSEN, SEBASTIAN R. KOMOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind