Velvet Acid Christ
Encyclopedia
Velvet Acid Christ is an electro-industrial
band
based in Denver, Colorado
. The band was formed in 1990, gaining limited popularity in Europe's underground
nightclub
scene during the mid-1990s before expanding into other markets in the goth
and industrial subculture
s. The band's discography includes 12 albums.
Bryan Erickson
has been the lead vocalist, musician
, and producer
behind Velvet Acid Christ.
, Gothic
, electro-industrial
, and EBM
. The band's tone ranges between angry, upbeat, sad, and psychedelic
. The band's lyrical content offers a varied focus, including such topics as love, hate, depression
, misanthropy
, drugs
, and religion
. Erickson is the group's main songwriter.
Much of Velvet Acid Christ's musical composition
has been produced with synthesizers and computer software
(see Computer music
). Other instruments used by the band include sequencers
such as drum machine
s and electric guitar
s with effects pedals. Sampling
, which is the use of sound clips as part of a new recording, is another technique commonly employed by the band.
, Rush
, Skinny Puppy
, Cocteau Twins
, The Cure
and Siouxsie and The Banshees.
. 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
, and Toxic Coma. 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.
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 nightclub
s 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, 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 sublabel 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 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.
raw foodist diet. Newly clean, Erickson created the 2003 album Hex Angel: Utopia/Dystopia
with a small assortment of other musicians, including members of the bands Revolution State and Angels In Bondage. 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 26 September 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.
The band, consisting solely of Erickson, has completed work on a new LP entitled The Art of Breaking Apart, released on 27 October 2009.
Electro-industrial
Electro-industrial is a music genre drawing on EBM and post-industrial that developed in the mid-1980s. While EBM has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial has a deep, complex and layered sound. The style was pioneered by Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and other groups,...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
based in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. The band was formed in 1990, gaining limited popularity in Europe's underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
scene during the mid-1990s before expanding into other markets in the goth
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
and industrial subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
s. The band's discography includes 12 albums.
Bryan Erickson
Bryan Erickson (musician)
Bryan Erickson is known primarily for his involvement with the electronic music bands Velvet Acid Christ and Toxic Coma. Erickson also goes by the stage names of "hexfix93" and "Disease Factory"...
has been the lead vocalist, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
behind Velvet Acid Christ.
Musical style
The majority of the band's work is categorized among the genres of industrialIndustrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
, Gothic
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
, electro-industrial
Electro-industrial
Electro-industrial is a music genre drawing on EBM and post-industrial that developed in the mid-1980s. While EBM has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial has a deep, complex and layered sound. The style was pioneered by Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and other groups,...
, and EBM
Electronic body music
Electronic body music or industrial dance is a music genre that combines elements of industrial music and electronic dance music...
. The band's tone ranges between angry, upbeat, sad, and psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
. The band's lyrical content offers a varied focus, including such topics as love, hate, depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
, misanthropy
Misanthropy
Misanthropy is generalized dislike, distrust, disgust, contempt or hatred of the human species or human nature. A misanthrope, or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings...
, drugs
Recreational drug use
Recreational drug use is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal...
, and religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
. Erickson is the group's main songwriter.
Much of Velvet Acid Christ's musical composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
has been produced with synthesizers and computer software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
(see Computer music
Computer music
Computer music is a term that was originally used within academia to describe a field of study relating to the applications of computing technology in music composition; particularly that stemming from the Western art music tradition...
). Other instruments used by the band include sequencers
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
such as drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s and electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s with effects pedals. Sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, which is the use of sound clips as part of a new recording, is another technique commonly employed by the band.
Influences
The band cites many musical influences, including among many others Aphex TwinAphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
, Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....
, Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...
, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
and Siouxsie and The Banshees.
Early projects, early changes, and first albums (1990–1995)
In the early 1990s, Erickson and Grigory Bilham, both residents of Colorado, brought together their shared interest in creating music to record a series of demosDemo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
. With the addition of Gary Slaughter and Chris Workman, the group attempted several bands, including Disease Disco Factory, a parody of then-popular dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
group C+C Music Factory
C+C Music Factory
C+C Music Factory is a dance-pop and hip hop group formed in 1989 by David Cole and Robert Clivillés which stopped recording 1996, following Cole's death...
