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)
Planck's Constant
Velvet Acid Christ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rusty nails rip at my hands
Rolling down in my bed
Rip apart the vision that you see
With your eyes on tv
Red tear, into your face
Another dream of society's fate
Oh, we'll crawl up the corporate ladder
Crushed in my only world
Push it over to the moon
A tiny vision of little children
Play along for fun
And prophets of gloom, rich
Time waits over, a book of the dead
Blood slid over, nothing to say
Vision in your brain, telling again
To kill us asleep, and you'll never see anything
But vanity on top of the world
And floating down, into the mess
Then you kiss your lovers fate
Into life you will fade
Oh, you will fade
Your war, broken prophets
Right across my floor
The canned vision
You can destroy
The very vision that brought you along
Rocket ships shoot at the moon
They fly up in the sky
The blood of apocalyptic gloom
Spreading all over
They won't make you see
Your shoes are made of snake skin
Your skin is like a little faint
Reminder of crushing your skull
Sit in a drunken state
Apathy glow, you will fake it
Won't you watch all them
He's all over you and you don't know why
You don't know why
Wasted
Relations of forty states and nations
Will crawl under your finger nail and get stuck
Wail thrill kill for the sake of maturity
Walk down the street at night
I feel a little scared inside
I pull out a 9mm and blow a fucking cop's head off
'cause I'm bored
I wanna kill them all
'cause they make me sick
A last man's judgment trip
The population rescue
The song “Planck’s Constant” by Velvet Acid Christ is a song filled with anger and frustration. The lyrics convey a sense of being trapped within society, longing to escape from the monotony of everyday life. The beginning of the song starts with a profanity-laden line, which sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The first verse describes the physical pain the singer is feeling, as "rusty nails rip at my hands," but it isn't long until the second verse starts to describe emotional pain, as the singer realizes that it is society who has blinded them with the visions they see on television, ultimately leading to the destruction of their own dreams.
There is a hallucinatory quality to the lyrics; the singer describes a "tiny vision of little children play along for fun" and then suddenly adds, "and prophets of gloom, rich time waits over, a book of the dead." The confusion continues as they talk about rocket ships shooting at the moon, and the blood of apocalyptic gloom spreading all over. The bridge of the song describes a violent fantasy in which the singer pulls out a gun and shoots a cop because they're bored, further demonstrating the frustration and desperation felt by the singer. The final lines of the song describe an apocalyptic end to society, with the "population rescue" seemingly the only hope for a better future.
Overall, the song “Planck’s Constant” speaks to the feeling many people have of being trapped within society, longing for change, yet feeling powerless to make it happen. The lyrics express frustrations with everything from the media to the police, painting a picture of a society that has lost its way.
Line by Line Meaning
Fuck you, motherfucker
Opening line expressing anger and aggression towards someone
Rusty nails rip at my hands
Physical description of personal pain and struggle
Rolling down in my bed
Depiction of despair and hopelessness
Rip apart the vision that you see
Command to criticize and question mainstream perspectives
With your eyes on tv
Criticism of societal obsession with media and entertainment
Red tear, into your face
Violent imagery representing suffering and anger
Another dream of society's fate
Negative view of society's future
Oh, we'll crawl up the corporate ladder
Ambition to climb the social and economic hierarchy
Together
Stated unity or co-dependency with like-minded individuals
Crushed in my only world
Feelings of isolation and overwhelmed by personal struggles
Push it over to the moon
An attempt to escape reality or personal problems
A tiny vision of little children
A reference to innocence and youth
Play along for fun
Implores people to engage in carefree activities
And prophets of gloom, rich
Criticism of wealthy people profiting off of misery and suffering
Time waits over, a book of the dead
Mortality and the inevitability of death
Blood slid over, nothing to say
Sensory description of violent or morbid events
Vision in your brain, telling again
Internal struggle with negative thoughts and mental illness
To kill us asleep, and you'll never see anything
Narrator speaking of the dangers of complacency and ignorance
But vanity on top of the world
The superficial nature of society's success and status symbols
And floating down, into the mess
The inevitability and consequences of societal collapse
Then you kiss your lovers fate
Acknowledgement of the cyclical nature of love and tragedy
Into life you will fade
Reminder of the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death
Your war, broken prophets
Criticism of religious leaders and their hypocrisy
Right across my floor
Sensory description of chaos and destruction
The canned vision
Criticism of pre-packaged or manufactured ideas and beliefs
You can destroy
Assurance that mainstream ideas can be challenged and dismantled
The very vision that brought you along
Warnings against the potential consequences of blindly following societal norms
Rocket ships shoot at the moon
An attempt to escape reality or personal problems
They fly up in the sky
Descriptive language of fantastical or idealistic imagery
The blood of apocalyptic gloom
Violent and morbid language describing a dystopian world
Spreading all over
Sensory description of destruction and chaos
They won't make you see
Acknowledgement of willful ignorance or lack of awareness
Your shoes are made of snake skin
Sensory description of exotic or dangerous materials
Your skin is like a little faint
Descriptive language of personal appearance and vulnerability
Reminder of crushing your skull
Confrontation of one's own mortality
Sit in a drunken state
Depiction of intoxication as a form of escapism
Apathy glow, you will fake it
Criticisms of inauthenticity and insincere behavior
Won't you watch all them
Pleading question demanding attention and curiosity
He's all over you and you don't know why
Warns against being taken advantage of by manipulative people
Wasted
Confrontation of addictive or destructive behavior
Relations of forty states and nations
Acknowledgement of the interconnectedness of global society
Will crawl under your finger nail and get stuck
Sensory language of creeping dread and anxiety
Wail thrill kill for the sake of maturity
An ironic challenge of traditional ideas of adulthood and maturity
Walk down the street at night
Depiction of urban unease and discomfort
I feel a little scared inside
Personal vulnerability and fear
I pull out a 9mm and blow a fucking cop's head off
Graphic, sensational language describing violence against law enforcement
'cause I'm bored
Ironic or flippant reasoning for violent behavior
I wanna kill them all
Cyclical hints of further violence and destruction
'cause they make me sick
Asserting one's own morality and sense of righteousness
A last man's judgment trip
Acknowledgement of a possible reckoning of one's actions and consequences
The population rescue
Descriptive language of apocalyptic events and the end of society as we know it
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
skuzallen
love this song
Kevin Bennett
Mexican americans raised me for 8 years after dad died and they actually had furniture covered in plastic and a Velvet Acid Christ hanging on the living room wall so I thought that was funny since we are second Generation Pacifist Learyan children of Lysergia or Generation X....damn kick ass jam VAC. keep it up...
bananas organic
what
Kevin Bennett
all the headphones SUCK! what is wrong with people they cant make a decent pair of headphones that actually work for a few bucks?
Jeremie Ross
I dont mind a cheap pair AKG K52's if you don't like Powered/Gaming tuned frequencies