"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
Transfer:Complete
Icon of Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only fragments of the life I had remain
My enemy, my inner self, haunting me down
Brief touch of reality, I'm losing my gravity
I've seen these clouds way too many times
Although the sky is bleeding
I've seen these clouds way too many times
The transfer is complete
On to another place, another time
Your beautiful world is dead
Pitch black, with your burning flag in my hands
Is there anything left to save?
Except from revolting pride?
Is there anything left at all?
Is there anything left to long for?
Although the sky is bleeding
Still my eyes are dry
The opening lines of the song "Transfer:Complete" by Icon of Coil depict the internal battle faced by the singer. The expression "in the middle of this storm again, fighting fire" symbolizes the inner struggle of the persona who has encountered this adversity repeatedly. The phrase "only fragments of the life I had remained" suggests that some traumatic events from the past have shattered the life of the singer, and they have only been left with pieces to rebuild themselves. The persona is seen as a victim of their "inner self" who is "haunting" them, which refers to their inner demons that have taken over.
The realization of losing control of their life is showcased in the following lines, "brief touch of reality, I'm losing my gravity." This expression indicates that the singer is unable to distinguish reality from their imagination and is unable to keep a grip on their life. The chorus of the song is a depiction of the bleak situation the singer is in, and the consequences they are going to face, despite the fact that they have seen similar situations before. However, the lyricist intentionally isolates the feelings from reality, which is apparent in the line, "although the sky is bleeding, still my eyes are dry." It is an expression of nonchalance in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
In the middle of this storm again, fighting fire
I am once again in the middle of a chaotic situation, battling through it to survive.
Only fragments of the life I had remain
My life has been torn apart by this storm and only small parts of it still exist.
My enemy, my inner self, haunting me down
I am being pursued by my own internal struggles and demons.
Brief touch of reality, I'm losing my gravity
Even though I have experienced reality briefly, I am starting to lose my sense of stability and balance as a result of this storm.
I've seen these clouds way too many times
I have experienced similar situations and problems many times before.
Although the sky is bleeding
Despite the intense turmoil I'm going through,
I've seen these clouds way too many times
I have experienced similar situations and problems many times before.
Still my eyes are dry
I have been through so much pain and suffering that I am now numb to it all.
The transfer is complete
I have moved on to a different place or time.
On to another place, another time
I have left my past behind and am now moving forward to a new environment.
Your beautiful world is dead
The world I used to know is gone and no longer beautiful like it once was.
Pitch black, with your burning flag in my hands
The darkness of this new world is overwhelming and I am holding onto a symbol of what used to exist.
Is there anything left to save?
Is there any hope or chance to salvage what has been lost?
Except from revolting pride?
Other than my rebellious and defiant spirit, is there anything left to hold onto?
Is there anything left at all?
Is there any reason to continue going on in this world?
Is there anything left to long for?
Is there anything worth dreaming and hoping for in this barren new world?
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind