Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States, the Electric Hellfire Club was formed in 1991 when Thomas Thorn (aka Buck Ryder) departed My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult. The band has undergone many changes in membership, with only frontman Thomas Thorn remaining throughout its history.
The Electric Hellfire Club initially comprised Thorn (vocals, keyboard programming), co-founder and keyboardist Shane Lassen (aka Rev. Dr. Luv), and guitarist Ronny Valeo. After the initial string of live shows, drummer Eric Peterson (aka Janna Flail) would be added to enhance the band's live shows, thus completing the band's original lineup.
Prior to recording the first album Burn, Baby, Burn! (1993), dancer and back-up singer Sabrina Satana would join the group, and Peterson would be replaced on drums by Richard Frost.
The EHC toured extensively throughout the early to mid-1990s, both as an opening act, and as headliners in their own right. They toured with Type O Negative, Christian Death, Spahn Ranch, Penal Colony, and Genitorturers, amongst others.
During this period, the band released a remix album called Satan's Little Helpers (1994) and their second full-length LP entitled Kiss the Goat (1995). The band also released the Trick or Treat? single (1995), which featured cover songs like Halloween Medley (featuring the Bauhaus song Bela Lugosi's Dead) and AC/DC's Highway to Hell, along with a Leæther Strip remix of the original EHC track Incubus.
On January 22, 1996, Shane Lassen was killed in an automobile accident. After the death of The Rev. Dr. Luv, the band regrouped and recorded the album Calling Dr. Luv, dedicating the title track, a cover of the KISS song from which Lassen drew his stage name, in his honor.
After recording Calling Dr. Luv, the band began extensive touring again, setting out on the road with legendary noise musician Boyd Rice. During this period of near-constant touring, the band toured with such acts as Type O Negative, Danzig, Coal Chamber, GWAR, Powerman 5000, Fear Factory, Godflesh, and played one-off shows with Spahn Ranch and Alien Sex Fiend.
Before setting off on tour with GWAR in the summer of 1997, the band entered the studio and recorded the single D.W.S.O.B., which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 film Gummo.
They also performed a cover tune for the television theme song Charles in Charge, changing it and the inferred meaning with a goth/industrial style. The song was released on the two cd set of 36 TV show opening tunes of TV cover songs done by goth/industrial bands. The CD was titled TV Terror: Felching a Dead Horse and was released in September 1997.
EHC released their second remix album called Unholy Roller in 1998, followed by the compilation album Empathy for the Devil (2000), featuring previously released/unreleased cover songs and holiday hymns.
In 2000, the band also put out their fourth full-length LP Witness the Millennium. This marked a huge change in the sound of the band, which became more guitar-oriented and influenced by metal. The last EHC release entitled Electronomicon (2002) continued this industrial metal sound.
Following the completion of an extensive tour in 2002, the band entered a period of extended hiatus that has lasted 13 years. Numerous rumors of new tour dates and studio material, including a DVD, have surfaced since then, but other than a cover song of Metallica's Devil's Dance, released through the band's website in early 2004, no such activity has come forth.
2005 saw the band scatter, and enter a period of hiatus. Frontman Thomas Thorn relocated from the band's native Wisconsin to the Florida Keys, and Sabrina Satana relocated to Los Angeles. The official website went offline, and the official message board was taken down as well. 2005 and 2006 saw no official activity from the band.
In 2007 a new official website appeared at electrichell.net, and the band's page on the website myspace.com began receiving updates. Information on the website and Myspace page indicated that the band was regrouping and possibly working together again, and that Wilhelm Curse had resumed keyboarding duties for the band.
Throughout mid to late 2008, the band began releasing demo versions of previous songs, and other rare recordings via their page on myspace.com. These tracks were available for streaming, and changed on a semi-regular basis. This is to date, the only instance that the band had officially made available material from the 1991 demo album entitled 12 Songs from Hell.
Early 2009 brought about the reactivation of the band in earnest. In January it was reported at electrichell.net and on the band's MySpace page that preliminary work had started on a new full-length album, which would mark the band's first studio album in seven years. It also saw Charles Edward from the Denver area gothic metal band Seraphim Shock join the band as guitarist, replacing long time band member Ricktor Ravensbrück, who was serving time in federal prison on drug charges. Original drummer Eric Peterson rejoined the band in February, reuniting half of the band's original lineup.
In February 2011, a news update to the band's official site indicated that work on a new album was "indefinitely postponed." Shortly afterwards, the band's official site electrichell.net went down.
In February 2014, Frozen North Records announced via MK Ultra that Thorn, Ravensbrück & company had reunited and been signed to produce their first new album in over a decade, titled "Tech Noir." The album will reportedly pay tribute to not only the band's electro-industrial roots but also maintain the heavy-hitting metal crunch they've been associated with more lately.
As of December 2014, nothing else is known about future releases, except that the band has hinted on their official Facebook page that the new album will be coming soon.
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THE ELECTRIC HELLFIRE CLUB - OFFICIAL FACEBOOK
THE ELECTRIC HELLFIRE CLUB - OFFICIAL MYSPACE
THE ELECTRIC HELLFIRE CLUB - FAN SITE
Current Members:
Thomas Thorn - vocals, keyboards, samples, programming
Sabrina Satana - vocals, bass
Eric Peterson - drums, percussion
Ricktor Ravensbrück - guitars, bass
Discography:
1993 - Burn, Baby, Burn!
