-------------------------------- Voltage Mainline - Gravity Kills -------------------------------- author uncredited Voltage-Zine.com (defunct), 1998 (exact date unknown), Issue #7 Like a Midwestern tornado, Gravity Kills stormed out of their native St. Louis with their 1995 self-titled debut anointed by TVT/Wax Trax as the inheritors of the post-industrial pop kingdom created by Trent Reznor and Ministry. Radio adored their hit "Guilty". Fans loved their shows. The Sex Pistols invited them along on their reunion tour. For vocalist Jeff Scheel, bassist/drummer Kurt Kerns, guitarist Matt Dudenhoeffer and programmer Doug Firley, it was a quick and painful indoctrination into the world of pop stardom. "I don't think this is whining, but when all these things started happening I became very depressed," says Scheel. "I really didn't understand why all these people I didn't know were telling me and the band how great we were. At the same time they were telling us to keep our feet on the ground. So, it was all very confusing. It the time I realized what we meant to other people - I mean the record label, the accountants and lawyers - was simply the voice on the record: the product. At that moment I felt better, because I got it. Coming to that understanding was the whole concept behind Perversion." The band's sophomore album roars with familiar dark introspection, crunchy guitar hooks and Firley's edgy electronics. The radio-friendly tracks like "Falling" and "If" still echo with deeply personal themes like lost love, but Scheel denies that Perversion dwells on the band's experiences on the road in 1995. "It's not necessarily a record about being on the road," Scheel explains. "It's just another collection of experiences to draw from. Some of it is about the road, some of it is about other things - personal relationships, there's even a song about a writer. We're not doing a Bon Jovi rock-road anthem." The album does push the band into new territory. "Disintegrate" throws down a serious drum'n'bass treatment while Scheel growls "You're selling me!" like an accusation. Scheel says that track is a microcosm of the band's songwriting approach with each member taking the reins on different songs. "On 'Disintegrate', Doug took some guitar that Matt had done and some stuff that Kurt had sone and made that song. I came in later with the bass progression. If someone is running with an idea we pretty much stay out of their way. It goes song to song, but there are times when we're at each others' throats over it, because we all have very strong convictions." Ultimately nearly all the lyrics are handled by Scheel, who seems to have an unfathomable well of angst to pull material from. "I really draw from Hobbesian philosophy," says Scheel. "All men are bloody rotters. People are not innately good. If that were the case, we wouldn't have to worry about road rage, or kids blowing their parents' heads off or going to school and taking target practice at lunch. People are just not naturally sweet. At the same time, people are capable of making decisions for themselves. We spend so much time suppressing who we are ... I don't think I'm innately a good person, so it's very easy to write about the darker things, because they're real. At the same time, I think most people share similar experiences." Scheel maintains that he feels no sense of self-loathing. His motivations come more from misanthropy than internal demons. He's wrestled with the emotional schizophrenia of the music industry and survived at least for the time being. These days, on tour with Pinchshifter, Scheel approaches things a lot differently that he did on Gravity Kills' rookie tour. "We're more levelheaded now," he explains. "At the same time ignorance was bliss. We didn't realize the odds we were overcoming at the time. When we were on the first tour every thing was exciting and new. Now the only time I get excited is when I go out on stage." [All copyrights are property of the owner. This article is reposted on this site because the original owner does not have it on the web. All typos are original to the version posted (i.e. not caused by me). This copy is stored at "Perverted" - Gravity Kills fan site http://grantb.net/perverted/index.html -> "Articles" ]