Velvet Acid Christ

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Velvet Acid Christ

Background information
Origin Westminster, Colorado, USA
Genre(s) Electro-industrial
Years active 1990–present
Label(s) Alive, Dependent, EDT, Metropolis, Off-Beat, Pendragon, Synthetic Symphony
Website VelvetAcidChrist.com
Members
Bryan Erickson
Todd Loomis

Velvet Acid Christ (VAC) is an electro-industrial band based in the Denver, Colorado area of the United States. 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 subcultures. The band's discography includes 12 albums.

Bryan Erickson has been the lead vocalist, musician, and producer behind Velvet Acid Christ.

Contents

[edit] Musical style

The majority of the band's work is categorized among the genres of industrial, 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 depression, love, misanthropy, drugs, hate, and religion. Many of the topics addressed in the group's songs were written by Erickson as a means of expressive release during personally challenging times.

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 machines and electric guitars with effects pedals.[1] Sampling, which is the use of sound clips as part of a new recording, is another technique commonly employed by the band.

[edit] Influences

The band cites many musical influences, including among many others Aphex Twin, Rush, Skinny Puppy, Cocteau Twins, The Cure and Siouxsie and The Banshees.[2]

[edit] History

[edit] 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 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, and Toxic Coma.[citation needed] Following a turbulent period for Erickson and Slaughter, Workman left the group.[3] 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"[4]. 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.

[edit] Label interest, touring, and a troubled rise (1996–2000)

Cover art for 1996's Church of Acid, which was well received in Europe.
Cover art for 1996's Church of Acid, which was well received in Europe.

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.[5] 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.[6]

The band's next album, Calling Ov the Dead, was rejected by Off-Beat for not sounding edgy enough.[7], 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.

Cover art for 1999's Fun With Knives, the band's most successful album to date.
Cover art for 1999's Fun With Knives, the band's most successful album to date.

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 Records, became the band's best-selling album.[7] 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.

[edit] A change of pace, new early material, and beyond (2001–)

Bryan Erickson circa 2005.
Bryan Erickson circa 2005.

Erickson placed Velvet Acid Christ on a short hiatus in 2001, as he abandoned his dependence on drugs in favor of exercise and a vegan 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 band Revolution State. 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.[citation needed] 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 and drummer Chris Kutz on a new album, Lust for Blood, which was released on 2006-09-26. 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 seven weeks and held the #1 position for four weeks.[citation needed]

The band, consisting solely of Erickson, is currently working on a new LP.

[edit] Audio samples

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Current members

[edit] Former members

  • Grigory Bilham (1990–1992) – assistance, composition
  • Chris Workman (1990–2000) – assistance, composition
  • Gary Slaughter (1994–1997) – composition, engineering, mixing, production, various
  • Todd Loomis (2005–2006) – composition, various

[edit] Studio contributors

Musicians who have previously contributed to the band's albums (with approximate years):

  • Steve Bird (1995–2000) – engineering.
  • Anna Christine (of Luxt) (1999) – vocals
  • Erie Loch (of Luxt) (1999) – lyrics
  • Josh Wilson (of 4th New Army) (1999) – assistance, composition, lyrics, vocals
  • Lisa Wilson (of 4th New Army) (1999) – assistance, composition
  • Abby Hasstedt (2000) – vocals
  • Rafi Sholsman (2000) – ranting
  • Paul Lipman (2000, 2003) – composition, lyrics, vocals
  • Ben Pebley (of Revolution State) (2003) – composition
  • Bonnie Pebley (of Revolution State) (2003) – composition
  • Chris Kutz (2005) – drums

[edit] Live contributors

Musicians who have toured with the band (one tour in 1998, two in 2000):

  • Ingo Beitz (of Kalte Farben) (1998) – synths
  • Bryan Erickson (1998, 2000) – vocals, synths, drums, various
  • Thorsten Stroht (of Dependent Records) (1998, 2000) – synths
  • Steve Bird (2000) – synths, samples
  • Paul Lipman (2000) – synths, drums, samples
  • Dan Olson (2000) – synths, samples

[edit] Discography

Note: Sales statistics for most releases have not been publicly disclosed.