1994 - Satan's Little Helpers
1995 - Kiss the Goat
1995 - Trick or Treat?
1996 - Calling Dr. Luv
1998 - Unholy Roller
2000 - Empathy for the Devil
2000 - Witness the Millennium
2002 - Electronomicon
Fall From Grace
The Electric Hellfire Club Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We fell from grace and were cast out of Heaven?
Our paradise denied
God-forsaken for the sin of pride
The chosen few, the tribes of Cain
We built an empire of chaos and pain
A dark labyrinth of corruption and disease
But I'd rather rot in Hell than live on my knees!!!
Do you remember when...
The world fell to ruin at the hands of evil men?
A new regime with a single cause:
To establish pleasure as the only law
Every man and woman a slave,
Arenas wet with the blood they gave
We slaughtered millions just to watch them die
Then we piled all the corpses up until they reached the sky.
NOOOOooooooooooo!!!!!!
We lost our faith,
We fell from grace
And if I ever see your God again I'll spit in his face
Burning in Hell...we were left to die
But now the fire's in our hearts and someday we'll
COME ALIVE!...inside of our prison cells and
CRAWL! CRAWL! CRAWL!...up from the the depths of hell and
RISE! RISE! RISE!...back to power 'til we
FALL! FALL! FALL!...from grace again!!!
We will build a new paradise
East of Eden where the shadows lie
A new order that makes gods of men
Someday we will rule the world again!
WE WILL RULE THE WORLD AGAIN!
WE WILL RULE THE WORLD AGAIN!
We will rule the world again.
The Electric Hellfire Club's "Fall from Grace" delves into the theme of rebellion and the dangers of hubris. The band uses the metaphor of being cast out of heaven and the biblical narrative of Adam and Eve's fall from grace to illustrate how the pursuit of power and pleasure led to their downfall. The opening lines talks about the memory of the fall from grace, where the tribes of Cain, the chosen few built an empire of chaos and pain. The sin of pride is what led them down this path, denying them of the paradise they once had in their grasp. The singer chooses to live in Hell rather than living on their knees. This could be interpreted as having a personality that's stubborn or having a fierce sense of independence.
The second verse highlights the theme of power and corruption, where the new regime establishes the idea of pleasure as the only law. It creates a world where everyone is subservient, and the risk of rebellion is met with a sword. Pain and destruction soon become the norms, with millions slaughtered for no reason than to witness death. This shows how the desire for power and pleasure can lead to catastrophic consequences. The singer expresses disgust at the end, stating that they'd spit in God's face if ever seen again.
In summary, The Electric Hellfire Club's "Fall from Grace" is a song about the consequences of pride and power without considering the repercussions. The pursuit of pleasure and power at all costs eventually leads to a fall from grace, where arrogance and disobedience have mighty consequences. The lyrics also suggest that the need for ultimate control and the desire to rule the world can only be achieved by rising above the depths of hell.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember when...
Recall the time...
We fell from grace and were cast out of Heaven?
We lost our former happy status and were exiled from God's abode?
Our paradise denied
Our enjoyment was taken away
God-forsaken for the sin of pride
God rejected us because of our hubris
The chosen few, the tribes of Cain
A special group, the offspring of Cain
We built an empire of chaos and pain
We established a dominion of disorder and suffering
A dark labyrinth of corruption and disease
A shadowy maze of depravity and sickness
But I'd rather rot in Hell than live on my knees!!!
I prefer to suffer in eternal damnation than to submit
Do you remember when...
Recall the time...
The world fell to ruin at the hands of evil men?
The world collapsed from the actions of wicked individuals?
A new regime with a single cause:
A new system with only one purpose:
To establish pleasure as the only law
To make enjoyment the sole standard
Every man and woman a slave,
Each male and female was a captive,
Arenas wet with the blood they gave
The battlefields were soaked with the victims' blood
We slaughtered millions just to watch them die
We murdered millions for our own entertainment
Then we piled all the corpses up until they reached the sky.
Next, we stacked the bodies until they touched the sky.
NOOOOooooooooooo!!!!!!
Expression of grief or disbelief
We lost our faith,
Our belief system was shattered,
We fell from grace
Our elevated standing was lost
And if I ever see your God again I'll spit in his face
If I ever encounter your God again, I will defile him
Burning in Hell...we were left to die
We were abandoned to suffer in Hell
But now the fire's in our hearts and someday we'll COME ALIVE!...inside of our prison cells and CRAWL! CRAWL! CRAWL!...up from the the depths of hell and RISE!
However, now our spirits are aflame and we will one day be reborn in our confinement and climb from the underworld and ascend.
RISE! RISE! RISE!...back to power 'til we FALL! FALL! FALL!...from grace again!!!
Our rise to authority, until we fall once more from favour.
We will build a new paradise
We will construct a fresh utopia
East of Eden where the shadows lie
East of Eden where the darkness lurks
A new order that makes gods of men
A new system that deifies humanity
Someday we will rule the world again!
At some point, we will dominate the globe once more!
WE WILL RULE THE WORLD AGAIN!
We will control the planet once more!
WE WILL RULE THE WORLD AGAIN!
We will govern the planet once more!
We will rule the world again.
We will once more be in charge of everything.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GEORGE WEISS, HUGO PERETTI, LUIGI CREATORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind