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Velvet Acid Christ
Between the Eyes Vol. 4

Metropolis Records

Posted: Thursday, March 23, 2006
By: Stephen Sodergren

Bryan Erickson concludes his dark journey into his past with Between the Eyes Vol. 4. This album again explores the depths of material from his first two releases, Church of Acid (both the European and American releases) and Calling ov the Dead, both of which are now out of print. In addition to this there is material written during that time period, some of which made its way onto the limited release of Neuralblastoma and some of it that hasn't seen any prior release to my knowledge. In all, this disc covers mostly tracks from both versions of Church of Acid and Neuralblastoma. Track highlights are various on this disc as the music is from what I consider to be Velvet Acid Christ's darkest of the dark era. The subject matter of the tracks is of a bleak nature and is dripping with despair and anti-Christian sentiments. The tracks are powerful to say the least, as you are given a very deep glimpse into the tortured soul of Erickson, who at the time was heavily influenced by drug use. A good example of this deep abyss of emotions is the track "Repulsive (Necropolis Mix)," which was originally found on the European release of Church of Acid. The track is made up of a slow echoed drumbeat and is doused in plenty of low synth notes that match the pace of the drums. Like all VAC tracks with vocals, Erickson's voice is heavily processed with echoes that make the vocals scary and sometimes vaguely heard... like a demon in your closet whispering to you. This track, I think, really grasps the emotional depth of Erickson's music and is the purest form of pain that he has ever conveyed. To put this track on the final disc in his Between the Eyes series really brings VAC's journey through the past to a close as with all of the volumes combined you get a true sense of what Erickson was trying to say in that time frame of his life. Subsequent releases after this period have been just as poignant and dark, but I don't think any has gotten this close to the hell that he was in. The only other release close to this is Twisted Thought Generator, in which Erickson battled his drug addiction. The life work of Velvet Acid Christ through the eyes of Bryan Erickson has been a bleak, but needed journey that is not over yet. With this final volume of his past released, he can now move on to the future and continue his own personal fight with his psyche in this societal structure we all find ourselves in these days.