Current Members:
Bryan Erickson (a.k.a. Hexfix93, Disease Factory) - lead vocals, composition, guitar, lyrics, mixing, production, various
Early projects, early changes, and first albums (1990–1995)
In the early 1990s, Erickson and Grigory, both residents of Colorado, brought together their shared interest in creating music to record a series of demos. With the addition of Gary Slaughter and Chris Workman, the group attempted several bands, including Disease Disco Factory, a parody of then-popular Dance group C+C Music Factory. Following a turbulent period for Erickson and Slaughter, Workman left the group. Slaughter and Erickson experimented with two new side-projects, Cyber Christ and Vortex. Cyber Christ explored a harsh and melancholy sound that was a sharp contrast to the group's other projects. When Erickson discovered that the term "Cyber Christ" had been used in the 1992 film The Lawnmower Man, he renamed the band Velvet Acid Christ in honor of a bad acid trip. The Vortex project was merged into Velvet Acid Christ to form one body of work.
In 1994, Workman returned to assist with the band's self-produced gothic-styled demo tape, Fate. Given encouraging response from friends, the band followed up with other self-produced albums, 1994's Pestilence, a dance-oriented album, and 1995's Neuralblastoma, a harder-sounding album.
Erickson, along with friends and minor contributors Steve Bird and Dan Olson, started the brief-lived record label Electro Death Trip (EDT) Records to better promote these recordings. In 1995, the three began distributing hand-made CD copies of Fate, Pestilence, and Neuralblastoma for resale in local music shops.
Label interest, touring, and a troubled rise (1996–2000)
Slaughter and Workman temporarily left the band during the first half of 1996 as Erickson continued the project alone, handing out copies of Velvet Acid Christ's recordings to industry representatives, including musician Bill Leeb of industrial pioneer Front Line Assembly. Leeb passed the music to Thorsten Stroht, a media promoter with European label Off-Beat Records. Off-Beat A&R negotiated a deal with the band.
For their first Off-Beat release, the group submitted 1996's Church of Acid, a compilation of selected tracks from Velvet Acid Christ's first three albums with an additional two new tracks, Disflux and Futile. Church of Acid was well received in Europe, and Futile became a regularly played track in many nightclubs across the continent. In 1997, United States label Pendragon Records released Church of Acid in America, though the two new tracks were removed due to a lack of trademark clearance for television samples used in the songs.
The band's next album, Calling Ov the Dead, was rejected by Off-Beat for not sounding edgy enough, prompting Slaughter's permanent departure. With the assistance of Bird and Olson, the band addressed the label's concerns and released Calling Ov the Dead in late 1997, with American distribution following through Pendragon in 1998. In the process, Erickson had accumulated a substantial financial debt.
With a line-up consisting of Erickson, Stroht and German musician Ingo Beitz, the band toured Europe in 1998 with Off-Beat label-mate Suicide Commando, which attracted the attention of Metropolis Records, the largest industrial label in United States. The parent label of Pendragon, Metropolis distributed the album Neuralblastoma, as a partnership that would endure.
Velvet Acid Christ spent the majority of 1999 in the studio, first collaborating with Germany's Funker Vogt on a remix EP entitled Velvet Acid Christ Vs Funker Vogt: The Remix Assault, then shifting to Velvet Acid Christ's next full-length recording, Fun With Knives. With Workman an occasional contributor, Erickson sought production assistance on Fun With Knives from the bands Luxt and 4th New Army. Fun with Knives, released by Metropolis and new Off-Beat sub-label dependent, became the band's best-selling album. Sales were propelled by the singles Decypher and Fun with Drugs, and by the track Slut, which featured vocals from Luxt's Anna Christine.
In spite of the success of the band, stress had led Erickson into depression and increased drug abuse, which channeled into the creation of the band's next album, Twisted Thought Generator. Simultaneously, the band toured Europe with industrial acts Project X and Stromkern and toured the United States and Canada with bands Din_Fiv and Haujobb. The line-up of the band during this period was unstable. Workman, citing a conversion to Christianity, resigned from the band with a request that his name be retracted from all previous albums. The first leg of the European tour consisted of Erickson, Bird and Stroht; the second leg, Erickson and Olson. The North American tour was performed by Erickson, Stroht and drummer Paul Lipman. With various contributors, Erickson completed Twisted Thought Generator. Due to lingering disputes, he withdrew the band from Dependent Records and submitted the album to Metropolis.
