Other bandmembers included David Gabbard (vocals, 1994-1995), Jerry Montano (2001, 2005-2007) and Tommy Sickles (2000-2004, 2005-2007).
Formed in 1994, the band's original line-up consisted of vocalist David Gabbard, guitarist Tom Maxwell, bassist Bill Gaal and drummer Chris Houck. They released three tapes with this lineup, until Gabbard left the band. At this point Matt Holt took over singing duties. The band then recorded a self-titled album featuring ten songs. DCide then discovered Nothingface, and they re-recorded the album, with six of the songs featuring on their debut album Pacifier, released February 6, 1997.
The band were often mislabeled as nu metal, however many music critics denied them as nu metal. They also are known for their extremely aggressive and heavy style.
The band's second album An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity was released on September 22, 1998 via DCide/Mayhem Records. The band toured in support of the album throughout the United States with Stuck Mojo,[2] Sam Black Church and Ministry.[2]
Two years later, the band released their third album Violence on October 10, 2000. It was the band's national debut, released via TVT Records. Chris Houck recorded drums for this album but had to leave the group due to medical issues that would prevent him from touring. He was replaced by Tommy Sickles of Ingredient 17 fame (Matt and Tommy's band before Nothingface).
In early 2001, Bill Gaal left the group to pursue a career in music production and engineering. He was replaced by Jerry Montano, formerly of The Deadlights. A few months later, Gaal returned.
The band released their fourth album Skeletons on April 22, 2003 via TVT Records. That summer, the band played on the second-stage of the popular Ozzfest tour.
The group disbanded on February 10, 2004, citing musical differences, inner turmoil, and label troubles. Bill Gaal went on to form Kingdom of Snakes with former members of the band Gunfighter. Their debut EP features vocal work from Matt Holt on one track. Tom Maxwell and Tommy Sickles were in the band Blessed in Black featuring ex-Skrape vocalist Billy Keeton, as well as Jerry Montano on bass.
On November 24, 2005, a posting on the Jägermeister website showed Nothingface as the opening act for Disturbed in a 2006 show. The line-up for this show was Matt Holt, Tom Maxwell, Jerry Montano and Tommy Sickles. The band released two new songs online and went on to do a small U.S. club tour that winter/spring, bringing along Crossbreed and Silent Civilian.
Later that year, guitarist Tom Maxwell and bassist Jerry Montano began a project entitled Hellyeah with Vinnie Paul, formerly of Pantera and Damageplan, as well as Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett of Mudvayne. They released their debut album on April 10, 2007 via Epic Records. Following its release, Montano was fired from the band after allegedly assaulting HellYeah producer/engineer Sterling Winfield and making gun threats while drunk at the album release party.
During the first half of April 2008, the band sent out a Myspace bulletin and changed their default profile picture to one of the band in the studio, signaling that they were indeed working on new material. On the 20th of May, they posted a short YouTube clip which features them performing and sent out a Myspace bulletin containing said clip. Four days later, on May 24, it was announced through Blabbermouth.net that original members Bill Gaal and Chris Houck have rejoined Nothingface, with Tommy Sickles now playing drums for the L.A.-based band Noise Within. The band then released several additional "teaser" videos and on February 19, 2009, announced that "the band is at Wrightway Studios in Baltimore MD for the next 2 weeks writing and recording."
The re-release of their self-titled album with remastered songs and new artwork was released on April 8, 2009.
On August 14, 2009, it was announced via Blabbermouth.net that Nothingface would be disbanding,[3] with Maxwell citing Holt's lack of work ethic as the main reason for an unfinished album three years in the making, as well as his decision to leave. Houck would later state that this is "only one side of the story" and that "there were a lot of other factors involved in all of this beyond anything with (Holt)." In a summer 2011 interview, Bill Gaal spoke publicly about the split, stating, "It’s one of those situations where everyone’s story will be different. Broadly, what it boiled down to is that we’re all older now, we all have different responsibilities. Making everything line up time-wise is difficult– I’m in LA, Chris is out in North Carolina, Tom’s out on tour with Hellyeah most of the year, Matt stays home in Baltimore now. And me and Tom have families now, too. You don’t just get together and write a great song, especially with Nothingface. It takes a chunk of time, and we’d always rework songs hundreds of times before releasing them. We only had a couple of intense, 1- or 2-week writing sessions and really, we just ran out of time. We had to get a lot done in a short amount time before we had to get back to other things we had going on. So the timing didn’t work out, but that being said, it doesn’t rule out anything for the future. As pissed-off as Nothingface was back in the day, we’ve definitely all cooled down, and if we could just find one week where all of us were just calm enough and got together, we could do it."
