American Head Charge consists of Aaron Zilch (effects), Chad Hanks (bass), Christopher Emery (drums), David Rogers (guitar), Martin Cock (vocals, guitar), Wayne Kile (guitar).
American Head Charge (often referred to as Head Charge or abbreviated AHC) are an industrial metal band from Minneapolis, Minnesota USA. The band's sound has often been described as a cross between Ministry and Slipknot; they've covered the former and toured with the latter.
The band was formed in 1996, the genealogical birthchild of a richly fortunate meeting through a rehabilitation center in Plymouth, Minnesota between founding members Cameron Heacock and Chad Hanks. Bassist Chad Hanks (in an interview with PRP) recalls; "In order to graduate the program, my counsellor made me write a song (I hadn't done it sober in years.) and perform it for everybody. I asked Martin if he could sing and he was like: 'Sure, I guess...'".
Formative carnations of the band sported the curious monikers Flux and Gestapo Pussy Ranch, though these were shortlived. The name Flux was already adopted by another band and so was dropped due to fear from libel, while the belligerent, aggressive Gestapo Pussy Ranch was abandoned within a period of six months so as not to fatally alienate prospective label interest. Warsaw Ghetto Pussy was a name consideration jettisoned ."I'm a fan of 3-word names", Hanks (in a December 2001 Livewire interview) reflected. In reference to the current band moniker, he confessed; "It means nothing. No meaning by it. Pretty much that purpose right there."
They released their major-label debut album The War of Art in 2001 and a follow-up, The Feeding, in 2005.
An early 2005 tour conducted in tow with the bands Mudvayne, Life of Agony and Bloodsimple was to prove a dark, gloomy time in the unfortunate, cataclysmic form of guitarist's Bryan Ottoson's death. The musician's corpse was tragically found lying on a sleeping bunk on the controversial band's tour bus in North Charleston, South Carolina, where the group was scheduled to perform at the Plex club.