A change of pace, new early material, and beyond (2001– present)
Erickson placed Velvet Acid Christ on a short hiatus in 2001, as he abandoned his dependence on drugs in favour of exercise and a vegan raw foodist diet. Newly clean, Erickson created the 2003 album Hex Angel: Utopia/Dystopia. Though critical response was mixed, Hex Angel: Utopia/Dystopia ranked #1 on Germany's Deutsche Alternative Charts (DAC) for four weeks after its release, and the album's single Pretty Toy reached #18 on the Billboard Alternative Chart during the same year. The album also marked the band's short-lived return to Dependent Records.
Erickson spent 2004 releasing and reissuing some of Velvet Acid Christ's earliest material. With the four-volume compilation series Between the Eyes, the band published a collection of its singles and B-sides, then followed with subsequent re-releases of Fate (Vol. 2), Pestilence (Vol. 3), and Neuralblastoma (Vol. 4). The band also offered free MP3 downloads of Dimension 8 and Oblivion Interface on its website until early 2005. Dimension 8, which had been available as a hidden bonus on Twisted Thought Generator, and Oblivion Interface (informally known as Between the Eyes, Vol. 5) provided fans with previously unheard work from the Cyber Christ-Vortex era of 1991–1994.
In 2005, Erickson collaborated with guitarist Todd Loomis on a new album, Lust for Blood, which was released on September 26, 2006. With Lust for Blood, the crew labored intensively to create a new overall sound while maintaining the band's original characteristics. Following its release, Lust for Blood ranked at the top of Germany's DAC for four weeks; the album's single release, Wound, ranked on the DAC's singles chart for eight weeks and held the #1 position for four weeks.
In 2009, Erickson began to create the next LP with minimal input from Loomis this time when he was working on his project The Twilight Garden. The result was The Art of Breaking Apart, released October 27, 2009. This LP was a tribute to bands like Current 93 and Death in June and brought VAC many new fans while making the others angry at the new direction of the music.
In 2010–2011, Bryan Erickson teamed up with William Anderson of Louisiana. William did a ton of sampling, and Bryan made a bunch of VAC B-sides that turned into Toxic Coma tracks. The project had a revolving door of members, again Bryan being the main constant. They released a LP entitled Satan Rising under Toxic Coma on Metropolis Records. It fused the techno sound of Fun With Knives and the brutal black humor of Toxic Coma. Erickson then began to write more music for future VAC LPs.
In October 2012, Velvet Acid Christ released their tenth LP entitled Maldire. The release marked a return to the dark electronic sound. Erickson formed a live band and toured extensively (2012-2014) to support the album. The latest album entitled Subconscious Landscapes was released October 28, 2014. A remastered Greatest Hits compilation was released by Metropolis Records on May 6, 2016.
Discography:
Studio Albums
1994 - Fate
1994 - Pestilence
1995 - Neuralblastoma
1997 - Calling Ov the Dead
1999 - Fun With Knives
2000 - Twisted Thought Generator
2003 - Hex Angel (Utopia/Dystopia)
2006 - Lust for Blood
2009 - The Art of Breaking Apart
2012 - Maldire
2014 - Subconscious Landscapes
Compilations / Demos / EPs / Singles
1992 - Oblivion Interface (demo re-released in 2004)
1993 - Dimension 8 (demo re-released in 2000)
1996 - Church of Acid (1994-1995 compilation)
1998 - Neuralblastoma (1994-1995 compilation)
1999 - Fun With Razors (remix EP)
1999 - Decipher (maxi-single)
1999 - Fun With Drugs (maxi-single)
1999 - The Remix Wars: Strike 4: Funker Vogt vs. Velvet Acid Christ (remix EP)
2001 - Dial 8 (maxi-single)
2003 - Pretty Toy (maxi-single)
2004 - Between the Eyes Vol. 1 (singles compilation)
2004 - Between the Eyes Vol. 2 (re-release of Fate)
2004 - Between the Eyes Vol. 3 (re-release of Pestilence)
2004 - Between the Eyes Vol. 4 (re-release of Neuroblastoma)
2006 - Wound (maxi-single)
2009 - Caustic Disco (maxi-single)
2016 - Greatest Hits (remastered compilation)
East
Velvet Acid Christ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want to be a wreck for you
Smash out my honor on your floor
Fill up your bathtub with my moods
Well it may sound a little frightening
I want to swallow all of your skin
Chew your soft tissue into ash
Beat your ego black and blue
I will be your hole
I will crush your bones
I will abrade your soul
I will be your toy
I will be your thing
I will tear you down with the twist i bring
I will be your doll
I will be your toll at the gates of hell
That is what i′m for
I will be your flesh
I will be your end
Then on to the next
I will start again
I will be your doll
I will be your girl
I will remove your heart
I will burn your world
I will be your object
Tease and tear
I will be your "hell, i don't have anything to wear"
I will be your slut
I will be your bitch
I will be your never ending, unbefriending
Self-expending, moral-bending thorn
The lyrics of "East" by Velvet Acid Christ depict a deeply intense and potentially destructive relationship. The singer expresses a willingness to give themselves completely to their partner, even if it may seem absurd or frightening to others. They want to be a mess, destroying their own sense of honor and surrendering their emotions fully. This willingness to be vulnerable extends to wanting to consume their partner, both physically and emotionally.