, and Toxic Coma. 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
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
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
Neuralblastoma
Neuralblastoma is an electro-industrial album by Velvet Acid Christ.-Track listing:#"Cyclone Chamber" - 7:15#"Dark Lights" - 7:04#"The Hopeless" - 5:41#"Planck's Constant" - 8:26#"Serial Killer 101" - 6:38#"Revolution 101" - 4:33...
, a harder-sounding album.
Erickson, along with friends and minor contributors Steve Bird and Dan Olson, started the brief-lived record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
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)
Bill Leeb
Bill Leeb is an electronic musician.He moved to Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada with his family when he was 13...
of industrial pioneer Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...
. Leeb passed the music to Thorsten Stroht, a media promoter with European label Off-Beat Records. Off-Beat A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
negotiated a deal with the band.
For their first Off-Beat release, the group submitted 1996's Church of Acid
Church of Acid
Church of Acid is an electro-industrial album by Velvet Acid Christ. The European version has a partially different track listing.-Track listing :# "Hell One" - 4:26# "Let's Kill All These Motherfuckers" - 5:07# "Hell Two" - 3:58...
, 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 nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s 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
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
.
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
Suicide Commando
Suicide Commando is a Belgian electro-industrial act created by Johan van Roy in 1986.- History :Johan van Roy, Suicide Commando's only member, began experimenting with electronic music in 1986. Three years later he released his first tape under the moniker Suicide Commando, and made an appearance...
, which attracted the attention of Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based record label, distributor, and mail-order store specializing in the post-industrial field such as electro-industrial, synthpop, futurepop, darkwave, and gothic musical genres....
, the largest industrial label in United States. The parent label of Pendragon, Metropolis distributed the album Neuralblastoma, a partnership that would endure.
Velvet Acid Christ spent the majority of 1999 in the studio, first collaborating with Germany's Funker Vogt
Funker Vogt
Funker Vogt is a German electronic music project with an aggressive style, formed by vocalist Jens Kästel and programmer Gerrit Thomas in 1995. Other members of the band are keyboardist/manager Bjorn Bottcher, live guitarist Frank Schweigert and lyricist Kai Schmidt...
on a remix EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
entitled Velvet Acid Christ Vs Funker Vogt: The Remix Assault
Velvet Acid Christ Vs Funker Vogt: The Remix Assault
The Remix Assault is an aggrotech maxi by Funker Vogt and Velvet Acid Christ.-Track listing:...
, then shifting to Velvet Acid Christ's next full-length recording, Fun With Knives
Fun With Knives
Fun With Knives is an electro-industrial album by Velvet Acid Christ. Several of the songs feature samples from contemporaneous films; notably, "Fun With Drugs" features audio from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, "Decypher" samples from Starship Troopers, "Fun With Knives" and "The Dark Inside Me"...
. 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 sublabel dependent, became the band's best-selling album. Sales were propelled by the singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"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
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
and increased drug abuse, which channeled into the creation of the band's next album, Twisted Thought Generator
Twisted Thought Generator
Twisted Thought Generator is an electro-industrial album by Velvet Acid Christ. The album Dimension 8 was released alongside Twisted Thought Generator as a free MP3.-Track listing:# Velvet Pill # Dial 8...
. Simultaneously, the band toured Europe
with industrial acts Project X and Stromkern
Stromkern
Stromkern is a band that blends electronic music and hip-hop. The band was formed in 1994 by James "Ned" Kirby.Kirby was originally a DJ in Madison, Wisconsin as a teenager, experimenting under the moniker "Flowers for Ravers" before founding Stromkern. Disenchanted with the music he was receiving...
and toured the United States and Canada with bands Din_Fiv and Haujobb
Haujobb
Haujobb is a German musical project whose output has ranged drastically within the electronic music spectrum, from electro-industrial to IDM and techno...
