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The War of Art (American Head Charge album)

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For the book by Steven Pressfield, see The War of Art (book). For the 2014 episode of The Simpsons, see The War of Art (The Simpsons).
The War of Art
Studio album by
American Head Charge
ReleasedAugust 28, 2001
Recorded2001
StudioThe Mansion in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length67:47
LabelAmerican
Producer
American Head Charge chronology
Trepanation
(1999) 		The War of Art
(2001) 		The Feeding
(2005)
Singles from The War of Art
  1. "Just So You Know"
    Released: May 27, 2002

The War of Art is the second studio album by industrial metal band American Head Charge, released on August 28, 2001 through American Recordings.[3] It was produced by Rick Rubin.[4] Several songs on the album were re-recorded from the band's self-released debut album Trepanation (1999).

The War of Art received positive reviews from critics and debuted at number 118 on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top Heatseekers chart. The album also charted at number 90 on the UK Albums Chart. By 2015, the album had sold 250,000 copies worldwide.[5] In 2022, Metal Hammer ranked the album as the 20th greatest nu metal album of all time.[6]

Album information

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The album was recorded at Rick Rubin's allegedly haunted recording studio. The title is a play on words of the Chinese book The Art of War by Sun Tzu.[7] This is the band's only album with Aaron Zilch on samplers, and David Rogers and Wayne Kile together on guitar. After the departure of Zilch, Fowler remained the band's sole keyboardist/sampler.

The album landed American Head Charge a spot at Ozzfest 2001. Their concerts featured some controversy due to the band firing shotguns and burning American flags on stage.[8][9] A live version of the song "Reach and Touch" appears on the album Ozzfest 2001: The Second Millennium. A live version of "Seamless" appears on the album Pledge of Allegiance Tour: Live Concert Recording. Music videos were released for "Just So You Know" and "All Wrapped Up".

Commercial performance

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The War of Art debuted at number 118 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 12,000 copies, with 4,000 copies of those copies being sold in the album's first day of release. The album's sales surpassed the expectations of the band and American Recordings, who believed it would only manage to sell 7,000 copies in its first week.[10] By 2015, The War of Art had sold over 250,000 copies worldwide.[5][11]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Anti Music[13]
Kerrang!
Metal Storm8.0/10[14]
Metal Hammer7/10[15]
Rough Edge4/5[16]
Rolling Stone(positive)[17]
Ultimate Guitar9.5/10[18]
Q[19]

The War of Art received positive reviews from critics. AllMusic called the album "brutal, loud, and insanely intense" and that "the band is one of the most intelligent, interesting, and compelling metal bands to surface." CMJ said, "aiming its cannons, grenades and shotguns at point-blank range... its spliced with programming and aggro geetars."[20] NME called it an "outstanding slab of modern heavy metal."[21]

Katherine Turman said that "sirens, industrial noise, and ultra-intense vocals kick off The War of Art's aptly titled opening cut 'A Violent Reaction'", and that the band have "deftly produced, well-conceived, and fully realized songs and approach."[22] Metal Observer called it "an album that forms a unity for itself and wins in power and intensity with each repeated listen." AntiMusic said that "from start to finish The War of Art is an uncompromising heavy album filled with righteous screams, in your face bass and drums and searing guitars." Rough Edge said that the album "is one hour plus of blistering, mind blowing, molten metal" and that "song after song after song is nothing less than a pure metal experience." Star Tribune music critic Chris Riemenschneider named the album No. 10 in his top 10 Minnesota records of 2001, saying, "From start to finish, this major-label debut doesn't let up on its Ministry-inspired rhythmic pounding and crunchy guitar wattage.".[23] Matt Peiken of the St. Paul Pioneer Press called the album "one of the unheralded surprises of 2001."[24]

Accolades

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Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Metal Hammer United Kingdom The 50 Best Nu Metal Albums of All Time[6] 2022 20

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Chad Hanks and Cameron Heacock, except where noted

