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
Drawback
X-Marks the Pedwalk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I rush at the gap
A returning might to
Extinguish the light
Extreme my eyes open wide and I dive
Into a psychosis behind a haze
A headlight on me, I feel ravished and clean
Anxious to know why I rummage out lies
I move systematic, out of the light
It's not real
Just a drawback I wish to feel
When lies come near
And the time rules what I hear
I locate a place that will mirror my face
And inquire into the mash of myself
There's a wish-wash in my head, a wit in my mind
I don't think that's real, a drawback of time
A headlight on me, I feel ravished and clean
Some kind of instinct, impressive, rules me
Anxious to know why I rummage out lies
I move systematic, out of the light
It's not real
Just a drawback I wish to feel
When lies come near
And the time rules what I hear
A headlight on me, I feel ravished and clean
Some kind of instinct, impressive, rules me
Anxious to know why I rummage out lies
I move systematic, out of the light
The song "Drawback" by X-Marks the Pedwalk can be interpreted in several different ways, but one possible interpretation is that the lyrics describe the experience of someone who is struggling with their own perception of reality. The first verse seems to suggest that the singer is seeking some sort of escape or distraction from their current state of mind, and is attempting to find that escape through music ("some fine tunes from nowhere"). However, they soon realize that this escape is only temporary, and that they must confront their own thoughts and feelings if they want to truly overcome their problems ("extinguish the light"). The second verse introduces the idea that the singer is being controlled by some sort of instinct or compulsion, which leads them to seek out lies and to avoid the truth. The chorus suggests that the singer is aware that this behavior is unhealthy, and that it is ultimately a "drawback" that they wish to overcome.
The third verse introduces the idea that the singer is trying to understand themselves better, but is struggling to do so because their thoughts and feelings are jumbled and confusing ("there's a wish-wash in my head"). They are trying to find a sense of clarity or understanding, but are hindered by their own limitations ("a drawback of time"). The final chorus reiterates the idea that the singer is aware of their own issues, but is still trying to find a way to overcome them.
Overall, "Drawback" is a complex and introspective song that touches on themes of escapism, self-acceptance, and the struggle to understand one's own thoughts and feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Some fine tunes from nowhere
The music he hears is unfamiliar and comes out of the blue
I rush at the gap
He eagerly jumps into the unknown without hesitation
A returning might to extinguish the light
He's determined to overcome obstacles and eliminate doubts
Extreme my eyes open wide and I dive into a psychosis behind a haze
He loses himself in his thoughts and willingly succumbs to a state of frenzy
A headlight on me, I feel ravished and clean
He feels exposed yet renewed
Some kind of instinct, impressive, rules me
He's driven by his intuition and deeply influenced by it
Anxious to know why I rummage out lies, I move systematic, out of the light
He's curious about the falsehoods that surround him, and to uncover the truth, he follows a methodical approach, away from the obvious
It's not real, just a drawback I wish to feel when lies come near and the time rules what I hear
When deception is ever-present, he seeks to experience the pull towards it to better understand it within the constraints of time
I locate a place that will mirror my face and inquire into the mash of myself
He looks for a space in which he can reflect upon his own image and gain insights about his own existence
There's a wish-wash in my head, a wit in my mind, I don't think that's real, a drawback of time
He feels conflicted in his thoughts, doubting his own beliefs as he thinks about the passing of time
A headlight on me, I feel ravished and clean
He feels exposed yet renewed
Some kind of instinct, impressive, rules me
He's driven by his intuition and deeply influenced by it
Anxious to know why I rummage out lies, I move systematic, out of the light
He's curious about the falsehoods that surround him, and to uncover the truth, he follows a methodical approach, away from the obvious
It's not real, just a drawback I wish to feel when lies come near and the time rules what I hear
When deception is ever-present, he seeks to experience the pull towards it to better understand it within the constraints of time
A headlight on me, I feel ravished and clean
He feels exposed yet renewed
Some kind of instinct, impressive, rules me
He's driven by his intuition and deeply influenced by it
Anxious to know why I rummage out lies, I move systematic, out of the light
He's curious about the falsehoods that surround him, and to uncover the truth, he follows a methodical approach, away from the obvious
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tyrant Revolver
There's just something about this track that even after so many years works some sort of entrancing hold on me. Guy trapped lightning in a bottle with this one. Forever a great song.
Denise Jensen
My God memories. This will forever be burned in my mind. Thank you guys!!
C Gosnell
This track has a very special place and imprint on me, it always will. Thank you for uploading.
jlerro1981
I love this song. This whole album is awesome including the other kick ass track, W.I.T.I.A.K..
Jana Cox
Superb! I will never stop dancing to this song. Thanks for sharing. 💖🍌
Morph Six
2022