. The line-up of the band during this period was unstable. Workman, citing a conversion to Christianity, resigned 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–)
Erickson placed Velvet Acid Christ on a short hiatus in 2001, as he abandoned his dependence on drugs in favor of exercise and a veganVeganism
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...
raw foodist diet. Newly clean, Erickson created the 2003 album Hex Angel: Utopia/Dystopia
Hex Angel
Hex Angel: Utopia/Dystopia is an electro-industrial album by Velvet Acid Christ.The single "Pretty Toy" contains samples of the lines "On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero" and "My God...I haven't been fucked like that since grade school." Both are lines from the...
with a small assortment of other musicians, including members of the bands Revolution State and Angels In Bondage. 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
Twisted Thought Generator
Twisted Thought Generator is an electro-industrial album by Velvet Acid Christ. The album Dimension 8 was released alongside Twisted Thought Generator as a free MP3.-Track listing:# Velvet Pill # Dial 8...
and Oblivion Interface
Oblivion Interface
Oblivion Interface is an electronic music album by Velvet Acid Christ. It was released for free online in MP3 format.-Track listing:#"Cease to Understand"#"Fried"#"World in Your Eyes"#"Grizzly Reaper"#"Despotic"#"Damnation"#"Want Disease"...
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
Lust for Blood (album)
Lust for Blood is the eleventh original album by electro-industrial band Velvet Acid Christ. The album's promotional single is titled Wound, which was on the Deutche Alternative Chart for 8 weeks in 2006.-Track listing:#Wound#Parasite...
, which was released on 26 September 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.
The band, consisting solely of Erickson, has completed work on a new LP entitled The Art of Breaking Apart, released on 27 October 2009.
Audio samples
Current members
- Bryan EricksonBryan Erickson (musician)Bryan Erickson is known primarily for his involvement with the electronic music bands Velvet Acid Christ and Toxic Coma. Erickson also goes by the stage names of "hexfix93" and "Disease Factory"...
(1990 – present) – lead vocals, compositionMusical compositionMusical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, lyricsLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, various
Albums
- FateFate (Velvet Acid Christ album)Fate is the debut album by electronic music artist, Velvet Acid Christ. It was re-released in 2004 as Between the Eyes, Vol. 2.-Track listing:#"Hell One" - 4:27#"Hell Two" - 3:57#"Dark Lights" - 7:01#"Pain" - 6:38#"Falling Snow" - 5:32...
– (CS Album, Ltd. Edition [150 copies]) 1994 – no label • (CD Album, Ltd. Edition [50 copies]) 1994 – no label - PestilencePestilence (Velvet Acid Christ album)Pestilence is the second album by electronic music artist, Velvet Acid Christ. It was re-released in 2004 as Between the Eyes, Vol. 3.-Track listing:#"Fiction Friction" - 6:26#"Broken Mind" - 7:13#"Satan Complex #42" - 3:59#"Masked Illusion" - 7:38...
– (CS, Ltd. Edition [100 copies]) 1994 – no label • (CD, Ltd. Edition [50 copies]) 1994 – no label - NeuralblastomaNeuralblastomaNeuralblastoma is an electro-industrial album by Velvet Acid Christ.-Track listing:#"Cyclone Chamber" - 7:15#"Dark Lights" - 7:04#"The Hopeless" - 5:41#"Planck's Constant" - 8:26#"Serial Killer 101" - 6:38#"Revolution 101" - 4:33...
– (CDr Album, Ltd. Edition) 1995 – Electric Depth Trip Records • (CD Album, Ltd. Edition [2500 copies]) 1998 – Metropolis (US) • (CD Album, Ltd. Edition [2500 copies]) 1998 – Off Beat (EU) • (CD Album, Repress) 2004 – Synthetic Symphony (EU) - Church of AcidChurch of AcidChurch of Acid is an electro-industrial album by Velvet Acid Christ. The European version has a partially different track listing.-Track listing :# "Hell One" - 4:26# "Let's Kill All These Motherfuckers" - 5:07# "Hell Two" - 3:58...
