Velvet Acid Christ had their origins in an 80's high school electronics class, where Bryan and Chris would debate the merits of Amiga versus Atari. Bryan and Grigory Bilham (an early member of VAC) were at the time working in a punk/funk band, which, by 1990, was altered to the trio of Bryan, Chris, and Grig. The band's name was originally Cyberchrist, although this was changed within a few months to Velvet Acid Christ, named (so they say) in honor of a bad acid trip. Grig left the band in 1992, leaving the core of Bryan and Chris (although various other people have had revolving door membership in the band).
Bryan and Chris cite a number of influences to their hard driving industrial sound, including Legendary Pink Dots, the Cure, Skinny Puppy, Orbital, and a surprising number of metal bands, including Napalm Death, Godflesh, and Metallica. They also expose a number of social issues, including animal rights and their concern regarding the basic survival of mankind against the onslaught of technology.
Prior to signing with Metropolis Records, Velvet Acid Christ had released two previous CDs: Church of Acid and Calling ov the Dead on Pendragon Records. Neuroblastoma, a limited edition CD of earlier unreleased material, was their first release on Metropolis.
Chris soon left the band, leaving Bryan as the sol member of Velvet Acid Christ. 1999 saw the re-invented Velvet Acid Christ in the limelight with a remix war between VAC and Funker Vogt, the "Decypher" single, and the third full length release, Fun with Knives.
Twisted Thought Generator continued the saga of Velvet Acid Christ. Released in 2000, Twisted Thought Generator re-enforced how talented this American Electro-Industrial act had become in a genre that seems dominated by German bands. The album is densely sequenced with multiple layers, pounding beats, and fantastic samples. The "Dial8" single came as a follow-up, featuring two mixes and a hidden feature, making it an instant radio hit in Germany, and a dance floor favorite in America.
After a three year hiatus, Velvet Acid Christ returned with his latest single, Pretty Toy for 2003, and proved that he has not lost his touch. Aggressive electronics, throbbing beats, and obscure samples make Pretty Toy a resurrection of the past combined with the latest in sonic development. Following up the single, VAC released his fifth album, Hex Angel (Utopia-Dystopia). The new album exhibits what has made Velvet Acid Christ one of the best and most famed American electro-industrial bands. Aggressive electronics, throbbing beats, obscure samples, and distorted vocals fuse to create an extremely dark and versatile album. Reminiscent of his second album, Calling ov the Dead, blended with the third, Fun with Knives, Hex Angel (Utopia/Dystopia) explores the fine line between trance, EBM, industrial, and noise.
VAC now is followed up on the success of Hex Angel (which made it onto the Billboard Electronic Chart) with yet another great release. Several years of discussion had led him to release Between the Eyes Volume 1. Conceptually, it’s a singles collection, but in actuality it is much more and better than just that. Featuring many of the hits, Between the Eyes Volume 1 also features several popular remixes as well as the "Futile (Nazi Bastard)" mix, which was never before available in the US. The collection flows like an album and is not at all like a greatest hits compilation, and is sure to be a must-have for VAC’s fans.
Adding onto the retrospect collection, VAC is ready to release the second phase: Between the Eyes Volume 2. Featuring a 'lucky number' of thirteen tracks, Between the Eyes Volume 2 further delves into the past of this highly prolific one man band. Several tracks were taken from early demo tapes as well as the Church of Acid album which help to give a full representation of where Velvet Acid Christ first began his musical career.
Source: http://www.metropolis-records.com/?/artists/?artist=velvetac
