"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
Repeat It
Icon of Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Still flesh of mine is blood of yours
Too much to loose living in your shell
No face
No identity
Silver chrome eyes
A target will rise
Always uncompleted
Silver chrome eyes
A target will rise
I'm forced to repeat it
Always uncompleted
I hate
I love
I fear
I breath
I live my life love to be free
I hate
I love
I fear my blood is red like yours
Silver chrome eyes
A target will rise
I'm forced to condemn it
Always uncompleted
Silver chrome eyes
A target will rise
I'm forced to repeat it
Always uncompleted
I hate
I love
I fear
I breath
I live my life love to be free
I hate
I love
I fear my blood is red like yours
Icon of Coil's song "Repeat It" is a complex composition that takes the audience through a maze of emotions and thoughts. This song highlights the struggles of being an individual in a society that tries to make everyone the same. It brings to light the sense of loss and contradiction people feel when they struggle to fit in while still trying to retain a sense of self.
The lyrics begin with "In motion reaction of action is slow; Still flesh of mine is blood of yours; Too much to lose living in your shell; No face; No identity." These lyrics denote the feeling of being out of sync with the world, and not being able to find a place to belong. The singer touches upon the loss of individuality that comes with societal uniformity, and how it weighs heavily on one's sense of self. The use of "Silver chrome eyes" is an allusion to an "artificial" society, which is not organic or natural.
The chorus, "I hate; I love; I fear; I breathe; I live my life love to be free; I hate; I love; I fear my blood is red like yours," talks about a person who has conflicts within themselves. It alludes to how they feel emotions at the optimum levels, and how they cannot be categorized as a singular feeling. This song focuses on the emotions that people go through and how they try to fit in while still staying true to themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
In motion reaction of action is slow
When reacting, my actions often come slowly.
Still flesh of mine is blood of yours
We may have different outward appearances, but at our core we are the same.
Too much to loose living in your shell
You risk losing too much if you never step out of your comfort zone.
No face
I do not have a defined identity.
No identity
I have not yet found my true self.
Silver chrome eyes
My eyes are like mirrors, reflecting the world.
A target will rise
Something will always be in my sight, something to aim for.
I'm forced to condemn it
I must judge and reject certain things in order to move forward.
Always uncompleted
I am always searching, always pursuing something and never fully achieving it.
I'm forced to repeat it
I must keep pursuing something, even if I have failed before.
I hate
I feel strong negative emotions.
I love
I feel strong positive emotions.
I fear
I feel anxiety about the unknown or potential danger.
I breath
I am alive, taking in the world around me.
I live my life love to be free
I choose to live my life with an emphasis on personal freedom.
I fear my blood is red like yours
Despite our differences, we are all human beings with the same vulnerabilities.
Contributed by Vivian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.