– (CD) 1996 – Off Beat (EU) • (CD) 1997 – Pendragon Records (US) - Calling Ov the Dead – (CD Album) 1998 – Pendragon Records (US), Off Beat (EU) • (CD Album, Reissue) 2002 – Synthetic Symphony • (CD Album, Reissue) 2006 – Synthetic Symphony
- Fun with KnivesFun With KnivesFun With Knives is an electro-industrial album by Velvet Acid Christ. Several of the songs feature samples from contemporaneous films; notably, "Fun With Drugs" features audio from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, "Decypher" samples from Starship Troopers, "Fun With Knives" and "The Dark Inside Me"...
– (CD Album) 1999 – Metropolis (US) • (CD Album) 1999 – Dependent Records (EU) - Fun with Razors – (CD Album + Mini CD, Ltd. Edition Box) 1999 – Dependent Records
- The Remix Wars: Strike 4 – Velvet Acid Christ vs. Funker VogtVelvet Acid Christ Vs Funker Vogt: The Remix AssaultThe Remix Assault is an aggrotech maxi by Funker Vogt and Velvet Acid Christ.-Track listing:...
– (CD) 1999 – Metropolis (US), Off Beat (EU) • (CD) 2002 – Synthetic Symphony - Twisted Thought GeneratorTwisted Thought GeneratorTwisted Thought Generator is an electro-industrial album by Velvet Acid Christ. The album Dimension 8 was released alongside Twisted Thought Generator as a free MP3.-Track listing:# Velvet Pill # Dial 8...
– (CD Album, Enhanced) 2000 – Metropolis - Dimension 8Dimension 8Dimension 8 is an electro-industrial album by Velvet Acid Christ. It was released in MP3 format as a data track on the CD Twisted Thought Generator and was also available briefly as a free online download...
– (MP3 Files) 2000, no label (on "Twisted Thought Generator" CD as a data track, also released online for free, temporarily) - Hex Angel: (Utopia - Dystopia)Hex AngelHex Angel: Utopia/Dystopia is an electro-industrial album by Velvet Acid Christ.The single "Pretty Toy" contains samples of the lines "On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero" and "My God...I haven't been fucked like that since grade school." Both are lines from the...
– (CD Album) 2003 – Dependent Records (EU), Metropolis (US) • (CD Album, Ltd. Edition Box) 2003 – Dependent Records (EU), Metropolis (US) - Oblivion InterfaceOblivion InterfaceOblivion Interface is an electronic music album by Velvet Acid Christ. It was released for free online in MP3 format.-Track listing:#"Cease to Understand"#"Fried"#"World in Your Eyes"#"Grizzly Reaper"#"Despotic"#"Damnation"#"Want Disease"...
– (MP3 Files) 2004, no label (released online for free, temporarily) - Between the Eyes Vol. 1 – (CD) 2004 – Metropolis (singles compilation)
- Between the Eyes Vol. 2 – (CD) 2004 – Metropolis (re-release of "Fate")
- Between the Eyes Vol. 3 – (CD) 2004 – Metropolis (re-release of "Pestilence")
- Between the Eyes Vol. 4 – (CD) 2004 – Metropolis (re-release of "Neuroblastoma beta")
- Lust for BloodLust for Blood (album)Lust for Blood is the eleventh original album by electro-industrial band Velvet Acid Christ. The album's promotional single is titled Wound, which was on the Deutche Alternative Chart for 8 weeks in 2006.-Track listing:#Wound#Parasite...
– (CD Album) 2006 – Metropolis - The Art of Breaking ApartThe Art of Breaking Apart (album)The Art of Breaking Apart is the twelfth album by electro-industrial band Velvet Acid Christ. Sitting at eleven tracks, it is a departure from the classic sounds of Velvet Acid Christ, even more so than the previous album Lust for Blood...
