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.
rift
Imperative Reaction Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drowning in regret
I have myself to blame again
No words can make ammends
I am the damage
I am the loss
I am everything that breaks down
I am the reason
I am the wound I'll never close
These things I never wanted
Tearing through me
Destroying everything I've done
My rotten whispers
Speak to no one
Yet these walls will not fall down
Rift
It's breaking me down
And no one ever seemed to see
How much it really meant to me
It cut me deeper than we knew
And all the things we ever felt
Are buried underneath my guilt
Rift
It's expanding with time
And the storm I brought between us
Will burn us forever
I've lost everthing inside
I have torn apart the threads that held my soul together
One more time
And all I've had I've lost
One by one they fall apart again
My tortured mind cannot revive
The dreams I've thrown away this time
I've almost lost myself
I've never been so alone
Your memory never fades
I don't want what I've become
But I am left with this
I trapped myself
Inside believing
I would never lose my ground
I forced you out alone
My world fell apart the day you left
Don't go away
The song "Rift" by Imperative Reaction delves into themes of regret, self-blame, and the aftermath of mistakes that have caused irreparable damage. Through the lyrics, the singer acknowledges that they are the source of the destruction in their life - the cause of the wounds that may never be healed. There is a sense of isolation and loneliness that permeates throughout the song, with the singer standing alone and drowning in their own guilt. Despite their whispers not being able to penetrate the walls that surround them, the rift within themselves continues to expand and tear them apart.
The chorus serves as an emotional culmination, highlighting the impact of the rift and how it has broken the singer down to their core. The pain is unbearable and it is clear that the singer's actions have had a great cost. The lyrics touch on the idea that sometimes our mistakes have consequences beyond repair, and we have to live with them forever. The final lines of the song show a plea - a desperate hope that someone will not go away, that perhaps there is still a chance for redemption and healing.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I stand all alone
I am by myself, without anyone to turn to
Drowning in regret
I am overwhelmed with remorse
I have myself to blame again
I am responsible for my own downfall
No words can make ammends
There are no apologies that can fix what I have done
I am the damage
I am the one causing harm
I am the loss
I am the one causing the loss
I am everything that breaks down
I am the root cause of everything falling apart
I am the reason
I am the cause for everything bad that happened
I am the cause
I am the reason for the problems
I am the wound I'll never close
I am forever damaged by my own actions
These things I never wanted
I never intended for things to turn out this way
Tearing through me
The negative feelings are consuming me
Destroying everything I've done
My past accomplishments are being destroyed because of my current actions
My rotten whispers
My negative thoughts and feelings
Speak to no one
I keep my negative thoughts and feelings to myself
Yet these walls will not fall down
I am unable to break free from my negative thoughts and feelings
Rift
A division or separation
It's breaking me down
It is causing me to fall apart
And no one ever seemed to see
No one ever noticed my struggle
How much it really meant to me
How important it was to me
It cut me deeper than we knew
It hurt me more than anyone realized
And all the things we ever felt
All the emotions we had are still present
Are buried underneath my guilt
My guilt is hiding my true emotions
Rift
A division or separation
It's expanding with time
It is getting worse as time passes
And the storm I brought between us
The problems I caused are affecting our relationship
Will burn us forever
Our relationship will never be the same because of the problems I caused
I've lost everything inside
I have lost pieces of myself due to my actions
I have torn apart the threads that held my soul together
My actions have caused me to lose the things that kept me whole
One more time
Once again, I am experiencing this pain
And all I've had I've lost
Everything I had is gone
One by one they fall apart again
Just like before, everything I have falls apart
My tortured mind cannot revive
My mind is in distress and cannot find a way to fix things
The dreams I've thrown away this time
The aspirations I had are gone because of my actions
I've almost lost myself
I am so consumed by my negative thoughts and feelings that I am losing who I am as a person
I've never been so alone
I have never felt this isolated
Your memory never fades
I still remember you and what we had
I don't want what I've become
I am unhappy with who I have turned into due to my actions
But I am left with this
Despite everything, this is what remains
I trapped myself
I am the one who put myself in this situation
Inside believing
I convinced myself
I would never lose my ground
I thought I would never falter or fail
I forced you out alone
I caused you to leave me
My world fell apart the day you left
Everything went wrong the moment you were gone
Don't go away
Please stay with me
Contributed by Aaron A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.