With the success of the tour and increasing popularity Severn chose to withdraw from college and devote full attention to the band and pursue music production as a career. He also setup the now famous T.G.I.F.Studios where in time over 50 CDs would be recorded by acts such as Eco, Evil's Toy and Armageddon Dildos. Regan wanted to go in a different direction, so he departed and was replaced by Sevren Ni-Arb's brother Thorsten Schmechta (aka Raive Yarx) for the next maxi-single (The Trap) and the second full-length album (Human Desolation). A second European tour was conducted with even more dates and better attendance than the first. Almost immediately after the tour yet another maxi-single (PARANOID ILLUSIONS) was released.
Always looking to innovate and further differentiate the band from other industrial acts, in 1994 the sound of XMTP was enriched by the addition of the vocal presence of Sevren's future wife Stefanie Eckmann-Schmechta (aka Estefania). Their third full-length album (The Killing Had Begun) featured her input and an increasingly rich and nuanced soundscape This was followed by another tour throughout Germany and their first official "Best Of" album (Air Back Trax).
XMTP stunned some fans with a changed stylistic approach for the 1995 maxi-single release (Facer) which featured a mature, techno-influenced club sound. Initially rejected by industrial purists this sound was a precursor which was to define modern EBM and Futurepop. A year later this sound was further refined on their fourth full-length album (Meshwork). Although this album drew criticism from long-time XMTP fans at the time, it gained the band a larger following abroad in the U.S. In time this album would come to be widely considered not only one of XMTP's finest but a modern EBM masterpiece against which others are measured.
The 1996 XMTP album (Drawback) was the fifth and final album they were to release on Zoth-Ommog. Although the band lavished effort on the project and considered it one of their finest, pre-occupation on techno side-projects by management at their label meant it received little promotion and the haphazardly planned support tour never materialized. With the birth of his first son and frustration with record labels in general (and the mismanagement of Zoth Ommog in particular) Sevren chose to suspend the XMTP project indefinitely and take a prolonged hiatus from music. Shortly thereafter Zoth-Ommog folded and shuttered it's doors forever.
Interest from the industrial community continued for XMTP despite difficulty finding material, so seven years later in 2003 the band assembled and released a 2 x CD compilation album of rarities, unreleased tracks, and B-sides (Experiences) for the loyal fanbase, seemingly as a final milestone on the project.
However, with the growth in popularity of industrial and ebm amongst a new generation of listeners the demand for XMTP material has only increased unabated. To meet this demand in 2009 the owner of the industrial label Infacted Recordings and former Zoth Ommog A&R Manager, Torben Schmidt, established their Digital Division and made Sevren the offer to make the entire XMTP catalog (as well as a number of XMTP side-projects) available for download on popular services like iTunes, Amazon, Napster and Musicload. Pleased by the high volume of downloads the decision was made to re-master and re-release two of the earlier maxi-singles (Abattoir and Cenotaph) as part of Infacted's limited release ALLTIME CLASSIXX COLLECTIONS. Not merely re-issues, these limited to 1000 pressing special editions also contain live versions, tracks from rare out-of-print compilations and previously un-released remixes added to the tracklistings.
Sevren Ni-Arb and Raive Yarx had harbored thoughts of new material over the years since retiring and met in early 2009 to discuss ideas and methods for a new approach. They came to the conclusion: XMTP would be back with a new album! Encouraged by the reception of their back catalog from listeners both new & old, the group spent the year polishing concepts that had been considered during their long hiatus. In 2010 XMTP released their first new album in nearly 15 years ( Inner Zone Journey). Once again, they made a stylistic shift from their established sound, opting for a more mature sound that featured a fusion of elements of ebm, trance and synthpop to forge something new. Initial fan reaction was mixed yet again, but the album has received wide critical acclaim as one of the best releases of 2010 and a welcome return of XMTP. They performed both new & classic material live to huge crowds at the 2010 Wave Gotik Treffen festival in Leipzig, Germany cementing the message that at long last...XMTP was back!
Official Homepage:
www.xmtp.de
Abattoir
X-Marks the Pedwalk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if they have it they just try not to lose it.
With all your might you impose your will.
You don't like the persons who put obstructions in your way.
You often have the motive but still nothing to do.
I see that decline I see that circumstance it's all so simple but dance your social dance.
It's just a shit.
Do you really understand what do you hold in your big hand.
It's easy to resist your might I just will look around.
I feel like throwing up.
Blow your problems away look at that decay.
I see you grow.
Your eyes are blind corruptive is that way and I try to find the sense of your might to understand your sight.
There is nothing to ignore so I look down to your abattoir.
