Kohllapse was formed by guitarist-vocalist Ro Edwards and drummer-keyboardist Matt Aitchison in the early 1990s as a death metal band. By mid 1990s, just like many other former death metal groups, Kohllapse began developing their sound away from its roots to more experimental direction.
In the year 1995, the band began independently recording its first album, originally intended as a promotional cd. The band released Kohllapse in 1996. It was noted for its exceptionally dark and varied tracklisting that combined death, doom, gothic and electronic elements. one song, "An End to Pain" features black metal type out put. Kohllapse was chosen as the "Pick of the Litter" in HM Magazine March–April issue in 1997, and was described as "the first Christian band that sounds like Type O Negative". The song "Tell Me Your Fears" was released on the magazine's sampler in 1998.
After the release, the Christian metal scene press began to follow the band's career, and reported any updates given in interviews or Kohllapse's website. Since Kohllapse are an Australian band, the European and United States labels were uncertain whether to sign the band, and the Australian labels couldn't sign a studioproject group, thus the band remained unsigned. However, they got a distribution deal with a Texas, United States based Blast Beats music seller, which distributed the album further. The album received positive notice: in 1997 they began receiving major label interest, and in 1998 the band signed a distribution deal with Nuclear Blast USA.
This distribution deals helped Kohllapse to reach new fans all over the world. During this time, few bassists joined and left the band, Bevan Carroll was one of them. It remains unknown whether Kohllapse ever played concerts in the local scene of Canberra. Around 1998, it was reported that the band went through "very rough times", while details of this were never revealed.
In 1999, Paul Sweeney joined as a bassist, and the band recorded and released Distant Mind Aternative, their darkest, doomiest and most atmospheric album. The album introduced a more mellow and somber direction with more emphasis on dark electronical sounds. Edwards switched his vocals to deeper baritone singing in contrast with the previous death grunt style. Distant Mind Alternative was distributed through Nuclear Blast, and achieved rave reviews and critics called it innovative for its style that combined darkwave with doom metal. Anne Marootians did some female vocals on the song "Contort". A musicvideo was shot for "Thorn", and was released on Heaven's Metal Video Magazine Volume 6 VHS. Soon, underground magazines began to call Kohllapse as one of the big names in Australian doom scene together with Paramaecium and Avrigus.
However, Aitchison left Kollapse after the release.
According to Edwards, after the release of Distant Mind Alternative, some notably big secular labels showed serious interest towards Kohllapse, but since Aitchison had left at a crucial point in the bands career, to pursue his own musical interests, the band couldn't sign a contract.
After 2 years of silence, Ro Edwards officially announced the end of Kohllapse in 2001. He mentioned about starting a project called Dead Sea, which would focus on a far more electronical style than Kohllapse. However, later in an interview Ro stated that he had recorded only two songs for Dead Sea, and left Dead Sea as an inactive project.
In 2005 the Australian label, Soundmass, reissued Distant Mind Alternative. Afterwards, it has been recognized as a masterpiece.
Kohllapse's music combines a variety of different melancholic doom genres including atmospheric doom, melodic doom-death, gothic-doom, melodic doom-black and funeral doom. Influences range from My Dying Bride to Dolorian and Katatonia to Circle of Dust. Their sound was mostly compared to Anathema or Paradise Lost. The band's trademark is the strong darkwave an industrial element on songs like "Real Man in Quicksand". Although they incorporate strong gothic influences, Kohllapses music has also been labeled simply as a very dark brand of progressive metal. However, their music is often dubbed gothic metal. Edwards' vocal patterns on the last album are said to be reminiscent of Peter Steele (Type O Negative) while he incorporates some extreme vocals.
Discography
Kohllapse (1996)
C.Y.E demo (1997)
Distant Mind Alternative (1999)
Seven
Kohllapse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crucified again
Sleep this way, i feel the pain
Crucified again
And i don't wanna be fallen
I just walk away and wonder why
I still make you cry
Selfish path i take
I feel the pain
Crucified again
Desperate road i lead
Giving in my every need
I feel the pain
Crucified again
7 time seven times 7
I take the nails
And i take them to you.
The lyrics to Kollapse's song "Seven" describe a cycle of pain, guilt, and shame that the singer experiences. The imagery of being "crucified again" implies a feeling of betrayal or wrongdoing, which the singer cannot escape. The repetition of the phrase "I feel the pain, crucified again" emphasizes the intensity of this emotion and reinforces the idea that the singer is trapped in a never-ending cycle of suffering.
The singer also expresses feelings of selfishness and sinfulness, admitting to taking a "selfish path" and tasting "sinful wine." This suggests they may have made choices that have hurt others and themselves, adding to their sense of guilt and shame. Despite this, the singer longs to break free from this cycle and finds themselves constantly "walk[ing] away and wonder[ing] why" they continue to cause pain.
The song's chorus - "7 time seven times 7, I take the nails and I take them to you" - refers to the biblical idea of forgiveness and mercy. In the Bible, Jesus instructs his followers to forgive others "seventy-seven times" (or "seven times seventy" in some translations), indicating that forgiveness should be unconditional and never-ending. By taking the nails to someone else (presumably someone who has hurt the singer), the singer is offering their own forgiveness and mercy, even though they themselves feel trapped in pain.
Overall, the lyrics to "Seven" describe a complex web of emotions that many people can relate to. The song explores the idea of forgiveness and how it can be difficult to offer, even when we ourselves feel trapped in pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake this day, i feel the pain
Starting a new day with pain.
Crucified again
Feeling punished or judged severely.
Sleep this way, i feel the pain
Ending the day with pain.
And i don't wanna be fallen
Trying to avoid failure or disappointment.
I just walk away and wonder why
Reflecting on the reasons for the pain.
I still make you cry
Hurting someone else through actions or words.
Selfish path i take
Making choices based solely on personal interests.
Sinful wine i taste
Indulging in guilty pleasures or bad habits.
I feel the pain
Suffering consequences of actions.
Crucified again
Feeling punished or judged severely.
Desperate road i lead
Living a life filled with hopelessness or despair.
Giving in my every need
Acting selfishly and putting personal desires above anything else.
I feel the pain
Suffering consequences of actions.
Crucified again
Feeling punished or judged severely.
7 time seven times 7
Enduring pain repeatedly and continuously.
I take the nails
Accepting responsibility for one's actions.
And i take them to you.
Acknowledging the impact of actions on others.
Contributed by Aiden S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.