The lyrics further emphasize a sense of control and domination. The singer sees themselves as a doll, a plaything, willing to crush bones and abrade souls to fulfill their partner's desires. They use violent imagery to describe their intentions, indicating a level of intensity and deviance in the relationship. The singer also mentions being a toll at the gates of hell, suggesting that their devotion to their partner's needs exceeds norms and boundaries.
The second verse continues with the theme of control and manipulation. The singer will be their partner's everything, becoming their flesh and ultimately being responsible for their demise. They will move on to the next person, repeating the cycle of dominance and destruction. The lyrics also mention removing the partner's heart and burning their world, indicating a desire to have complete power over their emotions and life.
The lyrics further convey the singer's willingness to be objectified and degraded. They describe themselves as a doll, a slut, a bitch, and an object to be used and discarded at will. By claiming to be the partner's never-ending, unfriendly torment, the singer suggests that they will never be satisfied and will continually push boundaries and challenge societal norms.
Overall, the lyrics of "East" exhibit a complex and intense portrayal of a power dynamic within a relationship. The singer's desire to be consumed and control their partner's emotions showcases a dark and potentially destructive obsession. These lyrics delve into themes of dominance, submission, and the blurred boundaries between pleasure and pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it may sound absurd
Although it may seem illogical or irrational
I want to be a wreck for you
I desire to be in a state of complete chaos and destruction for your sake
Smash out my honor on your floor
I will destroy any sense of dignity or integrity I have, leaving it shattered on the ground
Fill up your bathtub with my moods
I will immerse your surroundings in my unpredictable emotions, overwhelming and consuming everything
Well it may sound a little frightening
Although it may be somewhat alarming
I want to swallow all of your skin
I crave to possess and engulf every inch of your being
Chew your soft tissue into ash
I will gnaw on your delicate flesh, reducing it to nothing but ashes
Beat your ego black and blue
I will relentlessly assault your sense of self, leaving it bruised and battered
I will be your doll
I will become your plaything, obediently conforming to your desires
I will be your hole
I will serve as an empty void, ready to be filled by your needs and wants
I will crush your bones
I will exert immense pressure, breaking and destroying your very foundation
I will abrade your soul
I will wear down and erode the essence of your being, causing deep emotional scars
I will be your toy
I will transform into a mere object of amusement and entertainment for your pleasure
I will be your thing
I will exist solely to fulfill your desires, devoid of personal autonomy
I will tear you down with the twist I bring
I will dismantle and ruin you through the destructive influence I possess
I will be your doll
I will continue to be your submissive and compliant plaything
I will be your toll at the gates of hell
I will be the price you pay for entering a realm of agony and torment
That is what I'm for
My purpose is to fulfill these dark and twisted desires
I will be your flesh
I will become your very embodiment of physical existence
I will be your end
I will mark the culmination of your existence, bringing it to a final conclusion
Then on to the next
Afterwards, I will move on to the next victim or conquest
I will start again
I will repeat the cycle of destruction, commencing once more
I will be your doll
Once again, I will assume the role of your submissive plaything
I will be your girl
I will become the epitome of your ideal female companion, molded to your desires
I will remove your heart
I will extract and eliminate all traces of love and compassion within you
I will burn your world
I will set ablaze and destroy everything that holds meaning and significance to you
I will be your object
I will transform into a mere inanimate entity, devoid of personal agency
Tease and tear
I will playfully provoke and then mercilessly rip apart
I will be your 'hell, I don't have anything to wear'
I will embody the feeling of hopelessness and inadequacy, evoking a sense of despair
I will be your slut
I will embrace the role of a promiscuous and submissive individual solely for your satisfaction
I will be your bitch
I will obediently and unquestioningly fulfill all your commands and desires, relinquishing my autonomy
I will be your never-ending, unfriending
I will be your perpetual source of discomfort and detachment, cutting all ties
Self-expending, moral-bending thorn
I will continuously deplete myself while challenging societal norms and ethical boundaries, causing pain and disruption
Writer(s): Bryan Erickson
Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Julian Cennamo
on Pain
This is a song about coping with failed relationships and a broken home. The lyricist has been triggered by a life event- most likely a breakup. The event is particularly tragic because it brings back haunting memories of fear and abandonment experienced in childhood.