The official website is http://www.unter-null.net.
Years of classical music training, a love for computers and technology, a tough-as-nails resolve, a fierce independent streak, and the compulsion to find catharsis through music led Erica to eventually form Unter Null at the age of 17. Unter Null has been and will always be Erica Dunham in the studio.
A first album was self-released only as Unter Null and it's there where Unter Null started to gain a cult following.
Prior to The Failure Epiphany, the album that placed Unter Null on map, she spent time collaborating with several other musicians and noise-makers, including Leech from NTT/Annihilvs, with whom she released a collaborative album Navicon Torture Technologies Fucks The Shit Out Of Unter Null, a decidedly noisy and abrasive album. Soon after that, Erica released Neocide on Annihilvs, where her powernoise roots were still heard prominently.
During these early times when Unter Null was just starting to blossom, Erica was an active and prominent figure in the industrial community in Seattle, where she worked with Karloz (MANUFACTURA) on "Kontrol+Alt+Delete Productions", bringing some of the first industrial and noise bands into the city. She also began DJing at several club nights, helped run and organize events focusing on industrial music, and joined the Seattle-based band Noxious Emotion as a live drummer.
Still making Unter Null her primary focus, she met up with Shaun Frandsen (GLIS), and her first remix as Unter Null was placed on his album Disappear! released in 2004 on Alfa Matrix. Alfa Matrix contacted Erica about doing an album as Unter Null on the label, and thus the birth of the massive club hit Sick Fuck was born.
The Sick Fuck EP was released in 2005, and was the prelude to the full-length album The Failure Epiphany which was received with much critical acclaim and international club play later on that year, and this propelled Unter Null from the murky waters of powernoise and straight into the EBM arena. While retaining some of her earlier defining powernoise sound, Erica wanted to incorporate more melody and structure to her writing, and The Failure Epiphany grew to become a prime example of the marriage of caustic noise and strong melodic arrangement.
Soon after The Failure Epiphany was released, Unter Null began performing live shows; first in Seattle, which soon led to shows in Belgium and Holland. Exhilarated by the experience, Erica began to work fervently on the next Unter Null release, which became the infamous Sacrament and Absolution EPs, which Alfa Matrix playfully pitched as being "twins", as the two albums became one with the paired artwork.
After the "twin EPs" were released, Unter Null relocated over to Europe in what turned out to be an extensive and drawn-out tour, starting in Vienna, and taking Unter Null globe-trotting to many places: Italy, Russia, Germany, France, Greece, Denmark, Sweden, England, Scotland, Spain, and more. Several of the shows were played with Aesthetic Perfection, and there were several festivals. Marco Visconti (XP8) joined the live line-up for brief period, which also brought the two bands to do a brief Russia tour. During the course of the 2 years that Unter Null made Europe her home-base, Erica started work on a project which was to become Stray.
In 2008, after returning to the States, Stray become an entity of its own, letting Erica explore other sounds and the evolution of her production skills. Stray gave Erica the ability to showcase her aptitude for less-aggressive and more accessible songwriting, with layered melodies and lyrics reflecting a softer and warm side of her. The tendency to say "Unter Null is ying, Stray is the yang" rings true.
The debut of the first Stray album, Abuse By Proxy was released in 2008, again on Alfa Matrix, and received a much quieter applause, as Unter Null was still the domineering project. Critics called the album "cold", "emotional" and was well-received by critics across the board. Of course, Erica wasn't one to sit still, and she then began production on the next Unter Null album.
Moving On was released in the winter of 2010, despite some hiccups along the way. In 2008, Christmas night, Erica's house caught fire, which resulted in the loss of her entire music studio, as well as what was thought at the time to be the entirety the new Unter Null album. Fortunately, she was able to retrieve the data from the hard drives, and Moving On became a record that has surely so far been the highlight of Unter Null's discography. The album received wonderful reviews, and some confused feedback from Unter Null fans, as it was a certain departure from The Failure Epiphany. The album featured much cleaner music production while still retaining Erica's signature harsh vocals, and has been a defining album in the evolution of Unter Null.
In 2009, Chris Norris joined as a permanent live drummer as Unter Null, and while playing frequently in Portland venues, they decided to book a US tour.
The "Detox Tour" as it was called, took months of routing and planning, and it finally became a reality for the duo in the summer of 2010, and it took Unter Null across the United States and was incredibly successful, despite the support band leaving 3 shows into the tour. As Erica has always been one to persevere, the tour pushed on and ended well after traveling hundreds of miles, a few 24-hour drives, and the loss of a stuffed penguin.