The lyrics to X-Marks the Pedwalk's song "Abattoir" describe a person who possesses great power, or might, and the effects that it has on their personality and behavior. The song begins by stating that everyone dreams of might, and those who have it try not to lose it. The person who possesses might imposes their will on others and dislikes anyone who tries to block their path. However, despite having the motive to do something, they often find themselves with nothing to do. This decline and circumstance are simple to see, but the person continues to dance their social dance. The lyrics are scathing, with the artist likening their power to 'nothing but shit.'
As the song progresses, the artist acknowledges the power that the person holds in their big hand but warns of how quickly they will close it. It is easy to resist their might, but the artist recognizes the corruptive nature of power and their attempts to understand it. The song concludes with the artist looking down at the person's abattoir, or slaughterhouse, suggesting that their might has led to a cruel and violent mentality.
Line by Line Meaning
Might is a magnet and everyone dreams of it.
Power is an attractive force and most people crave it.
And if they have it they just try not to lose it.
Those who have power strive to maintain it.
With all your might you impose your will.
You use your power to impose your desires on others.
You don't like the persons who put obstructions in your way.
You dislike those who oppose or resist your power.
You often have the motive but still nothing to do.
You frequently have a desire to use your power but lack a specific goal or task.
I see that decline I see that circumstance it's all so simple but dance your social dance.
I observe the deterioration and situation, it appears straightforward but you continue to follow societal norms.
It's just a shit.
The situation is unpleasant or unsatisfactory.
Do you really understand what do you hold in your big hand.
Are you aware of the power you possess?
And do you understand how rapid you will close your hand.
Are you aware of how quickly you will exercise your power when necessary?
It's easy to resist your might I just will look around.
I can easily resist your power and will observe my surroundings.
I feel like throwing up.
The situation is repulsive or unpleasant.
Blow your problems away look at that decay.
Forget about your problems and focus on the decay around you.
I see you grow.
I observe you gaining more power.
Your eyes are blind corruptive is that way and I try to find the sense of your might to understand your sight.
You are blinded by corruption and I attempt to comprehend your vision by understanding your power.
There is nothing to ignore so I look down to your abattoir.
There is nothing worth ignoring so I look down at your slaughterhouse, a symbol of your ruthless exercise of power.
Writer(s): Ni-Arb Sevren Copyright: GEMA, Icm-innovative Computer Music Edition
Contributed by Katherine H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
lake note
early 90's, sitting in the parking lot of a local disco, drinking beer from the trunk, listening to punk, ebm, independent music...and dancing to abattaoir. drunk, on the parking lot, four of us. this memory will stay forever!
David Janovsky
we need more music like this
AExiOn
Sung this song soo much in one day i coughed up blood. Freaking loved it!
Jacob Christensen
The atmosphere and complexity of electro-industrial and the danceability of EBM. Fantastic
Spin'glass Hydra
I loved going to the "Kontrol Factory" in old-Hollywood and wait for them to play this song. It takes me back to the smell of clove cigarettes, those killer zombie + dominatrix drinks, glittery silver jewelry, the occasional stiletto heel stepping on my freshly polished combat boots. I remember we fellas, thinking -- girls that wore combat boots, were so freaking sexy (that's why, I married one of them) and then there were all of the "beautiful people".
There were absolutely NO -- kinder-goths, no posers, no shitty attitudes, no tourists, and no "Hot Topic" club-kids with stupid glow sticks -- We made our own shit. We still remain the forefathers to the current; Aggro-tech, Cyber-goth, Harsh EBM Electronica, Dark Cold-wave, Industrial-techno, Light-Industrial, or any number of the virtual onslaught of never ending Underground Subcultural memes.
We're the original Necromongeristic Goths -- Goths with a capitol "G", those other people deserve a small "g" instead. We haven't grown out of some temporary "phase", like Mom and Dad predicted. Now, that we're older, we can afford kick-ass clothes and boots galore. We are still loud-n-proud of it ... !!!
We had so much fun .... !!!!
WTF Productions
KONTROL FACTORY!!! OMG I hadn't thought about that place in forever until just now.
Brad Van Hemelryck
Ahh yes... Kontrol Factory @ the Probe. Me and someone else I work with were just talking about this today!
The good old days- getting drunk and dancing my ass off to this and other kick ass shit and then going to work still fucked up the next morning (and parking at the Yum Yum for free @ Highland/Melrose w/o having to worry about my ride getting towed or fucked with)
veronicadhawkins
Love hearing all the Kontrol Factory post
Fabian Massimino
Masterpiece!!!
psycheciety
...one of the best (EBM / Electro-Industrial) tracks EVER... [psy]