[edit] Albums and EPs

Title Release date Notes Label
Fate 1994 US: EDT
Pestilence 1994 US: EDT
Church of Acid EU: 1996
US: 1997-11-17		 EU: Off-Beat
US: Pendragon
Calling Ov the Dead EU: 1997-11-17
US: 1998-03-17		 EU: Off-Beat
US: Pendragon
Neuralblastoma 1997 US: EDT
Velvet Acid Christ Vs Funker Vogt: The Remix Assault EP 1999-03-23 Remix album shared by Velvet Acid Christ and German EBM band Funker Vogt. EU: Off-Beat
US: Metropolis
Fun with Knives 1999-06-08 EU: Dependent
US: Metropolis
Twisted Thought Generator 2000-11-14 EU: Dependent
US: Metropolis
Dimension 8 2000-11-14 Recorded between 1993–1994. Released as a bonus MP3 collection on Twisted Thought Generator. n/a
Hex Angel: Utopia/Dystopia 2003-08-05 EU: Dependent
US: Metropolis
Oblivion Interface 2004 Recorded between 1992–1994. Tracks were temporarily released as free downloads on the band's website. Also known as Between the Eyes, Vol. 5. n/a
Lust for Blood 2006-09-26 EU: Alive
US: Metropolis

[edit] Re-releases, compilations, and box sets

Title Release date Notes Label
Neuralblastoma 1998-10-06 Re-release. Metropolis release limited to 2500 copies. EU: Off-Beat
US: Metropolis
Fun With Razors 1999 Box set which included Fun With Knives, a mini "Razordisc," and a razor blade. Limited to 3000 copies. EU: Dependent
Hex Angel: Utopia/Dystopia Limited Box 2003-07-31 Box set which included Hex Angel, a mini flashlight, sticker, double-sided poster and a booklet. Limited to 500 copies. EU: Dependent
US: Metropolis
Dimension 8 2004-01-14 Tracks were temporarily re-released as free downloads on the band's website. n/a
Between the Eyes, Vol. 1 2004-02-17 Compilation of singles and B-sides. EU: Metropolis
US: Metropolis
Between the Eyes, Vol. 2 2004-05-18 Re-release of Fate. EU: Metropolis
US: Metropolis
2 Originals: Church of Acid + Calling Ov the Dead 2004-09-07 European, double-disc re-release of Church of Acid and Calling Ov the Dead. EU: Synthetic Symphony
Between the Eyes, Vol. 3 2004-10-12 Re-release of Pestilence. EU: Metropolis
US: Metropolis
Between the Eyes, Vol. 4 2004-11-23 Re-release of Neuralblastoma. EU: Metropolis
US: Metropolis
Calling Ov the Dead 2006-02-07 Re-release with added remixes of the tracks "BSAT2" and "The Hand." EU: Metropolis
US: Metropolis

[edit] Singles

Song Release date Album Notes Label
"The Hand" 1997 Calling Ov the Dead Released on various genre compilation albums. Various
"Decypher" 1999-05-03 Fun With Knives EU: Metropolis
US: Metropolis
"Fun With Drugs" 1999-05-03 Fun With Knives European version of "Decypher." EU: Dependent
"Dial 8" 2001-03-13 Twisted Thought Generator EU: Metropolis
US: Metropolis
"Pretty Toy" 2003-07-08 Hex Angel: Utopia/Dystopia EU: Dependent
US: Metropolis
"Wound" 2006-08-22 Lust for Blood EU: Alive
US: Metropolis

[edit] References

  1. ^ "VAC: Gear", Velvet Acid Christ Website, 2007-11-01. 
  2. ^ Velvet Acid Christ FAQ Velvet Acid Christ Website. Accessed November 1, 2007.
  3. ^ Primary section source. VAC: Time Line Velvet Acid Christ Website Accessed 2007-11-01
  4. ^ "Velvet Acid Christ Website // About", Velvet Acid Christ Fanlisting, 2007-11-01. 
  5. ^ "Bryan Erickson of Velvet Acid Christ -- An Interview / Fun With Knives", Last Sigh Magazine, 2005-08-14. 
  6. ^ "Interview: Velvet Acid Christ - 12/9/97", Sonic Boom, 2006-05-17. 
  7. ^ a b "VAC: Lyrics", Velvet Acid Christ, 2006-05-17. 
  8. ^ "VAC: The Hand", Velvet Acid Christ, 2005-12-09. 
  9. ^ "VAC: Pretty Toy", Velvet Acid Christ, 2005-12-09. 

[edit] External links