Time slowed down at this time, as Erica took on more projects that consumed her time away from music. However, again not laying dormant, she wrote and released the sophomore Stray album Letting Go in 2012, a vast departure from Stray's Abuse By Proxy. The majority of the critiques rated it outstanding, yet some regarded the album in its entirety as melancholy. Melancholy being correct, as Stray was never meant to be an uplifting project of Erica's; it is admittedly a response to the fire that dies down, the anger that wears off, and the gloomy cloud that hangs around far after the storm.
In the spring of 2012, Erica and Chris relocated to Hamburg, Germany, where at the time of writing, Erica is currently on production of the next Unter Null album.
Unter Null is an electronic music project formed by Erica Dunham in 1998 in Seattle, WA.
Years of classical music training, a love for computers and technology, a tough-as-nails resolve, a fierce independent streak, and the compulsion to find catharsis through music led Erica to eventually form Unter Null at the age of 17. Unter Null has been and will always be Erica Dunham in the studio.
A first album was self-released only as Unter Null and it's there where Unter Null started to gain a cult following.
Prior to The Failure Epiphany, the album that placed Unter Null on map, she spent time collaborating with several other musicians and noise-makers, including Leech from NTT/Annihilvs, with whom she released a collaborative album Navicon Torture Technologies Fucks The Shit Out Of Unter Null, a decidedly noisy and abrasive album. Soon after that, Erica released Neocide on Annihilvs, where her powernoise roots were still heard prominently.
During these early times when Unter Null was just starting to blossom, Erica was an active and prominent figure in the industrial community in Seattle, where she worked with Karloz (MANUFACTURA) on "Kontrol+Alt+Delete Productions", bringing some of the first industrial and noise bands into the city. She also began DJing at several club nights, helped run and organize events focusing on industrial music, and joined the Seattle-based band Noxious Emotion as a live drummer.
Still making Unter Null her primary focus, she met up with Shaun Frandsen (GLIS), and her first remix as Unter Null was placed on his album Disappear! released in 2004 on Alfa Matrix. Alfa Matrix contacted Erica about doing an album as Unter Null on the label, and thus the birth of the massive club hit Sick Fuck was born.
The Sick Fuck EP was released in 2005, and was the prelude to the full-length album The Failure Epiphany which was received with much critical acclaim and international club play later on that year, and this propelled Unter Null from the murky waters of powernoise and straight into the EBM arena. While retaining some of her earlier defining powernoise sound, Erica wanted to incorporate more melody and structure to her writing, and The Failure Epiphany grew to become a prime example of the marriage of caustic noise and strong melodic arrangement.
Soon after The Failure Epiphany was released, Unter Null began performing live shows; first in Seattle, which soon led to shows in Belgium and Holland. Exhilarated by the experience, Erica began to work fervently on the next Unter Null release, which became the infamous Sacrament and Absolution EPs, which Alfa Matrix playfully pitched as being "twins", as the two albums became one with the paired artwork.
After the "twin EPs" were released, Unter Null relocated over to Europe in what turned out to be an extensive and drawn-out tour, starting in Vienna, and taking Unter Null globe-trotting to many places: Italy, Russia, Germany, France, Greece, Denmark, Sweden, England, Scotland, Spain, and more. Several of the shows were played with Aesthetic Perfection, and there were several festivals. Marco Visconti (XP8) joined the live line-up for brief period, which also brought the two bands to do a brief Russia tour. During the course of the 2 years that Unter Null made Europe her home-base, Erica started work on a project which was to become Stray.
In 2008, after returning to the States, Stray become an entity of its own, letting Erica explore other sounds and the evolution of her production skills. Stray gave Erica the ability to showcase her aptitude for less-aggressive and more accessible songwriting, with layered melodies and lyrics reflecting a softer and warm side of her. The tendency to say "Unter Null is ying, Stray is the yang" rings true.
The debut of the first Stray album, Abuse By Proxy was released in 2008, again on Alfa Matrix, and received a much quieter applause, as Unter Null was still the domineering project. Critics called the album "cold", "emotional" and was well-received by critics across the board. Of course, Erica wasn't one to sit still, and she then began production on the next Unter Null album.
Moving On was released in the winter of 2010, despite some hiccups along the way. In 2008, Christmas night, Erica's house caught fire, which resulted in the loss of her entire music studio, as well as what was thought at the time to be the entirety the new Unter Null album. Fortunately, she was able to retrieve the data from the hard drives, and Moving On became a record that has surely so far been the highlight of Unter Null's discography. The album received wonderful reviews, and some confused feedback from Unter Null fans, as it was a certain departure from The Failure Epiphany. The album featured much cleaner music production while still retaining Erica's signature harsh vocals, and has been a defining album in the evolution of Unter Null.
In 2009, Chris Norris joined as a permanent live drummer as Unter Null.