No.TitleMusicLength
1."A Violent Reaction" 4:12
2."Pushing the Envelope" 3:13
3."Song for the Suspect" 4:11
4."Never Get Caught"
  • Chad Hanks
  • Cameron Heacock
  • David Rogers
4:56
5."Self" 4:21
6."Just So You Know"
  • Hanks
  • Heacock
  • Wayne Kile
5:31
7."Seamless" 4:28
8."Effigy 23" 4:10
9."Americunt Evolving Into Useless Psychic Garbage" 2:33
10."Shutdown" 5:06
11."We Believe" 3:15
12."Breathe In, Bleed Out"
  • Hanks
  • Heacock
  • Kile
4:27
13."Fall"
  • Hanks
  • Heacock
  • Rogers
4:29
14."Reach and Touch" 3:54
15."All Wrapped Up" 3:27
16."Nothing Gets Nothing"
  • Hanks
  • Heacock
  • Kile
5:30
  • Track 9 is titled "Title of Song Removed for Your Safety" on the rear cover.[citation needed]
Bonus track
No.TitleMusicLength
17."Pretty Face" (Japanese edition bonus track)Hanks, Heacock11:20

Music videography

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Video still Release date Song Director Label Additional information
2001 "All Wrapped Up" Thomas Migone American Recordings Features actor Michael Rooker. It was banned due to visceral images within the video
2002 "Just So You Know" Kevin Kerslake American Recordings American Head Charge's first official music video

Credits

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Personnel per liner notes.[25]

Chart positions

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Chart performance for The War of Art
Chart (2001–2002) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[26] 81
UK Albums (OCC)[27] 90
US Billboard 200[28] 118
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[28] 1

Release history

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Reigon Date Label Format Ref.
United States August 28, 2001 American/Island Def Jam
[3]
United Kingdom American/Mercury
Various April 8, 2022 Music on Vinyl 2xLP [29]

References

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  1. ^ "The 12 Most Underrated Nu Metal Albums". VH1. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. (September 15, 2015). Retrieved on September 18, 2015
  2. ^ "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". April 2022.
  3. ^ a b "AHC News Page". headcharge.com. July 2, 2001. Archived from the original on August 14, 2001. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  4. ^ "Pro Audio". Billboard. April 7, 2001. p. 66. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Blabbermouth (February 17, 2015). "AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE Signs With NAPALM RECORDS". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Hobson, Rich; Everley, Dave; Hammer, Metal; updated, Merlin Alderslade last (April 1, 2022). "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". louder. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Henhoeffer, Bill. "American Head Charge interview about 'The War of Art.'". PopEntertainment.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2002. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  8. ^ "Maximum Ink music magazine of Wisconsin | Artist Interviews | American Headcharge". Maximumink.com. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  9. ^ Savage, Jason (November 2001). "Rough Edge: Interview with American Head Charge - 2001". www.roughedge.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  10. ^ Wilson, David Lee (December 4, 2001). "KNAC.COM - Features - American Head Charge Interview". www.knac.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  11. ^ "'American Head Charge' – Bio". Headcharge.com. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  12. ^ "The War of Art – American Head Charge". AllMusic.
  13. ^ Ieg / Ecc (October 30, 1998). "antiMUSIC Reviews - The Music site with an attitude". Antimusic.com. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  14. ^ "American Head Charge - The War Of Art review". Metal Storm. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  15. ^ Ingham, Chris (December 2001). "Album Reviews". Metal Hammer. No. 93. UK: Future plc. p. 79.
  16. ^ "American Head Charge CD Reviews". Rough Edge. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  17. ^ Zupp, Adrian (August 27, 2001). "Recordings: American Head Charge: The War of Art". Rolling Stone.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2001. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  18. ^ "American Head Charge: The War Of Art | Reviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.com". www.ultimate-guitar.com.
  19. ^ Winwood, Ian (December 2001). "American Head Charge - The War of Art". Q (185): 118.
  20. ^ 8/27/01, p. 20
  21. ^ 3/2/02, p. 15
  22. ^ "American Head Charge - The War of Art : the album description, tracks, reviews". Music-city.org. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  23. ^ Riemenschneider, Chris (December 21, 2001). "An Iffy Year: Sales are no indicator of the top 10 local CDs of 2001". Star Tribune. Minneapolis–Saint Paul. p. 5E.
  24. ^ Peiken, Matt (December 27, 2002). "Critics' Picks: Pop Music". Pioneer Press. Saint Paul, Minnesota. p. E4.
  25. ^ The War of Art (booklet). American Head Charge. Minneapolis: American Recording Company, LLC. 2001. 586 327-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  27. ^ "AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  28. ^ a b "American Head Charge". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  29. ^ wookubus (March 4, 2022). "American Head Charge's "The War Of Art" Set For First Vinyl Pressing". Theprp.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
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