– (CD Album) 2009 - New Album - (CD Album) 2012
EPs
- Decypher – (CD Maxi) 1999 – Metropolis
- Fun with Drugs – (CD Maxi) 1999 – Dependent Records
- Dial 8 – (CD Maxi) 2001 – Metropolis
- Pretty Toy – (CD Maxi) 2003 – Dependent Records (EU), Metropolis (US)
- Wound – (CD Maxi) 2006 – Metropolis
Compilation appearances
- The Tyranny Off the Beat Vol. III – (CD) 1996, Track #3 "Futile (LSD-Mix)" – Off Beat
- Binary Application Extension 04 – (CD) 1997, Track #2 "The Calling" – Genocide Project
- Intelligent Inside – (CD) 1997, Track #4 "The Hand (Trance Mix)" – Off Beat
- Moonraker Vol. 3 – (2xCD) 1997, Disc #2, Track #9 "Fiction Friction" – Sub Terranean
- The Gothic Compilation Part VI – (CD) 1997, Track #9 "The Dead Part I" – Gothic Records (Germany)
- The O-Files Vol. 2 – (CD) 1997, Track #8 "The Hand (Aggro Trash Mix)", Track #9 "The Hand (Cut Throat Psycho Rave Mix)" and Track #10 "Killing Me" – Off Beat
- The Tyranny Off the Beat Vol. IV – (2xCD) 1996, Disc #2, Track #8 "Malfunction" – Off Beat
- Apocalypse Now Vol. 2 – (2xCD) 1998, Disc #2, Track #2 "The Hopeless" – Sub Terranean
- Binary Application Extension 05 – (CD) 1998, "Amphetamine OD (Fuck Off Sage for Not Putting Futile on this Disc Mix)" – Genocide Project
- Elektro Discharge – (CD) 1998, Track #3 "Save Me From Love" – DSBP
- Moonraker Vol. IV – (2xCD) 1998, Disc #2, Track #10 "The Hand (Violent Trance Mix)" – Sub Terranean
- Quadrophobia V.1 – (CD) 1998, Track #12 "The Hand (Aggro Trash Mix)", Track #13 "The Hand (Cut Throat Psycho Rave Mix)" and Track #14 "Killing Me" – Pendragon Records
- The Tyranny Off the Beat Vol. V – (2xCD) 1998, Disc #1, Track #11 "Melting (Unreleased Track)" – Off Beat
- We Came to Dance – Indie Dancefloor Vol. 11 – (2xCD) 1998, Disc #2, Track #3 "Timeless Visions" – Sub Terranean
- Zillo Club Hits 3 – (CD) 1998, Track #4 "Futile" – Zillo
- Zillo Mystic Sounds 7 – (CD) 1998, Track #15 "Pray For Life" – Zillo
- Bodyhorst's Popshow 2 – (CD) 1999, Track #3 "Decypher (Forensciscs Edit)" – Bodystyler Magazin
- Electronic Lust V.2 – (CD Sampler) 1999, Disc #1, Track #3 "Suicide Picnic" – Orkus
- Elegy – Numéro 4 – (CD Sampler) 1999, Track #7 "Fun With Drugs (Amphetamine Overdose Mix)" – Elegy
- Septic – (CD, Ltd. Edition) 1999, Track #5 "W.H.T.S.W.H.T.K. 98 (No Sleep 'Til Fun With Knives Mix)" – Dependent Records
- Volume 2 – (CD) 1999, Track #14 "Decypher" – Prospective Music Magazine
- Zillo Mystic Sounds 8 – (CD) 1999, Track #16 "So Much" – Zillo
- Critical M@55 – (CD) 2000, Track #12 "The Dark Inside Me" – Metropolis
- ElectroManiac Vol. 1 – (CD) 2000, Track #14 "Malfunction" – Bloodline
- Eurorock Sonic Seducer Festival 2000 – (2xCD) 2000, Disc 31, Track #13 "Fiction Friction (US-Only Track)" – Oblivion
- Metropolis 2000 – (CD) 2000, Track #2 "Fun With Drugs (Edit)" – Metropolis
- Resist the Command – (CD) 2000, Track #7 "Cyber Communists Plotting Red Revolt" – Dystopian Records
- We Came To Dance 2000 – (2xCD) 2000, Disc #1, Track #8 "Never Worship" – GTN (Global Trance Network)
