"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.
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Remove/Replace
Icon of Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanna taste your second skin, you're my sin
I wanna get to know you inside and out
All I feel is the past, that is hunting us down
Collecting memories
Like pictures out of a book
I can't reach it, it's out of my range
Existence, no sense, only denial
Resist, refuse, remove, replace
Memory overdrive
I thought I had it under control
Despite the poison in my head
I thought I finally found my peace
Collecting memories
The lyrics of Icon of Coil's song Remove/Replace depict a desire to intimately experience and possess another person's emotions and physicality, even if it causes pain. The singer wants to taste and feel the other person, as if they are addicted to them. They describe this person's skin as a "second skin," which suggests they feel it is tightly connected to them. The singer expresses a desire to know the other person inside and out, but they feel hindered by their past experiences. The past haunts them, and they feel like they cannot escape it.
The chorus of the song, "Resist, refuse, remove, replace," suggests that the singer is trying to overcome their addiction to and fixation on this person, but they are struggling to do so. They feel overwhelmed by their memories, which they describe as "pictures out of a book." They are unable to reach them or escape them. The lyrics suggest that the singer sees existence as meaningless and futile, and that the only way to deal with the pain and discomfort of their memories is to deny them completely.
Overall, the lyrics of Remove/Replace explore themes of addiction, desire, and the struggle to overcome painful memories. The singer seems to be caught in a cycle of desire and denial, unable to fully move on from their past.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna taste you, feel you, make you hurt
The singer desires to experience and harm their loved one.
I wanna taste your second skin, you're my sin
They want to explore their partner's deepest, darkest secrets and desires.
I wanna get to know you inside and out
They want to understand every aspect of their loved one.
All I feel is the past, that is hunting us down
The past is haunting and affecting their relationship.
Collecting memories
Memories are being remembered and kept.
Like pictures out of a book
They're being stored like pictures in an album.
I can't reach it, it's out of my range
They can't access or control their memories.
There is nothing that makes any sense
Nothing in their life has meaning.
Existence, no sense, only denial
The singer denies their existence and feels like there's no purpose.
Resist, refuse, remove, replace
The singer wants to fight and discard their memories.
Memory overdrive
The memories are overwhelming and dominating.
I thought I had it under control
They used to think they had it all figured out.
Despite the poison in my head
They're struggling with negative thoughts and emotions.
I thought I finally found my peace
The singer believed they had finally achieved inner peace.
Collecting memories
They keep collecting memories, even though they're hurting.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OLE ANDERS OLSEN, SEBASTIAN R. KOMOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind