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'16volt' began in 1991 with the mission to merge the raw guitars of early punk with the heavy beats and energy of industrial dance music. In 1992, 16volt ’s founder and frontman, Eric Powell, signed with the Cargo Records industrial subsidiary and now infamous Re-Constriction Records.

Contents

History

Wisdom

Skin

LetDownCrush

SuperCoolNothing

Comeback

Discography

Albums

Singles/EPs/Compilation Appearances

References

External links

History

Wisdom

16volt’s debut, “Wisdom,” was co-produced by David Ogilvie (Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy) and Keith “Fluffy” Auerbach (Ministry) and was released in 1993. Met with worldwide acclaim from fans and press alike, “Wisdom” officially put 16volt on the map and, along with Powell, was credited with helping spawn a genre of industrial known as “coldwave.” That same year, 16volt hit the road, playing shows to club crowds on the West Coast of the United States.

Skin

In 1994, 16 Volt released the slightly more raw-sounding “Skin.” This release won features in Alternative Press, Kerrang!, CMJ, Industrial Nation, and B-Side. “Skin” reached the #2 slot on Rolling Stone’s alternative charts and was also seen on charts in France, Germany, Ireland, and Japan.

LetDownCrush

16volt’s third release came in the 1996 album “LetDownCrush.” It was co-produced by Jeff “Critter” Newell (Ministry, Filter) and featured special guests Stella (Stella Soleil, Sister Soleil), William Tucker (Ministry), Marc LaCorte, and Bryan Black (Haloblack, Motor, Xlover). Interviews and features followed in huH, B-Side, Alternative Press, Kerrang!, CMJ, Industrial Nation, Guitar Player. LetDownCrush reached #1 on the Rolling Stone alternative charts, and marked the debut of 16volt’s national touring career. Lead singer Powell and his crew toured for over nine months, making their way around the United States several times with the likes of Chemlab, Bile, Acumen Nation, and Korn.

SuperCoolNothing

In 1998, 16volt signed with Slipdisc/Mercury/PolyGram and got to work on the band’s fourth release, “SuperCoolNothing.”. SuperCoolNothing was produced by Bill Kennedy (NIN, Megadeth, Sepultura) and Joseph Bishara (Drown, Danzig. The record featured special guest Chris Vrenna (NIN, Tweaker) on drums.
During the first two weeks of touring, however, Mercury/PolyGram was purchased by Seagram’s, creating a ripple that would send 16volt back home and cause the firing of the entire Mercury team slated to work on the SuperCoolNothing record promotion. Two weeks afterward, SCN was released without promotion, touring, and support. 16volt began to search for another label, but it was too late and the mess too large. A year of fighting, lawsuits, and the inability to make something good come from the band, Powell disbanded 16 Volt.

Comeback

After a long and well-deserved hiatus, the band convinced an investor to buy back SCN from the dead labels; they then re-released it on their own as “SCN2.0.” The double-disc set included remixes by Filter, Orgy, Deadsy, and Crazy Town, in addition to some demo tracks that the band had started working on. Powell gathered the troops and began to mount a comeback.
Shortly after the re-release, 16volt was tapped by Sony to provide the soundtrack to a new game called ''Primal''. At the end of production, 16volt had furnished 12 tracks and was actually digitized into the game as the opening-cinematics band.
To celebrate the release of “Primal,” 16volt hit the road in 2002 with KMFDM for a North American whirlwind, completing 34 shows in 36 days. Most of the dates were sold out, and by KMFDM’s own admission the tour was one of the best packages they had ever put out. 16volt returned home on the tour bus and inked a deal with Capitol Records. The band then spent 11 months working on demos and being bombarded with pressure to compromise, which ultimately forced Powell to walk away and head back underground.
In 2005, Powell inked a one-off deal with Cleopatra Records to release 16volt’s first-ever “best of” collection. The double-disc set titled “The Best of Sixteen Volt™” features fan-picked tracks on one disc and the first-ever live release of 16volt on disc two. Powell cleaned house, went into isolation, and began working on the next phase of 16volt.
In August of 2006, Powell had a new record under his belt called “FullBlackHabit” that he began shopping to indie labels. He found a new home at Metropolis Records and inked a worldwide multi-album deal. The new record, released June 19th, 2007, features guests appearances by Paul Raven (Ministry, Killing Joke, Prong); Steve White (KMFDM); Bildeaux (Necrofix, OHN); Kraig Tyler (Chemlab, Virus23, Crazytown); Scott Robison (Drøne); and Jason Bazinet (SMP). Plans are in the works for a national tour.

Discography

Albums

★ ''Wisdom'' (1993)

★ ''Skin'' (1994)

★ ''LetDownCrush'' (1996)

★ ''SuperCoolNothing'' (1998)

★ ''Demography'' (2000) - This is a collection of early (pre-'Wisdom') demo work, including the entire 'Imitation' cassette (1991).

★ ''SuperCoolNothing V2.0'' (2002)

★ ''The Best of Sixteen Volt'' (2005)

★ ''FullBlackHabit'' (2007)

Singles/EPs/Compilation Appearances

★ ''Shut Up Kitty'' (1993)

★ ''The Dreams That Rot In Your Heart'' (1996)

★ '' (1996)

★ ''Newer Wave'' (1997)

★ ''A Gothic-Industrial Tribute to The Smashing Pumpkins'' (2001)

★ ''Various Artists - Hordes of the Elite'' (Glitch Mode Recordings - 2006)

★ ''Escape From Earth'' (Cracknation - 2006)

★ ''TV Terror: Felching A Dead Horse'' (1997)

★ ''Newer Wave'' - Turning Japanese ''4:45'' (1997)

References

★ 16Volt History

External links

★ Official site

★ Official Myspace

★ Fabryka Industrial Rock webzine

★ Sonic Boom Magazine Interview (1995)