On September 1, 2009, the band released "One Thousand Lies" on their official website. It is a rough "first draft" demo and was recorded in March 2008. On November 13, 2009 the band uploaded "D2" which is another rough "first draft" demo with no vocals.
In early 2011, the band launched their brand new website Nothingface.com. Videos linked to YouTube are present so is a Nothingface wiki, forum, guest book, photo gallery and a section for fans to upload their own videos of Nothingface music. Links to other bands are present also.
American Love
Nothingface Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm here to wait for all the killing
I think I'm just in time
Geewhiz I'd love to die like that
Everything, everyone
Behind our face we love to hate
We all just want to see
It's nice to see
See right through you
But I will not be exorcised
It's nice that you believe
Corrupt your eyes to cause those scenes
It's nice that you conceived
The way we trust
It's OK we all believed them
We just shook our heads
It's OK we all believed them
Battered and so misled
It's nice that you believe
Corrupt your eyes to cause those scenes
It's nice that you conceived
The way we trust
I push myself in first
I'm here to wait for all the killing
I think I'm just in time
Geewhiz I'd love to die like that
Everything, everyone
Behind our face we love to hate
We all just want see
See you get kicked in the face
It's OK we believed them
We all just shook our heads
It's OK we all believed them
Battered and so misled
I've lost some time
I found out this is real
I'm sad but I'm not that sure
Then I realized it's just you
The first time
My first time
Everything, everyone
Bekind our face we love to hate
We all just want to see
To see you get kicked in the face
It's nice to see right through you
But I will not be exorcised
It's OK we all believed them
We all just shook our heads
It's OK we all believed them
Battered and misled
The song "American Love" by Nothingface is a commentary on the destructive and violent nature of American society. The lyrics express a desire for violence and destruction, with lines like "I'm here to wait for all the killing" and "Geewhiz I'd love to die like that." The verses are filled with cynicism and hatred towards others, with lines like "Behind our face we love to hate" and "We all just want to see you get kicked in the face." The chorus is a repetition of the lines "It's OK we all believed them, battered and so misled," highlighting the idea that despite the violent nature of American society, people continue to believe in and trust those in power.
The song also suggests that there is a degree of personal responsibility in the violence and corruption that exist in America. Lines like "Corrupt your eyes to cause those scenes" and "It's nice that you conceived the way we trust" imply that individuals contribute to the problems in society by allowing themselves to be manipulated and misled.
Overall, "American Love" is a dark and disturbing commentary on the violent and corrupt nature of American society, and the complicity of individuals in perpetuating these problems.
Line by Line Meaning
I push myself in first
I take the initiative and jump in headfirst.
I'm here to wait for all the killing
I am waiting for the violent chaos to start.
I think I'm just in time
I believe I have arrived at the perfect moment.
Geewhiz I'd love to die like that
Wow, how exciting to die in that manner.
Everything, everyone
All things, all people.
Behind our face we love to hate
We hide our true emotions and secretly enjoy hating others.
We all just want to see
We all desire to watch something happen.
To see you get kicked in the face
To watch as someone suffers a violent blow to the head.
It's nice to see
It's satisfying to finally understand.
See right through you
To see the truth behind someone's facade.
But I will not be exorcised
I will not be forced to leave or be controlled by others.
It's nice that you believe
It's interesting that you trust or have faith in something.
Corrupt your eyes to cause those scenes
To intentionally create violent, disturbing events.
It's nice that you conceived
It's fascinating that you've imagined or come up with something.
The way we trust
How we rely on others to be honest and dependable.
It's OK we all believed them
It's understandable that we all fell for their lies or deception.
We just shook our heads
We simply disapproved or were disappointed.
Battered and so misled
Bruised and deceived.
I've lost some time
I have wasted a portion of my life.
I found out this is real
I discovered that this is actually happening.
I'm sad but I'm not that sure
I feel emotional, but I'm uncertain why.
Then I realized it's just you
I came to the realization that you are the source of my negative emotions.
My first time
The initial occurrence or experience of something.
Bekind our face we love to hate
Even though we hide our true feelings, we secretly love to hate others.
Battered and misled
Bruised and deceived.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER BRADLEE HOUCK, MATTHEW FRANCIS HOLT, THOMAS, IV MAXWELL, WILLIAM THOMAS GAAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind