"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
Thrillcapsule
Icon of Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't it already heading for you
Feel your throat burn, neglecting the pain
Day turns to night the dawn mets the sun at the sky,
I need you to try
Buried with a flat line but still alive
Pieces of your brain still haunts me down
Living in a capsule while breathing concrete
One thousand mg. searching for you
Day turns to night the dawn meets the sun at the sky,
I need you to try
It will defend you keep you safe
It will protect you, keep you dead
I need you to try
The song "Thrillcapsule" by Icon of Coil is a song that delves into the theme of addiction and the dangerous allure of drugs. The lyrics of the song suggest the singer is actively seeking out a high by taking one thousand milligrams of a substance, presumably a drug. The singer seems fully aware that what they are doing could have deadly consequences with the line "Ain't it already heading for you", yet they continue despite the potential harm.
As the song progresses, we see that the singer has become numb to any physical pain they may be experiencing with the line "Feel your throat burn, neglecting the pain." The lyrics then take on a surreal quality as they describe the changing of day into night and the dawn meeting the sun in the sky. This could represent the singer's altered perception of time due to the drugs they have taken.
Overall, "Thrillcapsule" is a deep dive into the world of drug addiction and the self-destructive behavior it can lead to. The lyrics provide a warning about the dangers of drug use and the potential for it to take over someone's life.
Line by Line Meaning
One thousand mg. searching for you
I am searching for you with all my might and even consuming a high dosage of some substance in order to find you.
Ain't it already heading for you
I feel like I am getting closer to you, even though you may not realize it yet.
Feel your throat burn, neglecting the pain
I am experiencing intense physical and emotional pain while searching for you, but I try to ignore it and keep going.
Day turns to night the dawn mets the sun at the sky,
Time keeps moving forward, without regard for my search for you, and the cycle of day and night continues.
I need you to try
I am pleading with you to make an effort to understand how much I want to find you.
Buried with a flat line but still alive
Even though I may feel like my search for you is hopeless and futile, I am determined to keep going and not give up.
Pieces of your brain still haunts me down
Thoughts and memories of you continue to occupy my mind and won't let me rest until I find you.
Living in a capsule while breathing concrete
I feel trapped and suffocated by my surroundings while trying to search for you, like I am living in a bubble while also surrounded by a harsh reality.
Bombshell lock it up, feed us with lead
We are being manipulated and controlled by a powerful force that is keeping us in the dark and feeding us lies.
It will defend you keep you safe
There is something that will protect you from harm and danger, but I need to find you first in order to access it.
It will protect you, keep you dead
Although this protective force may keep you physically safe, it may also cause you harm or prevent you from truly living and experiencing life.
I need you to try
Once again, I am pleading with you to make an effort to find me and understand the depth of my desperation to be with you.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OLE ANDERS OLSEN, SEBASTIAN R. KOMOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind