American Head Charge

A chance encounter in rehab between Cameron Heacock and Chad Hanks gave rise to the Minneapolis industrial metal collective American Head Charge, whose ferociously delivered sound mirrored their volatile conduct. Performing under the names Martin Cock and Mr. H.C. Banks III, the pair established AHC during the closing years of the 1990s and issued the widely praised debut album War of Art in 2001. Bolstered at that stage by guitarist Bryan Ottoson, keyboardist Justin Fowler, and drummer Christopher Emery, the release earned the group an appearance on the 2001 Ozzfest lineup, after which internal fractures produced a chaotic, substance-driven entity remembered chiefly for onstage and backstage disorder rather than its instrumental prowess. Throughout the period the members repeatedly entered rehabilitation and survived near-fatal crises yet channeled their aggression into new work, yielding the expansive 2005 follow-up Feeding—their initial outing on the Nitrus/DRT imprint. Later that year guitarist Bryan Ottoson died from an accidental prescription-drug overdose during the album’s tour. Early 2007 brought the live CD/DVD package Can't Stop the Machine, yet by 2009 the collective had formally disbanded. Speculation of a reunion surfaced in 2011; confirmation arrived with the 2012 single “Sugars of Someday,” which preceded the 2013 comeback EP Shoot. In the ensuing year the musicians launched a crowdfunding campaign to underwrite a fourth studio album, surpassing their target and traveling to Kentucky’s Third Sky studios to record. The completed Tango Umbrella appeared in March 2016 on Napalm Records.