- Zillo Dark Summer 2000 – (2xCD) 2000, Disc #1, Track #16 "Icon" – Zillo
- Critical M@55 Volume 2 – (CD) 2001, Track #6 "Asphixia (Wasted)" – Metropolis
- D-Side 2 – (CD Sampler) 2001, Track #8 "Dial 8" – D-Side
- Der Seelen Tiefengrund 3: Music for Candlelight & Redwine – (2xCD) 2001, Disc #2, Track #10 "Repulsive (Necropolis Mix)" – Zoomshot Media Entertainment
- Electro Club Attack – The Classix I – (2xCD) 2001, Disc #2, Track #12 "Disflux (Feed Back Mix)" – XXC
- Metropolis 2001 – (CD) 2001, Track #1 "Lysergia" – Metropolis
- New Forms of Electronic Body Music – (CD) 2001, Track #1 "Velvet Pill (Jagged Scar Mix)" – Bloodline
- Orkus Presents: The Best of the 90s 1 – (2xCD) 2001, Disc #1, Track #12 "Futile (Nazi Bastard Mix)" – Angelwings, Orkus
- Orkus Presents: The Best of the 90s 2 – (2xCD) 2002, Disc #2, Track #4 "The Hand (Violent Trance Mix)" – Orkus
- D-Side 17 – (CD Sampler) 2003, Track #10 "Misery" – D-Side
- Elegy Sampler 29 – (CD Sampler) 2003, Track #10 "Collapsed" – Elegy
- Gypsy 83 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – (CD) 2003, Track #10 "Dilaudid (Postponed)" – Metropolis
- Metropolis 2003 – (CD Sampler) 2003, Track #12 "Pretty Toy" – Metropolis
- Sonic Seducer Cold Hands Seduction Vol. 29 – (CD Sampler, Enhanced) 2003, Track #2 "Collapsed" – Sonic Seducer
- This Is Neo-Goth – (3xCD) 2003, Disc 31, Track #5 "Decypher (Force = Authority Remix)" – Cleopatra
- ZilloScope: New Signs & Sounds 08-09/03 – (CD Sampler, Enhanced + VCD) 2003, CD Track #7 "Convex" – Zillo
- :Per:Version: Vol. 10 – (CD Enhanced) 2004, Track #1 "Dead Tomorrow" – :Ritual:
- Metropolis 2004 – (CD) 2004, Track #11 "Collapsed" – Metropolis
- Orkus Compilation XVII – (CD Sampler, Enhanced) 2004, Track #6 "The Hopeless" – Orkus
- Orkus Presents: The Best of the 90s 4 – (2xCD) 2004, Disc #1, Track #2 "Phucking Freak" – Angelwings, Orkus
- Orkus Presents: The Very Best of the 90s Vol. 1 – (2xCD) Disc #1, Track #8 "Futile (Nazi Bastard Mix)" – Angelwings, Orkus
- Clubtrax Vol. 2 – (2xCD) 2006, Disc #1, Track #4 "Wound" – Danse Macabre
- D-Side 36 – (CD Sampler) 2006, Track #8 "Discolored Eyes" – D-Side
- Elegy Sampler 43 – (CD Sampler) 2006, Track #8 "Lust" – Elegy
- Gothic Compilation Part XXXIV – (2xCD) 2006, Disc #2, Track #13 "Parasite" – Batbeliever Releases, Indigo
- Metropolis 2006 – (CD) 2006, Track #13 "Discolored Eyes" – Metropolis
- New Signs & Sounds 10/06 – (CD Sampler, Enhanced) 2006, Track #13 "Parasite" – Zillo
- Sonic Seducer Cold Hands Seduction Vol. 63 – (CD Sampler + CD Enhanced, Sampler) 2006 – Disc #4 "Blood" – Sonic Seducer
External links
- Official Velvet Acid Christ website
- Official Velvet Acid Christ forums
- Velvet Acid Christ at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Velvet Acid Christ at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....
- Velvet Acid Christ at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Velvet Acid Christ biography