In 2012, Ericawrote and released the sophomore Stray album Letting Go, a vast departure from Stray's Abuse By Proxy. The majority of the critiques rated it outstanding, yet some regarded the album in its entirety as melancholy. Melancholy being correct, as Stray was never meant to be an uplifting project of Erica's; it is admittedly a response to the fire that dies down, the anger that wears off, and the gloomy cloud that hangs around far after the storm.
In the spring of 2012, Erica relocated to Hamburg, Germany, where at the time of writing, Erica is currently on production of the next Unter Null album.
The Hook
Unter Null Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You twist the knife but not to bleed
The game you play is growing old
Give unto them and leave me cold
Rip my flesh of dignity
Break my heart and set me free
Drag me down to depths unseen
Hating, lying, fearful you
Living life is killing you
Dethroned, depraved, you're starving and scared
Searching hopelessly, choking on air
Scar your arms and wear them proud
Grin through pain and numb yourself
What you call life is truly death
Sinking lower to the depths
You're digging further for the end
The final place to rest your head
You'll search for all eternity
The bottom lies beyond your reach
You'll find your place, patient, wise
You're find your solace if you try
Leave the past behind in tears
Turn your eyes to bright future
Forgive yourself for all the pain
Understand you're not to blame
The demons choked, the angels lied
Break free from the chains inside
In Unter Null's "The Hook," the lyrics describe someone who is being emotionally hurt by another person. The singer speaks of their wounds being twisted by the other person, but not enough to make them bleed. The game being played between the two is described as growing old, indicating a long-standing pattern of behavior. The other person is portrayed as someone who is hating, lying, and living life in a way that is killing them. It is suggested that this person is suffering from their own demons and fears, which they are projecting onto the singer. The chorus describes the singer being dragged down to unseen depths, having their dignity ripped away, and their heart broken.
The second verse begins with a reference to self-harm, indicating that the other person may be struggling with their own mental health. The lyrics suggest that this person is using pain as a coping mechanism, trying to numb themselves to the world around them. The chorus repeats the theme of sinking deeper into darkness and despair. However, the final section offers hope of redemption. The lyrics encourage the listener to forgive themselves for their pain, understand that they are not to blame for the demons of others, and break free from the chains inside. It suggests that a bright future is possible for those who are willing to look beyond the past and take responsibility for their own healing.
Line by Line Meaning
The irony is killing me
The situation is so ironic that it's making me suffer.
You twist the knife but not to bleed
You deliberately hurt me, but not to get revenge or anything, just for the sake of it.
The game you play is growing old
Your manipulative ways are getting boring and predictable.
Give unto them and leave me cold
You are generous and kind to others, but you are always cold and distant with me.
Rip my flesh of dignity
You are taking away my self-respect and dignity.
Break my heart and set me free
Your actions are breaking my heart, but they are also freeing me from this toxic relationship.
Drag me down to depths unseen
You are dragging me down to depths of pain and despair that I didn't know existed.
Twist the knife, make me bleed
You are hurting me intentionally and causing me a lot of pain.
Hating, lying, fearful you
You are full of hate, lies and fear.
Living life is killing you
Your way of living is slowly destroying you.
Dethroned, depraved, you're starving and scared
You have lost everything, you are morally corrupt and mentally deprived. You are starving for love and attention, but too scared to ask for it.
Searching hopelessly, choking on air
You are searching for something that seems unattainable, and the effort is making you feel suffocated and hopeless.
Scar your arms and wear them proud
You have self-inflicted pain and scars, but you wear them as a badge of honor.
Grin through pain and numb yourself
You try to hide your pain by pretending to be happy, but you also numb yourself so that you don't feel anything at all.
What you call life is truly death
Your way of life is slowly killing you, and you don't even realize it.
Sinking lower to the depths
You are falling deeper and deeper into despair and darkness.
You're digging further for the end
You are searching for an end to your pain, but you are only making things worse for yourself.
The final place to rest your head
You are searching for a final resting place where you can escape your pain and suffering.
You'll search for all eternity
You will continue searching forever, but you will never find what you are looking for.
The bottom lies beyond your reach
You have hit rock bottom, but things can still get worse for you.
You'll find your place, patient, wise
If you are patient and wise, you will eventually find your place in life.
You're find your solace if you try
If you make an effort, you will find peace and comfort.
Leave the past behind in tears
Let go of the past and move on, even if it hurts.
Turn your eyes to bright future
Look forward to the future with hope and optimism.
Forgive yourself for all the pain
Let go of the guilt and forgive yourself for the pain you have caused yourself and others.
Understand you're not to blame
Realize that you are not the only one to blame for your problems.
The demons choked, the angels lied
Your inner demons are suffocating you, and the people you trusted have betrayed you.
Break free from the chains inside
Break free from the emotional and mental chains that are holding you back.
Contributed by Jackson A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.