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)
Never Worship
Velvet Acid Christ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look inside, see your secrets
and live and die, we live on secrets.
Push out your hands, push at your lies,
Push at your time, say goodbye
Pick up your clothes, lift up your hands
Look at your fingers end all time,
To hell, to die, to kill, to fall
To hell, to die, to kill, to fall
To hell to die, to kill, to fall
To hell to die, to get away form you
to hell to get away form you.
To hell to get to get away from you.
Look but don't touch.
Touch, but don't taste!
Taste, don't swallow. Ahaha!
And when you're jumpin' from one foot to the next,
what is he doing?
He's laughin' His sick, fuckin' ass off.
He's a tight-ass! He's a sadist!
He's an absentee landlord.
Worship THAT? NEVER!
To suck, to fuck, to hate, to die
To suck, to fuck, to hate, to lie
To kill myself for you, to die
To hate, to suck, I can't get high
Lie so die, how I kill myself for you
Die, die, I kill myself for you.
so sad, to hate everything inside
In my mind I should die
Goodbye.
(RANT)
The lyrics of Velvet Acid Christ's song, "Never Worship," are filled with dark and disturbing imagery, as well as a sense of contempt for authority and society. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been living a life full of secrets, lies, and self-destruction, and is now rejecting the idea of worshipping anyone or anything. He urges the listener to "look inside" and confront their own secrets, but also warns them to be cautious and not get too close. The chorus repeats the phrase "to hell, to die, to kill, to fall," which seems to indicate a desire to escape from the misery of existence.
The section where the singer talks about God or some other powerful figure laughing at his pain and suffering is particularly chilling. He rejects the idea of worshiping such a being, suggesting that it's better to embrace one's own pain and hatred rather than submitting to a higher power. The final lines, "so sad, to hate everything inside, in my mind I should die, goodbye," suggest that the singer is contemplating suicide as an escape from his own emotional torment.
Overall, the lyrics of "Never Worship" paint a bleak and nihilistic picture of the human condition, with a message of rejecting authority and finding meaning in one's own pain and suffering.
Line by Line Meaning
Look inside, see your secrets
Reflect on your innermost thoughts and divulge your secrets.
and live and die, we live on secrets.
Our lives are sustained by secrets that we keep until we die.
Push out your hands, push at your lies,
Confront your lies and expose them to the world by speaking out.
Push at your time, say goodbye
Take control of your time and move on from the past by saying goodbye.
Pick up your clothes, lift up your hands
Take care of yourself and embrace your freedom by taking control of your life.
Look at your fingers end all time,
Examine your mortality and the finite nature of existence.
Chop your head off, say goodbye.
Reject your past and everything holding you back, and start anew.
To hell, to die, to kill, to fall
Embrace the darkness within and let go of your inhibitions.
To hell, to die, to kill, to fall
Sink deeper into the abyss and relinquish control of your life.
To hell to die, to kill, to fall
Fully surrender yourself to the void of darkness and embrace destruction.
To hell to die, to get away from you
Escape the controlling and toxic nature of those who hold you captive.
to hell to get away form you.
Creating distance between you and those who seek to harm you is paramount.
Look but don't touch.
Observe without action, lest you yield to temptation.
Touch, but don't taste!
Indulge without full immersion.
Taste, don't swallow. Ahaha!
Partake in the pleasures of life but do not lose control.
And when you're jumpin' from one foot to the next,
When you are restless and unsure of yourself,
what is he doing?
God is watching and letting you flounder.
He's laughin' His sick, fuckin' ass off.
God enjoys your weakness and the pain it brings.
He's a tight-ass! He's a sadist!
God is cruel and punishing.
He's an absentee landlord.
God is distant and uncaring.
Worship THAT? NEVER!
Never worship a God who delights in your suffering.
To suck, to fuck, to hate, to die
Life is filled with hedonistic desires, hate, and death.
To suck, to fuck, to hate, to lie
These desires consume and corrupt us, leading to deception and destruction.
To kill myself for you, to die
To succumb and give yourself over to someone else brings death and suffering.
To hate, to suck, I can't get high
Indulging in these pleasures may provide brief relief, but it will never lead to true joy.
Lie so die, how I kill myself for you
Pretending to be something you're not will lead to your downfall.
Die, die, I kill myself for you.
Giving your life up for someone else's benefit will ultimately lead to your own destruction.
so sad, to hate everything inside
It is a melancholic existence to live in hatred and loathing of oneself.
In my mind I should die
The mental and emotional suffering of self-hatred can be unbearable.
Goodbye.
Moving on from the past and embracing a new path can bring freedom and peace.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Silverlarkspur87
the other samples in the bridge is Al Pachino's character John Milton in Devils Advocate
"Look but don't touch, touch,but don't taste, taste, but don't swallow hahaha! and while you're jumping from one foot to the next, what is he doing? He's lauging his sick fucking ass of! he's a tightass! he's a sadist! He's an absentee landlord, worship that never!"
@golem74torti
hell yeah, fav and love it😁😈 ^^ 😎🤘🏻🔊🔊🔊🎶🎹🖤👻🧟♀️☣☢💀🔥🔨
@BlueArcStreaming
I could start a fire in space if I wanted to
@fabiocardinali9
dajeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
@methlokaijufan9729
1:35 that voice sounds very familiar