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)
Slut
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
I will be your doll
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 to Velvet Acid Christ's song "Slut" are a dark and disturbing exploration of the singer's desire to surrender themselves entirely to their lover, embracing their role as an object of lust and allowing themselves to become completely submissive. The opening lines set the tone, with the singer expressing a willingness to discard their own sense of honor and identity in order to please their partner. The following stanzas delve into more graphic and violent imagery, with the singer describing their desire to consume and destroy their lover in order to satisfy their own needs.
Throughout the song, the singer oscillates between different roles - at times they are a passive object of desire, willing to be dominated and controlled, and at others they are aggressive and sadistic, reveling in their power to hurt and manipulate. The recurring refrain, "I will be your doll", underscores the central thematic preoccupation with objectification and submission, while the final lines of the song - "I will be your slut / I will be your bitch / I will be your never ending, unbefriending / Self-expending, moral-bending thorn" - suggest a conscious choice to reject traditional norms of femininity and embrace a more subversive, transformative identity.
Overall, the song is a visceral and challenging exploration of the psychological dynamics of power, desire, and gender roles in relationships. It offers a sobering commentary on the ways in which societal expectations and cultural conditioning can shape our perceptions of ourselves and others, and raises important questions about agency and autonomy in sexual contexts.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it may sound absurd
Although what I am about to say may seem strange
I want to be a wreck for you
I want to give myself completely to you, even if it means destroying myself
Smash out my honor on your floor
I am willing to forsake my dignity for you and allow you to trample on it
Fill up your bathtub with my moods
I want to share every part of myself with you, even my emotions
Well it may sound a little frightening
I understand that what I am saying may be scary to you
I want to swallow all of your skin
I desire to consume you entirely, both physically and emotionally
Chew your soft tissue into ash
I am willing to harm you and destroy your vulnerability
Beat your ego black and blue
I aim to damage your pride and self-esteem
I will be your doll
I am willing to do whatever you want and be controlled by you
I will be your hole
I am willing to be objectified and used by you for your pleasure
I will crush your bones
I will harm you physically and mentally
I will abrade your soul
I will wear away at the essence of who you are
I will be your toy
I am willing to be used and played with by you
I will be your thing
I am willing to be objectified and stripped of my humanity
I will tear you down with the twist I bring
I will use my own twisted desires and actions to harm you
I will be your doll
I will continue to do whatever you want and be controlled by you
I will be your toll at the gates of hell
I am willing to be punished or bear the consequences for our actions
That is what I'm for
My purpose is to serve you in any way you desire
I will be your flesh
I am willing to give you my body and my physical being
I will be your end
I am willing to be the means to your desired outcome, even if it is my own harm
Then on to the next
Once you are done with me, I will move on to the next person to serve
I will start again
I am willing to start the cycle over again with someone else
I will be your doll
I am willing to continue to be whatever you desire
I will be your girl
I am willing to take on the role and persona of whatever you desire
I will remove your heart
I will cause you emotional pain and harm
I will burn your world
I am willing to cause destruction and chaos in your life
I will be your object
I am willing to be viewed and treated as a non-human object or tool for your use
Tease and tear
I am willing to play with you and harm you, both physically and emotionally
I will be your 'hell, I don't have anything to wear'
I am willing to be in a subservient position, as if I am used up and discarded
I will be your slut
I am willing to be used and abused sexually for your pleasure
I will be your bitch
I am willing to be your subservient, humiliated partner
I will be your never ending, unbefriending, self-expending, moral-bending thorn
I am willing to be a persistent, never-ceasing, and destructive force in your life
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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.