2002 saw the departure of Andrecht and the release of the sophomore album Ruined. The aggressive album led Phelps to recruit Sam P. and Jason DM of Los Angeles based Pulse Legion to complete the live line-up. Shortly thereafter, the growing band completed its first North American tour.
In 2004 Imperative Reaction unleashed Redemption. This album combined the rock feel of Ruined with a more club friendly sound which helped propel the first single “Giving In To The Change” to become a dance floor staple. Jason DM was replaced on keys by Clint Carney (System Syn, God Module) and the band set out on its second North American tour. The Redemption tour led to an invitation to join VNV Nation as direct support for their 2005 Formation Tour. Over the course of 36 shows Imperative Reaction transformed itself into a celebrated live act in front of over 25,000 fans.
As We Fall , released in 2006, was met with universal acclaim. Imperative Reaction joined EBM legends Covenant on their successful Skyshaper US tour. Shortly thereafter, IR was asked to join VNV Nation on their European Judgment Tour. Upon returning to the US, the band was picked to open for Combichrist on their 2007 North American tour. Further solidifying themselves as one of the premier electronic live acts, IR returned home to Los Angeles just in time to head out with psychobilly giants, Tiger Army on their US Razor’s Kiss Tour. The desire to expand and strengthen the live show led Phelps to hire Trevor Friedrich (Combichrist, Eighteen Visions, Suffer Well) to drum for the band.
In 2008, Imperative Reaction released Minus All and embarked on its most ambitious headlining tour to date. Shortly after the completion of the tour the band added guitarist/keyboardist Adam Vex (Seraphim Shock) and the live chemistry was solidified once and for all.
In 2009, the band took time off from writing to hit the road with fellow Metropolis Records artist, Psyclon Nine. The co-headlining tour, named "The Ruina Tour", saw the bands playing to capacity crowds across the US.
2010 was spent holed up in the studio creating the band’s most ambitious album to date. Imperative Reaction is an electronic rock masterpiece that showcases a band in its prime; ready to blow any preconceived notions out of the water. There is no escape.
Judas
Imperative Reaction Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's hard to even notice
But this drought is only the beginning
Moving forward pushing aside
The subtle warnings we chose to deny
Seem so far away now
But if we could go back
Would we change it?
Hoping to avoid this total collapse
And now
There's no going back
You sold us out
You thought
It would be better this way
But now you're drowning in doubt
So drive the nails in deep
As we act on your demands
Just hope that you can sleep
With our blood on your hands
It's burning faster now it's only
Moments away from stalling
And the devout have slowly stepped back
Moving backward pulling inside
The blaring alarms we chose to deny
Seem too close to hear now
But if we could go back
Would we change it?
Or just stay on the same path
Hoping to avoid this total collapse?
The lyrics to Imperative Reaction's song "Judas" paint a picture of a situation that has gone too far. The light is slowly fading out, indicating that something is coming to an end. The drought mentioned in the second line suggests that there has been a prolonged period of time where something important has been lacking. Despite subtle warnings that were ignored, the situation has reached a point where it cannot be ignored any longer. It's unclear what exactly has led to this point, but there may have been an individual who sold out the group for personal gain. The lyrics suggest that this person is now filled with doubt about their actions, but it's too late to go back. The group is now left dealing with the consequences, and this individual has blood on their hands.
Throughout the song, the lyrics ask the question of whether things could have been different if they had gone back and made different choices. The band seems to be suggesting that this is a critical turning point and that the choices made now will determine the ultimate outcome. As the situation gets worse, the devout have slowly stepped back, indicating that there may have been people who were previously supportive but who have now lost faith. The final lines of the song ask whether they would change the outcome or just continue on the same path, hoping to avoid the total collapse.
Overall, "Judas" is a powerful song about betrayal, doubt, and the consequences of our actions. The lyrics suggest that though it may be difficult to see the warning signs, it's critical to pay attention to them before it's too late. The band's message seems to be that we should take responsibility for our actions and the choices we make, as they will ultimately influence the outcome of a given situation.
Line by Line Meaning
The light is fading out so slowly
Things are getting worse little by little, almost imperceptibly
It's hard to even notice
It's difficult to see the problems accumulating
But this drought is only the beginning
The current situation is a precursor to a worse future
Moving forward pushing aside
We are ignoring the warnings and just continuing on
The subtle warnings we chose to deny
The signs of danger that we refuse to acknowledge
Seem so far away now
The warnings seem like they happened so long ago
But if we could go back
If we had the chance to change things
Would we change it?
Would we do things differently?
Or just stay on the same path?
Would we continue on the same trajectory?
Hoping to avoid this total collapse?
Trying to prevent a complete breakdown
And now
In the present situation
There's no going back
We can't change what's already happened
You sold us out
You betrayed us
You thought
You believed
It would be better this way
That things would improve with your decision
But now you're drowning in doubt
You regret your choice and are struggling with the consequences
So drive the nails in deep
Make it hurt as much as possible
As we act on your demands
As we carry out your wishes
Just hope that you can sleep
Just hope you can live with yourself
With our blood on your hands
With the consequences of your actions affecting us all
It's burning faster now it's only
Things are escalating quickly now
Moments away from stalling
About to grind to a halt
And the devout have slowly stepped back
Even those who believed in the cause are losing faith
Moving backward pulling inside
Retreating and becoming more insular
The blaring alarms we chose to deny
The clear signs of danger that we refused to acknowledge
Seem too close to hear now
Now it's too late to ignore them
But if we could go back
If we could turn back time
Would we change it?
Would we make different choices?
Or just stay on the same path
Or continue down the same road to destruction?
Hoping to avoid this total collapse?
In order to prevent everything from falling apart
Contributed by Emma L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Redheadxkitty
Definetly one of the most underated industrial band out there now!
eraserheadSH
this song reminds me of fun and beautiful times in my life. i'd love to go back in time and live them again.
Ardie Kepo'o
Tank9 brought me here... Even after all these years, this still rocks...
rennemarie
Still rocks to this day.
BlutGirl
this is one of my fav bands ...
CAP381470
this is one of those bands you stumble across and wonder why they aren't main-stream, thanks for the upload!
Christian Kolstad
Great tune. Loves it!!
ro so
@Talrose Orgy is my favorite band as well! I'm glad to find some other people with similar musical tastes. I still think Imperative Reaction is pretty cool, and they fit more with what I like about Julien-K than with Orgy, as they're more electronic than rock, but still have elements of both. And I agree, Punk Statik was pretty meh. Jay said he wanted a more raw record, which is too bad, because the rest of the band/fanbase was more into the electronic aspect being a part of it.
sYmboloGy
The lyrics sound similar to what is happening right now with our world. This song is pretty damn good!
Cristian Manuel Torres Sanchez
es la primera vez que escucho este grupo es lo maximo